Steak, it’s a simple meal, but one that can be either mediocre or excellent.  London is full of steak places ranging from the mediocre to mouth wateringly excellent and of course the price tags can range just like the quality. When you find a good quality steak at a great price you cannot but shout about it.

On a recent trip to Balham to meet the sister we decided to go to the new steak restaurant that has just opened, Arlo’s. Its bright interior and simple decor  is inviting, its menu even more so. It’s a short menu but with a great selection. They offer the more unusual steak cuts, bavette, picancha and deckle, they are what owner Tom McNeile calls the ‘butchers cuts’. These lesser known cuts offer great flavour but at a cheaper price to the traditional fillet or ribeye.

On sitting you instantly feel at home, the friendly staff are more than happy to recommend something and never do you feel rushed. You could quite happily while a way an evening with your steak and a bottle of red either upstairs at a table or downstairs in a booth.

There are so many streak restaurants in London and the good ones tend to charge for it, which is fine if you are offering good quality meat but sometimes you want a great piece of meat for a great price because sometimes on a Tuesday you want to go out for dinner and not have to worry about  how you are paying for food the rest of the week. Arlo’s does that. It offers a great meal at a very reasonable price. Throughout our evening there the restaurant filled and buzzed. Arlo’s has an opportunity to become a Balham institution as I do not see how any one could dislike a good priced streak in a friendly atmosphere, plus it has those luscious milkshakes.

Arlo’s is definitely a place to try if you are in Balham, or I would even say, make the journey down there. I know I will be returning again…. and again! I have lots of friends to introduce to its bavette!