Everything at the new restaurant The Iron Lady in Rotterdam revolves around the flat iron steak
At the brand-new Rotterdam restaurant The Iron Lady, from the former owners of Sugo, you come for just one thing: the flat iron steak.
The flat iron what?
The flat iron steak, a small steak from the front part of the beef shoulder. It is widely served in the US and the UK, but less well known here because it is actually – ahem – rather tough. But clean it the right way and you have a deliciously tender and very affordable piece of meat. The signature dish at The Iron Lady costs just 11 euros. For that price, it is served sliced and generously covered with beurre noisette.
Sounds good. And what do we eat with it?
You can choose from all kinds of sides, such as regular fries or sweet potato fries with sriracha spicy mayo, grilled asparagus, crispy broccoli with oyster sauce and sesame, or a fennel salad with arugula and orange. No haute cuisine, but exactly what you want alongside your grilled steak. For vegan friends there is a beyond burger, and if you don’t fancy flat iron steak, you can choose bavette or a 180-gram burger on a brioche bun.
A nice, straightforward menu
Right? The meat takes center stage here. Exactly as owners Faruk Dervis and Igor Prkic envisioned for The Iron Lady. ‘After the – somewhat fast-food-style – pizzas at Sugo, we wanted to open a restaurant where you could sit comfortably all evening,’ says Dervis. ‘When we eat out ourselves, we like meat: well prepared, from the grill. So choosing a steakhouse was an easy decision.’
Oh no, not yet another place with meat hooks, ageing cabinets and cows on the wall?
Nuh-uh. Dervis and Prkic opted for moody dark green walls, copper-coloured lamps, various images of strong English women on the wall (the Iron Lady, you know), and cognac-coloured benches that you can indeed sit on comfortably all evening. Dervis: ‘We were looking for the feel of a whiskey bar or English pub and wanted to pay tribute to the strong woman.’
And did they pull it off?
Well, pretty much. The Iron Lady is accessible and warm, while also being rugged and powerful. A great place to try that flat iron steak. By the way, don’t forget to sample one (or more) of the cocktails, because they are more than decent. (And kudos for the playful names.)
The Brits may have taken their country back, but we have The Iron Lady. Long live Brexit!
The Iron Lady, Pannekoekstraat 22A, Rotterdam
Image: German Domingo Villafane
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