Carolina Spiced Pork Belly, Vinegar Slaw

Serves 4
This has been on the menu since day one and has consistently been our most popular starter. It has also, at times, been the bane of our existence.

Pork Belly and Marinade

• 1/3 cup fennel seeds
• 1 Tbsp. cumin powder
• 2 3/4 tsp. coriander seeds
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. black peppercorns
• 2/3 cup onion, chopped
• 5 Tbsp. garlic, grated
• 1/3 medium green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. green chile, seeded and chopped
• 1 cup Granny Smith apples, peeled and grated
• 1 tsp. olive oil, more as needed
• 1/3 lb. pork belly
• 1/3 cup chipotle Tabasco
• 4 1/2 Tbsp. Maldon sea salt
• 1/3 cup black molasses syrup
• 2/3 cup apple juice
• 1/3 cup Coleman’s English mustard
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 2/3 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup apricot jam

1. Add the fennel, cumin, coriander, and black peppercorns to a dry skillet and toast over medium heat until golden brown. Blend into a fine powder using a spice or coffee grinder or a mortar and pestle.
2. To make the marinade, sweat the onion, garlic, and green and chile peppers for 5 minutes in olive oil over medium heat, then stir in the spice powder, Tabasco, molasses syrup, apple juice, mustard, maple syrup, ketchup, and apricot jam. Slowly fold in the peeled and grated Granny Smith apples. Remove from heat, let cool, and blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth.
3. Remove rind from pork belly and massage liberally with 1/4 cup of the marinade. Let absorb for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours, refrigerated. Place in a shallow roasting tray with 2/3 cup of water and cover tightly with foil. Bake at 250° F. When the internal temperature reaches 195° F (about 1 to 1 1/2 hours) remove the pork belly.
4. Discard the fat from the cooking liquid and reduce by a third. This will be used to glaze the pork belly when reheating. Place the pork belly on a clean dish and allow to cool before refrigerating.

Vinegar Slaw

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. caster sugar
• 1 lemons, juiced

Slaw:

• 3/4 tsp. fennel seeds
• 1/3 cup red cabbage, shredded
• 3/4 cup white cabbage, shredded
• 1 tsp. mint, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. flat parsley, chopped
• 3/8 cup red onion, sliced thin with a mandoline
• 3/4 tsp. fennel, sliced thin with a mandoline
• 1 tsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. Maldon sea salt

1. Whisk the dressing ingredients together until sugar is dissolved and store in a sealed container. If preparing in advance, refrigerate.
2. Toast the fennel seeds in a dry pan over medium heat until golden. Set aside.
3. Toss all the remaining ingredients together until well combined and so that the herbs are evenly distributed throughout the slaw. Dress the slaw 30 minutes ahead of serving. Refrigerate after dressing.
4. To reheat the pork belly once it has come to room temperature, sear in a pan over medium heat until warm, approximately 2 minutes per side. Glaze with marinade and place under broiler for 1 to 2 minutes to caramelize the exterior.
5. To plate each dish, place a heaping spoonful of slaw on the plate and place two slices of pork belly next to it. the edge.

Celebrating Hawksmoor’s Women on International Women’s Day

Celebrating Hawksmoor’s Women on International Women’s Day

The women of Hawksmoor. They make our restaurants better. As part of our International Women’s Day celebrations, we asked a few of them to share their Hawksmoor story. In a word? Inspiring.

But don’t take our word for it…

As a woman, in an industry (wine) that is very white male-dominated, I’ve been dismissed a lot. As in, my ability and knowledge. So just being heard, seen, and recognized has been a huge thing for me – a real confidence booster.

For International Women’s Day, Sophia, our head of HR, is hosting another session about women’s safety. We talk about it a lot at site level, too. From getting home safe to banter – what is and isn’t acceptable. That’s what I like most about Hawksmoor: being able to start important conversations and simply saying, “Let’s be equal!”

I was promoted shortly after losing my mother. I was able to continue working because I felt supported. Basically, I could speak to my managers. They’re very encouraging about sharing your troubles.

