Every year, London hosts what can only be described as a carnivorous festival. Known as Meatopia, it summons about 50 chefs, from the well-known (Fergus Henderson, Yotam Ottolenghi) to the rising, each of whom serve and prepare one specific dish to the hungry throng who are united by their shared love of meat cooked over an open fire. Yet when they disperse, sated and perhaps slightly guilty at their sheer exuberant indulgence in cooked animal flesh, there are still 360-odd days of the year when the itch has to be scratched, and that is where Ruben’s Reubens pop-up at Firestarter in the City comes in.
The brainchild of Meatopia veteran Ruben Dawnay, the idea behind this particular spot is a simple and hugely effective one. There is meat, on a tray. You can choose which particular kind of meat you want, which sides and which small plates to begin with, and which of the two desserts, and then the fun begins. The room, off a typical City pub, is all leather banquettes and moody dark lighting, but let’s be honest, you are here for the meat, and on that score, everything delivers admirably.
The opening salvo of small plates is nothing if not confident. Burrata arrives in its customary state of milky languor, but is sharply elevated by rescaldo peppers — sweet, smoky, and just unruly enough to prevent things slipping into polite Italian cliché, along with nduja, here deployed with a knowing hand: enough heat to prickle, not so much as to overwhelm. Accompanied by a scallop dish, which disappears before its deliciousness makes itself known, this is the pause before the heavy artillery, Dawnay’s speciality, lands.
And land it does, with aplomb. The bavette steak is everything one might hope for — deeply flavoured, properly charred, with that pleasing chew that reminds you you’re eating something substantial. Alongside it, slow-cooked lamb shoulder collapses at the merest suggestion of pressure, its richness both indulgent and faintly medieval in spirit. These are not dishes for the timid, nor for those inclined towards asceticism.
Vegetables, however, are not an afterthought. A mushroom skewer delivers a concentrated umami punch, each piece bronzed and yielding, while hispi cabbage — so often the wallflower of the brassica world — emerges transformed, its edges caramelised, its heart still retaining a gentle sweetness. Fries are present and correct: crisp, golden, and ideal vehicles for an unexpectedly excellent honey mustard dip that manages the neat trick of being both comforting and faintly sophisticated.
Boozewise, everything is very fine. A house red, a brisk Montepulciano, more than does the job, and the cocktails deserve more than a passing mention. A Maple Fire Old Fashioned offers a smoky-sweet depth that feels entirely in keeping with the kitchen’s philosophy, while the Flame Game margarita is bright, sharp, and just theatrical enough to justify its name without descending into gimmickry. My dining companion enjoys hers so much that she orders two. Who can blame her?
Puddings, often the point at which kitchens lose interest, maintain the standard. Chocolate pie is unapologetically rich, a dark, silken affair that borders on the indecorous, while a rhubarb cheesecake provides a tart, creamy counterpoint — proof that balance has not entirely been abandoned in the pursuit of pleasure. We cannot even begin to finish them and end up taking the remnants home in, appropriately enough, a burger container.
Ruben’s Reubens is a real hit, then, a breath of meat-infused air in a part of London often mired in ‘same old, same old’. What lingers, more than any individual dish, is a sense of cohesion. This is food that knows what it wants: bold flavours, generous portions, and faintly mischievous intentions. In lesser hands, it might tip into chaos. Here, it feels rather satisfyingly like control masquerading as abandon. Long may Dawnay’s carnivorous genius thrive.
Ruben’s residency at the Firestarter Grill runs only until Saturday 25th April, so hurry as he’ll be off soon! For more information, and to get your booking in, please visit www.firestartergrill.com. For more about Ruben Dawnay, and his next pop-up, visit www.rubensreubens.com.
