Mon –Thu midday–11pm, Fri–Sat midday–11.30pm, Sun midday–10pm
Orange Elephant’s shtick is a simple one: you walk in, you pay £20 (or £80 for their 1.5kg tomahawk steak), and for that you get a three-course meal consisting of a salad, steak and chips and a dessert. No frills, no complications. Just steak. That sort of straightforwardness is endlessly endearing in a part of town where other restaurants will, more often than not, give you a menu with a higher word count than Ulysses.
There is, however, a risk behind it—you may be getting an easy meal, and it may be a bargain (and trust me, a steak in west London with two other courses for £20 is most certainly a bargain), but if you can’t deliver an experience on par with London’s other steak restaurants, then the whole thing is kaput. After all, steak is the sort of thing people will happily shell out a little more for if it guarantees a better meal. No pressure, then.
The restaurant itself is small and cosy. Perhaps just over a dozen tables and a bar area are nestled into what is a relatively small square footage. It never feels cramped, though, and the more modest size of the place makes allowance for the use of a smaller team of staff. This is an advantage that is leapt upon by Orange Elephant—their team is invariably focused, friendly and helpful, with chattier bar staff than I’ve ever seen in the area and an owner who stunned me with his willingness to get stuck in, exchanging effortless banter with customers, taking coats and even serving. It is this sort of commitment from a team that keeps a dining experience truly warm—and when was the last time the owner of Gaucho brought your drinks to the table?
So, on to the food. The salad was rocket with parmesan and walnuts. It wasn’t complex and, in any other restaurant, is the sort of thing I’d only order if I knew I was going to be eating steak soon after. In this context, that meant it worked just fine.
The steak itself was a generous cut (though a few more chips couldn’t have gone amiss) and was slightly pinker than I expected from a medium rare steak. This, of course, is no bad thing—always better to err on the rare side than the cooked side. A curry sauce with the chips was unexpected but complemented them nicely. All in all, as fine a steak as I could ever want without going to somewhere like Hawksmoor. Not the best I’ve ever had, but it certainly sat comfortably on the higher end of the spectrum.
Our desserts (chocolate mousse for myself, cheese for my guest) were perfect—nicely portioned and well-made, with the cheese just soft and mature enough. The beers on offer were all relatively local (Beavertown) and the wines well-chosen to match a good steak.
I don’t give five stars often, and I’m not going to give that score to Orange Elephant—because, in my opinion, five stars denotes not only perfection but also an experience so good that it’s basically life-affirming. This restaurant, however, came very close to achieving that first criteria; I can find basically nothing to complain about, and considering what you’re getting for how much you’re paying, I think it’s safe to say that Orange Elephant should be able to find its place among London’s steak heavyweights.