Hawksmoor is now Carbon Neutral

In November we announced our commitment to go carbon neutral in 2022 – we’ve just done that ahead of schedule. Hawksmoor is now a carbon neutral restaurant group.

• scope one – direct emissions: A/C, heating, fridges, vehicles etc
• scope two – indirect emissions from electricity we use
• scope three emissions – the supply chain emissions to make our food and drink (including growing, transporting, storing etc) and other areas that make what we do possible, like our travel to work and between sites

We have become carbon neutral by offsetting ALL our emissions scope 1,2 and 3 with carbon credits funding the following projects:

• Biogas in Kenya 
• Fair-trade cookstoves
• Cleaner, safer water in Cambodia 
• Myanmar clean stoves
• Nicaragua High Impact Reforestation Programme
• Peruvian Amazon Brazil Nut Concessions

“The Sustainable Restaurant Association, working with climate experts Net Zero Now, has assessed the whole of Hawksmoor’s business, operations and procurement. From eggs to electricity, beef to business travel and whisky to waste, every relevant GHG emissions source at Hawksmoor during 2020 was counted and analysed.

“The outcome of this work has been a complete value chain carbon footprint for each of Hawksmoor’s restaurants. These carbon footprints not only cast a light on where the biggest emissions occur and where the opportunities are to take effective action, but also provide the baseline for Hawksmoor to set ambitious carbon reduction targets.

“Hawksmoor have offset their whole first year carbon footprint through investing in certified carbon offsets, meaning Hawksmoor is now a Carbon Neutralrestaurant.” Juliane Caillouette-Noble, Managing Director of The Sustainable Restaurants Association

More than just offsetting
While this is an achievement we’re proud of, this is just the beginning. We have begun to implement a detailed, science-based plan to get us to Net Zero by 2030 with some of the biggest impact changes already underway:

• In October we moved all of our UK restaurants to renewable electricity.
• In November we held on-site ‘Dr Bike’ sessions for staff in Edinburgh and London to get bikes safe for winter travel and have been working on making it easier to cycle to work.
• Our Holm Oak charcoal is approved by Defra for use in Smoke Control Areas.
• We’re rolling out LED lighting across all restaurants over the next two years – you can already see the results in NYC, Borough, Edinburgh, Spitalfields, Wood Wharf and some of Knightsbridge.
• We’ve stepped up waste and recycling plans to ensure that all of our food waste is sent for anaerobic digestion and turned into bio gas and we’ll be running a project to cut down all waste and food waste from February.
• Our NYC beef supply is genuinely game-changing for the restaurant scene –pasture-reared to incredibly high animal welfare standards without the use of hormones or other growth promoters with all cattle raised and finished by ranchers on family-run farms.
• All our beef in the UK comes from cattle who have led a stress-free life and are fed on a foraged natural diet of grass and hay.
• 150 of our managers have been given sustainability and carbon literacy training.
• All of our beef farms in the UK are undergoing carbon foot-printing within the next two years.

We’ll continue to update you on our progress as we know that for some of you our sustainability work is a big part of why you come to Hawksmoor; we also know that for some of you it isn’t – you come for the steaks and the experience.  Whatever your view we hope you feel that we are doing whatever we can to make sure Hawksmoor makes a positive impact in the world.

“The hospitality sector has had an enormously challenging couple of years but the response to the Net Zero Restaurant initiative has been astonishing. It’s so important that influential businesses like Hawksmoor push the boundaries and show leadership on this crucial issue. The response of all businesses over the next 5 years will determine whether we can restrict warming to under 2c and that starts with measuring impact and setting reduction targets. Well done and thank you to everyone at Hawksmoor for leading the way.” Simon Heppner, founder of Net Zero Now

Build the Ultimate Hawksmoor Meal

Hawksmoor started in a dodgy East London street in 2006, and has come to be one of the best-loved steakhouse brands in the world (including listing as #1 steak restaurant in the world).  Over that time, we’ve created dishes and drinks that have entered the pantheon of Hawksmoor classics, the kind that have stood the test of time, sparked cult followings and made regulars out of first timers.

