If you’re a fan of serious steak at a very reasonable price, then Flat Iron on the corner of Deansgate and Quay Street is for you. It’s in what was Blacks’ outdoor shop, and the interior has been stripped back to show the original columns and ceilings. Service is knowledgeable and friendly, and portions are good.
The menu keeps things very simple, and there is very little here of interest to vegetarians or vegans. There are no starters, and the mains consist of a single item, the eponymous flatiron steak (£14), with some “Beef Specials” (a triple cheese truffle burger (£14), a Scottish Bavette (£17), and a Wagyu steak of the day special (£22)). That’s it, plus a handful of sides ranging from £3.50 to £4.50. Sauces max out at £1.50.
Wine is served by the glass (175ml), carafe (375ml) or the bottle (750ml) and the selection is good.
The first thing you see on sitting down is that instead of a knife you’ve been given a small cleaver. It’s a Flat Iron thing, and it did the job well.
I ordered the steak of the day which came cooked just as ordered, finished off on the charcoal grill, nicely pink on the inside and meltingly tender. My companion ordered the burger which came wrapped. We had beef dripping chips (nice and crispy), crispy bone marrow garlic mash (heaven) and truffled macaroni cheese (lovely). I had 3 different glasses of red (Flatiron Malbec, a Sicilian Nero d’Avola, and Pino Noir). All good. The other side of the table sampled a carafe of the Cotes de Provence rosé, fruity, but nicely on the dry side.
Everything was excellent, except perhaps for the burger bun. As is usual these days it was the ubiquitous brioche (a bit too sweet) and having been wrapped it was a bit soggy, making it difficult to pick up. We were told that people used the wrapper to hold it, but the cleaver came to the rescue here too.
There are no desserts (I said the menu kept things simple) but, as you leave, you’re given a tiny cleaver token to hand in for an ice cream cone dusted with chocolate. You can save it for another time apparently as well.
Service here is excellent by very knowledgeable servers who delight in talking customers through the various cuts on the menu. In our case, bravo Reuben.
All said, Flat Iron is a great addition to Manchester’s restaurant scene. Give it a go.
Paul Schofield for Canal St Media.