“A claggy chore” – The Cut and Craft, reviewed

Even before I arrive, I have a hunch that Cut and Craft might not be for me.

It’s the image on Instagram, or more specifically the accompanying caption, that does it. The picture, an attractive tomahawk steak cooked medium-rare, sliced ​​on an angle, and flanked by two halves of a well-grilled tomato, is good enough.

Maybe a gold-plated steak is, especially at the moment, just a little silly and unnecessary

However, the cringe-inducing caption under the plaque – “Women, the way to his heart” – makes me feel a little queasy.

In all its splendor and pomp, Cut and Craft has landed on York Road from the start. Clumsy caption aside, it must be doing something right because the only time I get one of its many tables on a Friday is when it’s too late for lunch and too early for dinner. It’s a feast of false starts and half-kept promises.

“Cutting,” as you may have gathered, refers to the wide variety of cooked beasts that the restaurant specializes in. Steak plays a leading role, and in these trying times it’s perhaps comforting to know you can flatten the iron here. for the inviting price of twelve pounds. It’s a decent if unremarkable cut of meat, lacking the smoky char or visceral hum usually associated with cutting it. Hats off to the pricing though.

Maybe the gold leaf coated version, which is apparently a thing, might pack a little more. Or maybe a gold-plated steak is, especially right now, just a little silly and unnecessary.

There are also artisanal burgers, or in my case, a generous pile of roasted sea bass (£19.95). And the fish is good – crispy and firm. However, the small dauphinoise tower it arrives with is tepid, woolly and past its prime. A bright pool of saffron sauce promises much but delivers little.

A bowl of crispy, salty fries (£4.50) offers some redemption, as a bowl of crisps usually does. Other sides include tired and droopy French beans with shallots and peas (£5) and truffled cauliflower cheese (£4.50), which has an overpowering top note of average oil.

It’s not all about the meat, but a heaping bucket of clams (£9.95) carries the promise of a seaside scent. It’s honestly a mountain of skillfully steamed molluscs, but the “crispy bread” to drench through the tangy, creamy sauce is outdated.

Similarly, a spin on aged beetroot and goat’s cheese (£8.50) starts well enough, but thanks to a sickly sweet marinade, it soon becomes a messy affair.

The “craft” element refers to the liquor, which you are free to make your own. Choose from the likes of Peroni, Corona or Black Sheep. I have nothing against these – I know, I know – although even I recognize that “craft” does a lot of the heavy lifting here.

Bottles of wine start in the early £20s and although I politely point out that we pour our own, several members of the team take credit anyway as they float by. They are under the order of course, but still it falters.

Perhaps if the dishes were prepared in a slightly more lively way, I would be inclined to enjoy my vast, impressive surroundings. There’s a deep tan party, sprawling staircases and a handsome half-cube bar behind which mixologists will make you a pornstar Martini for twelve pounds.

I wonder if the balance of atonement requires the inclusion of that gold-smothered steak on the menu.

It’s a shiny and compact space, where the presence of a doorman and DJ makes The Cut and Craft feel more like a nightclub than a restaurant. Some people love it, apparently many already do, but it’s only 6pm when the volume goes up, the lights go down and Old Man Miller has seen enough.

Cutting and crafting 23 King Edward Street, LS1 6AX

Follow Richard on Twitter @eat the north