Casa Malevo

Underwhelming is the best way to describe this restaurant.

The atmosphere and the decor are very nice and you sit down expecting to have a nice meal. However, at the end, I came away thinking that the wine (South American) was better than the food. This is an opinion which is shared by a number of friends who have eaten here at other times.

The starters were nice but the portions surprisingly small. The steak was okay but certainly not comparable to other establishments in London. Given the price, one would hope for a far better dining experience.

Although a bit far from my work at the City, I went to Malevo after reading an article from Matthew Carey-Williams at FT Magazine where he said it was the ever stake he ever had. I was so intrigued we decided to book a table with some of my colleagues for our usual Friday dinner… and we were not disappointed.

The private room downstairs for parties (is the one in the picture) is very comfortable, warm and offered complete privacy. Unusually for an Argentine restaurant -aside from the big chain- the cocktails were also excellent so were able to unwind after a particularly busy week.

The quality of the meat was outstanding and cooked to perfection and also the rest of the dishes were mouth-watering and superior from the ones I've ever had in any Argentine restaurant in London. I recommend the sweetbreads and the grilled Argentine cheese for starters and the rib eye as the main… for dessert you cannot leave without trying the creme brule… it comes with a caramel ice cream that is to die for!

I definitely will return with my husband… and might even consider moving closer! I would love to have such a restaurant nearby!

I was so excited when this restaurant first came to Connaught Village as it was going to be one of my locals. I went with a group of friends on the first week it opened and we were all beyond disappointed. We are a group of young professionals late 20s to mid 30s and all eat out on a regular basis. During our first dining experience at Casa Moleva, the service was slow and at times embarassing (For example, 2 of our 6 diners were still eating their main course, all the other plates had been taken away and the waitress was handing out desert menus to the rest of the table!) When i politely pointed out that 2 of our friends were still eating, she gave me an indignant look and without saying anything walked away from the table. The steak was served on cold plates (big mistake when you order your meat rare… it obviously doesn't take long to get cold if put onto a cold plate). Half of the side dishes never arrived and we had to ask numerous times for cuttlery. I brought all the problems to the attention of the manager and he assured us that it was just teething problems and we shouldn't be too hard on the waitresses since they were “exhausted” and been working hard in the first week!!! So, apparently if staff are tired, this excuses the above problems?? I must add that the manager did take off our coffees and liquers at the end by way of an apology. Anyway, we really wanted this restaurant to redeem itself so we gave it a few months and went back. Second meal, second disappointment. The service was poor, the food wasn't amazing. My partner and I both ordered fillet steak, both rare. He got a rare one and mine was medium. When I told the waitress, she asked me what I wanted to do. No apology. I just wanted to eat and get out. I couldn't be bothered to wait for a second steak while my partner ate his. We got the bill – around 100 pounds for 2 starters, 2 steaks and a glass of wine. Not cheap, but I would have had no problem with this figure if they could put a decent steak on my plate and show me some kind of professionalism. It really is a shame, with all the restaurants in London, if you call yourself a steakhouse there's no excuse for serving up mediocre food and no space for poorly trained staff.

I will eventurally go back – maybe things will improve, it would be lovely to have another good restaurant on my door step. BUt i'm not quite over my first two visits yet!! Sorry Casa M!

The food here is more refined than what you'd expect from an Argentinian restaurant specializing in the ubiquitous beef. The desserts especially so. And the cocktails are great! The service is just right, the ambience is lovely. Wish it was a local.

Living rather close to the recently opened Casa Malevo, I have long fancied dining at a restaurant that proclaims to have the finest meat in London. As a man with extensive experience in the steak world – sadly reflected in my proportions – I had very little hope that I would find a truly outstanding steak in a restaurant that has only received lukewarm reviews from the ‘professionals’.

But my word was I wrong.

After some initial confusion with our reservation (handled flawlessly by the manger), we were seated at a very lovely (if a wee bit cramped) bar in the centre of the restaurant. An incredibly well-priced Malbec followed. (So well priced, one might well be tempted to order direct from the restaurant for consumption at home!)

In being graciously led to our table, we found that our orders were promptly taken and with great respect for our choices. My dining partner for the evening, a wonderfully boisterous American with a real appetite for all things “man”-related even managed to order a 650g fillet – cut to order, as are obviously all the steaks. All without the staff missing a beat (unless one counts, of course, the chef and manager who both came over to admire my companion's perfectly grilled cow).

The food itself was spectacular. Such freshness in meat is rarely found in London, a town with an incredible range of restaurants, but sadly plagued by mostly sub-par proper steak places (there are obvious exceptions, but I feel the point stands). The marbling was perfect, the grilling top-notch and at every turn, staff willing to exceed expectations. No matter was too small, with careful attention to every passing word of the customer. (My friend remarked that it was the only steak restaurant in London that actually respected his request for “black and blue”.)

Besides the glorious cow that we consumed (I stuck with a far smaller, but equally fabulous 350g ribeye – the Butcher's Cut), the rest of the food was outstanding. The pudding, in particular, was excellent (a creme brule of sorts). My only qualm was with the shared starter platter. The food itself was undoubtedly of high quality, but being unfamiliar with all sides of Argentine cuisine, we both found descriptions needed. It was still quite tasty – whatever it was!

Overall, I really must commend the entire team at Casa Malevo. As my friend wrote to me today – three days after our visit: “We must go back; i've been daydreaming incessantly about steak ever since.”

Bravo, bravo. Finally a restaurant worthy of Connaught Village.

I'm a big fan of Santa Maria so was keen to try this new restaurant when I read about its opening. It has the same laid back vibe as Santa Maria, but feels a bit sharper. When I visited, people were drinking and eating at the bar so there was a nice low-key feel. The food was great. We had the fillet steak which was cooked perfectly. It really melted in the mouth. The starters were pretty good too but I wished I'd left more room for pudding which after the meat was the highlight of the meal My husband had creme brulee with banana ice-cream and I went for passion fruit sorbet. Both were heaven. It might be in a swanky part of town, but there is nothing stuffy about this restaurant. I also caught sight of the private dining room downstairs before I left. Stunning. I'm definitely going back there with a crowd. It'd be like having a dinner party without having to cook. Brilliant.

I have now been three times to Casa Malevo as I live nearby… so I felt I sould say something as I am now an official expert on this restaurant!
It is a very simple restaurant but I must stress that portions are VERY BIG, especially the parrilada (meat, to share) which we normally cannot finish! … The sweetbreads and the pasta are outstanding and I find the price is very cheap compared with other steak houses as the side dishes are only £2,50 each and water is £1,20. Starters and desserts also very cheap and you can have a GREAT steak for £14,50 which I always received cooked to perfection medium rare.
Service was good, one time great as the waitress was very friendly and other time good, but always attentive and knowledgeable as most of the people are from Argentina so they know their stuff, which helps.
Special sauces I never ordered as you have two typical sauces given for free on the table so cannot comment… what I can say is that there is no need for them as all is delicious as it is… so are the drinks and the wines.. it is very relaxed although I spotted some famous people on two occassions… my favourite restaurant in London!

The fillet meat was outstanding. The sauces a disappointment. Starters and sides need much improvement just like the service does. Overall, average.

We had a lovely meal in Casa Malevo – the staff were lovely and the service was good. Portions sizes were small but lovely.