We’re often asked, ‘what’s your favorite Hawksmoor meal?’ … here’s the answer, starting with pre-dinner drinks and our favorite starters.

Pre-Dinner Tipple

We believe dinner should start with a drink in the bar (where excellent Lo/No Alc options are also available). Here are two all-time favorites:

Shaky Pete’s Ginger Brew (2006 – Hawksmoor Spitalfields, London)  

Keeper’s Heart Whiskey, Lemon juice, Ginger, English mild ale

It has a cult following back home in Blighty. Shaky Pete’s Ginger Brew was conceived by its namesake, Pete Jeary in 2006. His ‘turbo shandy for the discerning drinker’ quickly became our biggest seller and has become a fixture at dozens of bars around the world. 

World’s Coldest Martini (2021 – Hawksmoor New York)

The coldest Martini in Chicago? Served at a bracing 10°F and gently aged using high-frequency ultrasonic waves (yes, really). Plus, you can get it for just $13 during Happy Hour, every day 5-6pm.

Starters

Our dictionary-thick steaks are cooked on live fire over charcoal, and then rested,  to get the perfect cuisson every time, which leaves  the perfect amount of time for you to enjoy one of our classic starters:

Carolina-Spiced Pork Belly (2006, Hawksmoor Spitalfields, London)

Our pork belly comes in a 15-ingredient marinade – all fresh and really tasty, from apple ketchup to tamarind. The result? A sweet, sticky, and slightly spicy pork belly. As for our pork, it’s slow-roasted and then given a final char in a screaming-hot Josper oven for that lovely caramelization.

It’s served up with a piquant vinegar and fennel-seed coleslaw to cut through the richness and balance the dish.

Charcoal-Roasted Scallops (2012, Hawksmoor Air St, London)

Sustainably sourced, they arrive at the restaurant hours before being charcoal-grilled, covered in breadcrumbs, and doused in white port, garlic, and tarragon butter.

The Main Event

Continuing the theme of “what is your idea of the perfect Hawksmoor meal?” (pre-dinner drinks and appetizers [or “starters” if you’re feeling a bit more “London” today] can be found here), here is what you’ve all been waiting for—the entrées (“the mains”).

Steaks

When Hawksmoor began in London in 2006, we were almost puritanical about steak: the best possible steak, presented simply on a white plate (because when the steaks are this good, who needs frippery and pageantry?), and we only had three steaks on our menu: ribeye, for the fat; rump, for the aging; and sirloin (strip), for the gnawable bone. Eventually, however, we fell in love with fillet (filet), and we made sure it was accompanied onto the menu by bone marrow, which we would smear all over it (as filet is quite lean, the additional bone marrow helps amplify some of the flavors of the delicious beef in a filet).

Since then, our menu has evolved to what we now call the “Hawksmoor Eight” (and we’ve had to learn the language of the American butcher instead of his/her British counterpart!).

Our favorite cuts of beef each have their own character and cooking sweet spot. Find your steak and order like a pro when you drop by.

Tender? Filet

The laziest muscle = the most tender steak. Filet is our leanest, most delicately flavored steak – and it slices like a hot knife through butter. Delicious with our anchovy hollandaise. 
Best served – medium rare

Flavorsome? Rump

A more hardworking muscle with lots of beefy flavor. This cut is taken from the cow’s rump (it’s all in the name!), so the muscle can be denser, creating a little more chew than other cuts.
Best served – medium rare

Juicy? Rib-eye

The inner “eye” of the rib muscles, this popular cut has a seam of fat through it that bastes the meat as it cooks, making it super juicy. Want something to share? Try the prime rib (a two-person rib-eye with the bone attached).
 Best served – medium

Veggie Dish for Carnivores

One of our worst ever restaurant experiences was ordering the vegetarian dish in a steak restaurant. We’ve always wanted vegetarians to be as happy as carnivores at Hawksmoor. Reviews of the Bent River Wellington include: “No, no – it’s actually SO good!” and “You really don’t feel like you’re missing out.” For a steak and seafood restaurant, that feels like a big win.

