Welcome to the Chop Shop

by Team TWOP Jun 5, 2014

Steak and chops are king in this highly recommended carnivorous eatery.

When it comes to meat there’s no-one who could possibly enjoy it more than my brother, so when he came to town I thought it would be rude to choose a restaurant that wouldn’t result in meat sweats. Thinking of succulent steak and sticky pork chops, there was only one place we could go.

We rounded up a group of carnivores with hearty appetites and trotted down to Chop Shop, an NYC butcher-shop-inspired import that’s lived in Haymarket since September last year. Blending in with its West End location we entered under a broadway sign and were met by a guy straight from the school of attentive waiters. Set over two floors, the ambient dining room boasts an industrial interior with exposed brick walls, cast iron lighting and dark wood vintage furniture.

Menu starter options included the oh-so-trendy concept of stuffing jars full of food (as a veggie I thought the white onion and Parmesan mouse was to die for). Served with a sour bread they were perfect to nibble away at. Don’t fancy a jar and you can indulge in hot chicken wings with blue cheese dip, scotch eggs, pork scratchings or ‘planks’ of assorted meaty or cheese goodness.

The main offered a choice of meat or more meat, which can be mixed and matched with various sauces and sides. Moans and groans suggested the 35 day aged steak with vodka peppercorn sauce was pretty bloody brilliant. Add sides such as a fried egg, shoestring onion rings or even a whole roasted garlic. Don’t fancy red meat? Then there are other options on the table: roasted chicken, patty melt sandwich (which also proved popular on our table), skrie cod or garlic and clam linguine.