Flat Iron Wagyu Sharer Preview

Since launching amidst the bright lights of Manchester's Deansgate earlier in the year, Flat Iron has become a go to staple for those in search of a solid quality steak at bargain price point.  Their signature flat iron cut is not only a steal but is absolutely delicious and easily stands its ground against the more commonly found cuts that we tend to lean towards here in the UK.

So, when we were invited down to sample Flat Iron's new Wagyu sharing special, it was an invitation that we were hardly going to pass by!  We braved the chaos of the pre-Christmas city centre, and headed down to see exactly what Flat Iron are cooking up.

Flat Iron are renowned for the quality of their beef, with their signature cut coming from their own herd of cattle over the Pennines in Yorkshire.  But as touched on, this visit was about the specials which in this case was a sharing cut of Wagyu Rib Eye; arguably the most delicious of all cuts, taken from an iconic breed of cattle which is known for intense marbling and hence flavour.  We popped in our order, and the anticipation started to build.

And whilst you're waiting on the main event to arrive, you can enjoy Flat Iron's complementary salted popcorn which is served in an enamel cup.  It's a lovely touch and one of the things which is always a highlight of any visit to Flat Iron.

The steaks are cooked over charcoal on Flat Iron's spectacular grill which sits to the side of the dining room, so guests can enjoy a bit of theatre, and we loved being able to see our steak as it cooked away under those intense flames on that trademark Basque-style mechanical grill.

Cut from the eye of the rib, our Sharing Wagyu Rib Eye (£55) was naturally well marbled with a seam of fat through the centre resulting in a tender, succulent, juicy steak.  The meat is sourced from First Light Farms and Southern Stations Wagyu in New Zealand, so you can be sure of top-quality protein and sustainability in equal measures, in keeping with Flat Iron's wider ethos.  And as you can see from the internal shot, it really is great quality beef cooked superbly well and is hard to beat!

No steak experience is complete without the sides, and we ordered a selection of 4.  Home Made Beef Dripping Chips (£4.0) are always a must order.  Crispy yet fluffy, and very well-seasoned.  Absolutely unmissable.

Truffled Mac & Cheese (£5.5) is always a joy too, and it was no exception on this visit.  Well cooked pasta with a divine cheese sauce and that unmistakable scent of truffle, topped with breadcrumbs for some texture and crunch.

We decided that it was probably wise to order something green to complement the protein and carbs so went with the Green Salad (£3.5), which added a bit of freshness to the table's offerings, featuring a cheeky pop of mint to bring the whole thing alive.

And finally, we went with the Roast Aubergine (£4.5) which was basically a Parmigiana.  Layers of soft, roasted aubergine, tempered with tomato, basil and plenty of oozy mozzarella.  Absolutely delicious.

To further enhance the Wagyu experience, Flat Iron's new limited-release Saint Émilion 2023, crafted by Chateau Jupille Carillon in this prestigious sub-region of Bordeaux, is available by the glass and bottle (£50).  It showcases lovely bright red fruit, a rich mouthfeel showing a little spiciness, and fine velvety tannins.  Absolutely the perfect accomplice to that fine beef.

We ended with Flat Iron's iconic soft serve.  Usually this is served to take away but our lovely server Etta, who took care of us like extended family, gratefully served ours tableside whilst we went over our photos and started debating the contents of this article!  It was a lovely touch and added to the occasion.

So, Flat Iron's Wagyu Rib Eye Sharer is available in limited numbers, and will be on sale during the festive season, so book your own Wagyu Rib eye experience at Flat Iron Manchester, before it ends.

** Our experience was gratefully comped **

Flat Iron Preview

For those who've not had their finger on the pulse lately; Flat Iron have finally landed in Manchester with a bang!   With 13 branches in London and another couple dotted about the country, Flat Iron are the famously great value yet good quality steak house, serving a focused menu with a real emphasis on delivering the best possible product at a price point which defies any sense at all.

Flat Iron have their own herd based over in Yorkshire, which is a huge factor in being able to being you an inflation flouting experience, along with having tight controls over quality.     It all sounded great, so the team were invited down to see first-hand.

On arrival your table is given some of Flat Iron's trademark beef fat popcorn to share, which felt only right to pair with some pre dinner drinks.

We went with Sherbert Bellini (£8) to get the party started.  It was Summer in a glass, with vibrant zesty notes, perfectly in keeping with the surprise sunshine outside.  This was a tipple which exceeded expectations.

Next was the Classic Old Fashioned (£8), which did exactly what the tin suggested. It was well made, generous in pour and was crucially, very well balanced.  Served in a mini flask to self-pour over a perfectly transparent ice cube, which had been hand cut at the bar.  Outrageous levels of detail for eight quid! 

Our last aperitif was a coupe of what the menu called 'Apply' French Bubbles (£7.5), which I'm pretty sure was Crémant.  Fresh, zingy, delicious and more outstanding value.

But steak is what Flat Iron is all about, and we were keen to try as many as possible so opted to try 3 different steaks from the menu;

The Flat Iron Steak (£14) headlines, as you'd expect.  It's a lesser-known cut which you seldom see on UK high streets amidst our national obsession with fillet, sirloin and rump, but the flat iron is incredibly tender and flavoursome, taken from the shoulder section of the animal.  This was perfectly cooked, pre sliced, served simply but deliciously.

Our next cut was the Scottish Bavette (£17); a French bistro classic but again not one which you see apart from in speciality butchers in the UK.  Slightly less tender than the ubiquitous flat iron, but arguably a more robust flavour.  It's without question one of my favourite cuts out there.

And finally, it was amazing to see Wagyu featured breed at Flat Iron, and the menu contains a rotating cut from said beast.  On this occasion it was the Denver Cut (£22), which was full of marbled fat, resulting in a juicy, rich steak.  A little taste of luxury and a pleasure to see a once impossible to source cut of beef on the menu.

Sides were similarly high quality, with the stars of the show being the Homemade Beef Dripping Chips (£4) and a decadent Truffled Macaroni Cheese (£5.50).  Crispy Bone Marrow Garlic Mash (£4), Green Salad (£3.50).

Natoora Vesuvian Tomatoes (£4.50), from the specials board, were a revelation and probably the stand-out side.  Chopped into large chunks and served simply, this was a textbook display of how good tomatoes can be, needing very little other than some salt and a bit of time to infuse.

A special mention goes to the service which we received.  Now sure, when you're press, servers tend to be super attentive and polite, often more so than they usually would be.  But time teaches you to tell the difference between the two.  And at Flat Iron we were looked after by the lovely Freya, who apparantely works behind the bar most of the time.  But we say that her true calling is talking to customers and making people smile, and she certainly did that for us.

We headed off feeling satisfied, but not before exchanging our meat cleaver tokens for a soft serve cone each, in this case a Tahitian Vanilla and Brown butter version, dusted with chocolate; another Flat Iron trademark.

So our long anticipated dinner drew to a close having more than met what we hoped it would be.  Flat Iron would be as ideally suited to a quality lunch, as it would a pre theatre dinner, or just dinner in general.  It's got huge appeal and seems well suited to the Manchester market, striking that perfect balance of occasion, value, quality and versatility.  We are sure that it will prove to be a hit!

** Our experience was gratefully comped **