Our Most Popular Sides

Beef-fat fries

Why do we cook our fries in beef tallow? Flavor, obviously. But they stay crispier for longer, so you get that lovely outer crunch vs. inner fluffiness. Why? The science is complex, but solid fats like tallow have a higher heat capacity, so they remove the water from the potato better and give it a super-crispy skin.

Macaroni cheese

There’s an English recipe book from the 14th century called The Forme of Cury with macaroni cheese in it. Apparently, though, a certain Maestro Martino from Lombardy, Italy should get the credit for the first macaroni-shaped pasta. Then there’s macaroni cheese’s US chapter (which we’ll save for another time). Safe to say, it remains such a key part of American life that many Italians think it was invented there. Macaroni cheese is the king of sides!

Sautéed spinach

What could be more virtuous than a side of spinach with garlic and lemon? Achingly fresh, outstandingly zingy, and the perfect accompaniment to a lean, protein-rich rump steak.

Ending on a (Sugar) High

Rounding out our three-part series, we’ve arrived at the grand finale: desserts.
If you missed the first two, you can catch up here and here. But now it’s time for the final (and arguably most indulgent) course.

Sticky Toffee Pudding (Hawksmoor Spitalfields, London, 2006)

You (and the rest of the world) can call them ‘desserts’ if you want, but to us they’ll always be ‘puddings’, and nothing will change our minds that we are unequivocally the best in the world at them. And yet, the undisputed mastermind behind everything sweet at Hawksmoor is Portuguese Princess of Pastry, Carla Henriques, who graced us with her presence in 2010 and, after a crash course in traditional English fare, became Hawksmoor’s Queen of Puddings. We have never looked back. She’s embraced our philosophy of endless tweaking, and this Sticky Toffee Pudding is her masterpiece, and our best-selling dessert the world over.

Peanut Butter Louis (Hawksmoor New York, 2021)

Original Beans Femme Virunga chocolate, peanut shortbread, salted caramel.

While we loved to indulge in schoolday classics, Carla has pushed us to challenge ourselves and do desserts on another level to any other steakhouse.

The Peanut Butter Louis is her take on the eponymous dessert at the ultra-luxe 3-Michelin-starred Le Louis XV in Monte Carlo, begging the obvious question of whether any other steakhouse in the world is riffing on Alain Ducasse, one of the most famous chefs of all time. And perhaps why Alain didn’t think of adding peanut butter. [Shrug Emoji].

Salted Caramel Tributes (Hawksmoor Air Street, 2013)

Salted caramel chocolates inspired by a childhood treat that, thanks to a catchy ad campaign, became a token of love — “Do you love anyone enough to give them your last Rolo?”

Our ‘Salted Caramel Rolos’ were created after Carla worked with our great friend and master chocolatier, Paul A. Young – and British food critic, Jay Rayner, declared that “The mayor’s office should denote these a London landmark.”

A lawyer disagreed, and we switched the name to the less incriminating ‘Tributes’ when they are bought to take home — the perfect, ‘I’m sorry I went to Hawksmoor, and you didn’t’ gift for those you left behind.

The Hawksmoor Story

It was an inauspicious start. A few days after signing a 20-year lease on a failing Turkish restaurant at the wrong end of a traffic-clogged street in East London, a bank loan we desperately needed fell through. On the same day, we discovered that the site didn’t actually have planning permission to be a restaurant. A travel agency, hair salon or funeral directors would all be fine, but no hot food could be served on the premises. Our dream of opening a steakhouse celebrating British beef and old-school cocktails was fading rapidly.

