Truth be told, I don’t eat a lot of steak – there always seems to be something I fancy more on a menu. And I’m not a big fan of the corporate restaurants run by the likes of the Venture Group, preferring to eat at independently owned places. So, I ask myself, why were we having dinner at a steakhouse run by Venture. Well, I suppose the answer is because it’s there.
When I do eat steak, I have a rule of thumb about how good I think it is. And that’s is it as good as a steak at a Miller & Carter pub chain. And, frankly, most steaks I’ve come across in Tenerife just aren’t that good. But Venture are positioning The Bank further upmarket, along the lines of a classic American steakhouse so, in UK terms, something like the Gaucho or Hawksmoor groups. It had to be worth a try.
They’ve certainly got the practicalities right. The place is nicely designed with good sized tables reasonably spaced apart and comfy seating. It’s well lit in a sort of subdued way. And the serving staff exude the sort of professionalism that only comes from good training. The menu covers all the bases – steaks are prominent but there are other dishes as well (perhaps unsurprisingly, those following plant based diets are not well catered for).
I was immediately drawn to one of the starters as I remembered a similar dish in a traditional steakhouse in New York. There’s two slabs of streaky bacon, each a good centimetre thick, given a maple syrup glaze and cooked so the think rim of fat almost melted in your mouth. And there’s also mushrooms on the plate, making it a substantial offering that would have done as a main course if you were not that hungry. Or, with a couple of eggs, you’d have a fantastic brunch dish. Absolutely delicious.
Crab cakes were another American classic. Crisp coating and lots of crab, served with a piquant lobster sauce. Another winner.
We both went with fillet steaks. Good beef, cooked a little under from that requested but not enough that they needed to go back. And better under than over. Accompaniments are chargeable extras here – we settled on a portion of chips and a house salad (lettuce, red onion and cherry tomatoes)
We were too full for dessert. The menu didn’t look that interesting, so I don’t think we missed out.
So, in summary, this Is not a cheap meal but it is one where you get what you pay for. Certainly better quality than a Miller & Carter experience, but not a patch on Hawksmoor. But, definitely , the place to go for the area’s top notch steak.
