You may have seen McK Grill in all its TOWIE glory on TV, but is the food actually any good? Reporter Lara Keay went to find out.

Walking along a quiet Woodford Green High Road in all our finery, my guest and I stumbled upon McK Grill sooner than we expected.

The exterior of Megan McKenna’s bite of the restaurant pie is black, minimalist and, unassuming – a stark contrast from the The Only Way Is Essex star’s larger than life TV persona.

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McK Grill, 423 High Road, Woodford Green

Once inside we barely had time to look at the 90 per cent gluten-free menu before Megan’s father Dave came over to introduce himself.

Apologising Megan was on a fashion shoot in Spain and not there to greet us herself, the TOWIE dad explained how he gave up a successful printing business to go in halves with his daughter.

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Inside McK Grill

The pair had considered opening up somewhere in the heart of Essex, but ended up opting to convert the double shop space on the high road closer to their Woodford home.

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Charred asparagus and duck egg starter

After we made our way through our basket of wheat-free bread, we went for the charred asparagus and duck egg with truffle dressing (£11) and the salt and pepper calamari (£11) for starters.

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Salt and pepper calamari starter

Neither disappointed. You would not have known the asparagus was one of your five a day it was so tasty, and although a little pricey, the calamari and garlic dip went down a treat.

As we sipped on our glasses of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc (£32) we asked Dave to recommend us the biggest showstopper on the menu.
"Are you hungry?" he replied. 

Of course we were, so took his advice and ordered the 28-day aged Tomahawk steak for two. 

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Tomahawk sharing steak 

Served on the bone and cooked medium rare, it may be McK Grill’s most expensive offering, but when in TOWIE land, do as the TOWIE stars would do and order it. You will not regret it.

Bred at Dedham Vale Farm in Colchester, the meat is fantastic quality, and when served with a mac and cheese side complete with 72-hour ribs (£8) and triple-cooked chips (£4), it tastes even better. 

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McK Grill side dishes 

To ease our food comas slightly we waited to speak to chef Gavin Gordon before desert.

Having moved around the East End, Gavin now hails from Gants Hill, and after training with Essex TV chef Jamie Oliver, has worked with Michelin star chefs Tony Fleming and Matteo Vigotti. 

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Inside McK Grill

Although "Essex doesn’t do olives", he tells us he tries to source ingredients as locally as possible, and says Megan’s coeliac criteria and the family’s lack of prior industry knowledge has allowed him to be more creative.

As he rushed off to tend to a steak we were served the final showstopper of the night – a chocolate sphere that melts as you pour liquid chocolate over it to reveal alcoholic cherries and cream (£9).

As with the other two courses the pudding was something we all know and love – a black forest gateau – made with the best ingredients money can buy and transformed into something quite special.

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Black forest chocolate sphere desert

Although you could just order the burger (£12), McK Grill is not somewhere for people keen on counting their pennies. But on payday it is a must-try. Rating: ****

McK Grill is open 12pm to 3pm and 6pm to 10pm Tuesday to Saturday and 12pm to 7pm on Sundays.