Hawksmoor’s roots can be traced back a long way. We – Will & Huw – met at the age of 11 and forged a strong friendship over early morning McMuffins (the school bus stop was opposite a McDonalds) and post-school hand-cut chips (the first thing Huw learnt how to cook). It wasn’t long before Will was being dragged from the golden arches to fancy restaurants with his food and wine journalist mum and Huw was roped into helping at Berry’s, his parent’s award-winning café in Church Stretton, Shropshire (go there for tea and cakes). Huw’s family have a long history with food; his grandfather was the last in a long line of butchers and his family tree is peppered with Welsh farming folk. Perhaps for both of us doing something in the food and drink industry was inevitable. Hawksmoor was inspired by a memory of how good steak can taste. When we were growing up Huw’s dad would cook – oh so occasionally – a steak supper of such beauty it managed to silence a large and unruly family (which by that point included Will in all but name). Those sirloins and rumps would be quickly devoured, all of us only pausing occasionally to wipe bloody juice from lips and chins.

It was a while before we learned that not all steaks are created equal. After years trying to flavour and primal impact of those first carnal delights (the other kind, depressingly for us both, were still quite a long way off), we realised that more often than not they are little more than bland slabs of protein, or, to borrow the words of the illustrious Tom Parker-Bowles, a fellow disappointed steak-eater, ‘just another piece of meat…a chewable yawn, a shrug made flesh.’

As budding food-history geeks, we learned that the British have a noble history of beef-eating and that the quality of our beef was once revered around the world. Even the steakhouse, that American icon, wasn’t born in New York or Chicago, but right here in London, just around the corner from our Guildhall site. So how was it with steak on the menu at almost every restaurant, so few were worth eating? And, more importantly, what were we going to do about it?

Scared of opening somewhere that needed to charge steak-like prices we decided to cut our teeth on something a little less daunting, in the end taking on a tiny grease-smeared Bengal Fried Chicken joint just off Brick Lane, which turned into a late-night bar and café. A Mexican bar-restaurant and a thoroughly British gastropub followed shortly after, all resulting in (mostly) good reviews, a few awards and a little profit.

The succession of not-particularly-successful bars and restaurants was largely funded by the kind of gung-ho bank lending that would shortly lead to the credit crisis, so it came as a shock when our bank manager finally came to his senses and turned down a loan for the failed Turkish restaurant we had earmarked for our temple to steak. But it was too late to pull out (note to budding entrepreneurs – get the loan first, sign lease second). After more than a few sleepless nights, Huw’s parents saved the day by offering to re-mortgage their home (evidence of a pretty spectacular belief that we might finally make things work, considering what had gone before).

Bad omens kept on coming through. A lawyer-friend managed to resolve the planning issue, but as we were repainting the Turkish restaurant one night during our extremely cheapskate eBay makeover, we were interrupted by the sirens of several police cars. Our landlord, who had the air of an East End gangster, ran a dodgy nightclub in the basement and one of his Russian nights had descended into an epic street brawl. Then, the day before our not-so-grand opening, our head chef disappeared, never to be seen again, which meant that on the big day we couldn’t serve food good enough to put our names to. So, we didn’t serve food. A bowl of nuts with a gin and tonic or, for the brave, a cocktail or two, was the best we could muster for the handful of bemused locals who dared venture in. Our dream of making life easier for steak-loving Londoners wasn’t looking good.

But someone significantly more talented than our wandering chef materialised (thanks Karl!) and we were soon able to fire up the grill. Even more importantly, we had, by then, found beef of such tender, flavoursome goodness, that portents of impending bankruptcy were quickly forgotten. Our first Hawksmoor steak, on 3 July 2006, was so good it made the hairs stand up on the back of our necks. Our luck was changing.

It was a rib-eye cut from the kind of British beef that was once the envy of the world, and it came from a herd of Longhorn cattle in North Yorkshire reared by Tim Wilson. We’ve enjoyed working with Tim ever since; he is obsessed with the health and happiness of his animals, and is passionate that they become the tastiest meat in the land.

We were also lucky enough to meet Nick Strangeway, a cocktail legend, who surprised us by suggesting that help us run the place. With a single-minded obsession for quality and a genuine concern that everyone who came in had a great time, he helped set the perfect tone from day one. Our fortune continued as more great people decided to join us. There are too many names to mention here, but Tim Gould, Tom Hunt, Nick Harding, Angela Cubillos and Richard Turner have all ben pivotal in making Hawksmoor what it has become. We owe them and many others a massive debt of gratitude.

