Luxury steakhouse condemns ‘scumbag’ thieves who stole £5,000 worth of luxury meat – police arrest 44-year-old woman in connection with incident

A high-end restaurant famous for trying to take over Salt Bae has been hit by ‘scum’ thieves after it was raided for £5,000 worth of luxury meat as police arrested a woman in connection with the incident.

Relentless Steak and Lobster House accused the Turkish chef of ‘taking over’ three years ago when it launched the gold-plated steak for £500 less than the Knightsbridge version of the internet sensation.

But now the restaurant has taken to social media to reclaim Tomahawk steaks that were looted in the Port Solent area of ​​Portsmouth, Hants.

The meat, which was on the menu for £55, was stolen between 23:00 on Thursday night and 05:00 on Friday morning.

This prompted the restaurant, owned by chef Scott Matthews, to appeal for urgent help from the public on steaks it needed for Christmas office parties and christenings.

Relentless Steak and Lobster House has issued a social media post following the theft following a raid on luxury meat worth £5,000

24-carat tomahawks served at Relentless Steak and Lobster House in Portsmouth, Hants, in 2021

High-end restaurant Relentless, famous for trying to take on Salt Bae, attacked by ‘scumbag’ thieves

Relentless’ Facebook post read: ‘Urgent, we need you. We broke in and £5,000 worth of meat was stolen. Share now so it’s too hot to sell.

‘These are our Tomahawks and you can’t buy them anywhere, so if you see them you know they’re Relentless stock. This was our stock of weekends and Christmas parties stolen and prepared in advance for office parties in November and also for the christening.’

In a later update the restaurant shared: ‘Our Port Solent branch is open And we’re still trading, we won’t let scumbags kill the brand!!

A huge thank you to our suppliers for responding quickly to emergencies and supplying meat to the unit so quickly to keep our trade going.’

Following the appeal, Hampshire police arrested a 44-year-old woman on suspicion of theft. The woman was released while the investigation continued.

However, the incident sparked an online debate between the restaurant and locals after it was claimed the theft was an ‘inside job’.

Portsmouth restaurateur George Madgwick responded to the post: ‘Scott this must be an insider colleague. Look from the inside. No regular customer would know or expect you to carry this value of stock. Certainly no one in business would have expected this either.

‘As you know I own a restaurant but I never stock more than £500 worth of meat so I don’t expect others to do the same. This means there is only one possible outcome; an insider, someone who works within a business.

‘Similarly in Solent Port there are cameras everywhere and there is security throughout the night, ensuring that whoever is on entry and exit routes etc. It means he should be informed.

As scary as it is to say look inside. They might have a friend or something to do that with. That’s the only logical answer.’

Mr Matthews replied: ‘We have noticed some hurtful comments online regarding the recent incident involving stolen meat.

In 2021, the restaurant launched 24-carat gold tomahawks with bone-in ribs for £120, served with two sauces, sides and triple-cooked truffle fries.

The incident sparked an online debate between the restaurant and locals after it was claimed the theft was an ‘inside job’.

‘As the owner of this small independent business, I tend to shrug off these words, but it is disheartening for our dedicated team to read them, especially as we are one big family.

‘I have deep confidence in all my staff, with whom I work closely every day.

‘It’s discouraging for an independent business like us to face such challenges, especially in these uncertain times. I believe that we will overcome this situation with the unwavering support of our valued guests and the local people.

‘Police have made arrests in relation to these recent incidents and this gives us some hope.’

A police spokesman said: ‘We are investigating a report that frozen meat was stolen between 11pm on Thursday 24 October and 5am the following morning.

‘As part of our investigations we arrested a 44-year-old woman from Portsmouth on suspicion of theft. ‘He was released under investigation while our investigation continues.’

Anyone with information can call Relentless on 023 9232 4812 or police on 101 on 22410251054.

Relentless Steak & Lobster boasts as ‘where exceptional quality meets unrivaled freshness’. With our own fishing boats delivering fresh lobsters and our company-owned farm providing the highest quality, ethically raised steaks, no one can match our quality steaks.’

In 2021, it launched 24-carat gold tomahawks with bone-in ribs for £120, served with two sauces, sides and triple-cooked truffle fries.

This was followed by Salt Bae, whose real name is Nusret Gökçe, opening a new restaurant called Nusr-Et in Knightsbridge, London, with the steak costing a whopping £630.

Mr Matthews said at the time: ‘We saw Salt Bae’s restaurant and thought they were going to intervene there. For him this means a profit of around £500 from each steak.’