Crawley steakhouse thrives with meat-ageing fridges

The Clubhouse Steakhouse, a restaurant based in Crawley, is innovating its menu with the help of Williams' meat-ageing refrigerators. 

The venue has evolved from its former life as a burger restaurant located in its namesake cricket clubhouse, not only becoming the only Halal steakhouse in the UK but the only Halal steakhouse offering steaks made with top quality, in-house aged beef. 

The meat-ageing fridges supplied by Williams are situated front-of-house, allowing diners to view the meat as they enter the restaurant. 

Looking for ways to expand beyond burgers, head chef and chef patron Azam Riyard decided to add dry-aged steaks to the menu. "It just started blowing up," he explains. The rising demand led him to open up a new location, which serves a selection of the finest beef sourced from all over the world, as well as burgers, seafood and sides. 

"It's not your standard steakhouse fare," he adds. "We seek out the best meat from around the world, like Wagyu from both Japan and Australia, and then our dry ageing takes it to a new level."

Ageing the meat helps to concentrate the flavour, giving it a buttery, tender texture. "The flavour is second to none," says Riyard. "We age our beef for 45 days on average. Many of our customers say that they can't go back to standard beef once they've tried it."

Built from robust, easy to clean stainless steel, each fridge features a glass door with internal energy-efficient LED lighting to provide clear visibility of the ageing meat. It has a carefully calibrated internal climate that balances temperature and humidity to provide the perfect environment for ageing meat. Himalayan rock salt blocks assist with moisture management and boost the flavour of the meat, allowing for a considerably longer ageing process to be undertaken than other methods. While 45 days is the average length at the Clubhouse, Riyard is keen to see how far he can take the process.

"At the moment, I've got some which has been in there for about 175 days," he comments."We've yet to find the limit, and once it's been aged, you can vacuum pack it and keep it almost indefinitely."

Williams Refrigeration offers a comprehensive range of commercial refrigeration including gastronorm cabinets and counters, specialist bakery equipment, coldrooms, multidecks and blast chillers. 

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