Once we had the steak sorted we set about trying to make Hawksmoor the best restaurant to work at in London. We thought that if we achieved this (or even got close), then everything else – happy customers, repeat visits, word-of-mouth, maybe even a bit of profit – would follow.

When we opened our scruffy little restaurant in 2006, we told ourselves that there would never be a second. But, as with everything we’ve done, things didn’t quite go to plan. Years on, and we’ve taken the plunge and opened in New York and are expanding into new cities across the UK.

The Hawksmoor Eight

Q&A with Macaulay Sinclair

Interviewees:

Mike Sinclair – Director at interior architecture and design studio, Macaulay Sinclair who have designed each of Hawksmoor sites, including the new Chicago site.

Mai-Yee Ng – Design Director at Hawksmoor.

Project of reference – Hawksmoor Chicago.

What design styles will be popular in 2025? Do you plan on incorporating any of these trends?

Can you describe/explain the design style and general atmosphere of your venue?

How did you ensure the space would be safe, comfortable and well-loved by staff and customers in your venue?

How did you balance great aesthetics with functionality in your restaurant and kitchen design?

If a fellow operator were considering a refit or renovation, what kitchen and restaurant design advice would you offer?

Hospitality Heroes 2024 

While there’s no National Hospitality Day this year, we’ve decided to keep our own NHD tradition going with the Hawksmoor Hospitality Heroes competition. And here are the winners… 

Looking after our incredible teams in the UK, US and Ireland is as much of a priority as looking after you (we have a few awards to prove it). Properly celebrating their efforts, talents and achievements is all part of our commitment – cue the Hawksmoor Hospitality Hero awards. 

As ever, we asked the teams at each of our restaurants to nominate colleagues they felt best embodied our values. Put simply: ‘Work hard and be nice to people’. From the nominees, winners were then selected by a panel. And, wow, was it tough to choose. 

This week, we announced our winners to the team, each getting a prize and a celebration in their restaurant or location. So, without further ado, please clap, whistle and roar for our Hospitality Heroes 2024.

And special mention must go to Cheikh Gueye, our kitchen porter at Borough, London 

Assistant General Manager Piotr Jurek said… 

“Cheikh is one of our unsung heroes, constantly working hard and supporting the team wherever he can. He always comes with a smile, a hello and a helping hand.” 

Menu cover Designs

Our menu covers are a little quirky and based on a map, dating back to 1898, called a Bird’s Eye View of the Business District of Chicago. It’s the first depiction we could find of our building, 500 N LaSalle Drive. Our co-founder Huw loves a good map. 

Besides being fun to look at, he maintains they tell stories. To honor his passion, we like to create our own intricate maps of the cities where we build restaurants, drawing on local history.

The map on our cocktail menu is called a Skewed View After a Cocktail or Two. Because, well, things look more fun after a couple of good drinks, right? We turned Chicago into a cocktail city scape, including the Navy Pier Ferris Wheel turning in to a cocktail umbrella, lemon wedges bridging the Chicago River and a host of other cocktail elements hidden amongst the streets plus of course our building and the cable car route powered by our Powerhouse.

On our dessert menu, the city of Chicago becomes a giant dessert-scape with an L Train smashing out of it. Featuring iconic architecture from Chicago’s cityscape, we’ve named this one “Riding the L through sweet sweet home Chicago”, a nod to the Blues Brothers classic.

The wine menu is inspired by the giant cog pulling cable cars through the tunnel and draws on industrial heritage of the building with a dash of mechanical gadget king, Rube Goldberg. It illustrates the process of wine making, but instead of barrels or vats, pressed grapes are aged in the Great Lakes and then tapped to fill up wine bottles. The resulting wine? “Chateauneuf-du-Great-Lakes, Domaine de LaSalle Street Power House, Premier Grand Cru Classe, 1887”.

Team Chicago

Our people are what makes Hawksmoor, Hawksmoor – and we want to introduce you to some of the faces that make up your new team. From Chicago hospitality veterans to some of our top team from across the pond. Get to know some of them below.