Steer Bar & Grill: 637 Chapel Street, South Yarra, 9040 1188
My score: 4/5
I knew Steer was serious about steak but I wasn’t expecting a floorshow. But then, not long after we sat down – the only ladies in a restaurant dotted with beefy, chomping blokes – our charming and solicitous waiter staggered over with a massive board laden with raw beef. He proceeded to talk us through the different cows and cuts: Wagyu here, Black Angus there, these ones grain fed, those ones pasture fed, this cut from the ribs, (the explanation accompanied by a finger dragged across his torso), that one from the rump (but let’s keep this G rated).
If you’re going to eat dead things this is how to do it. The meat is from revered animals raised by premium producers. The cuts are displayed like art and cooked like treasure. The whole experience oozes respect – oh, and blood, delicious blood.
We chose two steaks: Wagyu Delmonico (a New York-style cut taken from between the ribs) and Angus Scotch fillet. They were cooked, presented with perfect cross-hatched grill marks, whisked away and sliced into strips, then placed on the table for us to share or, more realistically, fight over with gleaming steak knives scabbarded in marrow-bone cutlery holders. The meat is stop-you-in-your-tracks good: tasty, juicy, each cut distinct and different, impeccably cooked and perfectly complemented by grilled marrow, parsley salad and the choice of ten condiments.
Beef is the hero but other elements shine too. The wine list is stellar. The steak can be expensive but everything else is keenly priced. Chef Shaun Neilsen (ex-Archies on the Creek) has a lovely way with seafood: tataki scallops speed-date the grill and are presented with fresh wasabi and ponzu sauce. Salmon is cured then gently poached to create a rich and succulent gravlax. Both appetisers are breathtakingly pretty. A side of winter greens was brilliant, the iridescent broccolini, beans and snow peas highlighted by succulent, salty samphire. Desserts are like that moment at a party when a great song comes on and everyone pockets their inhibitions and starts dancing: the pecan pie sundae was a cacophany of tart wedges, jellies, icecreams and chocolate. It rocked.
Steer is in the Olsen Hotel though it’s entered via bland street frontage. The interior is colourful but lacks charisma. Toilets are in a hotel corridor, which is jarring. The food, wine and service are excellent though and for super steak, there’s no better place to steer.
More steak:
Rockpool, Crown, Southbank, 8648 1900
Neil Perry’s approach to steak upped the ante for all Australian chefs and he’s still delivering. Outstanding beef is ethically sourced, aged on site and cooked with respect.
Station Hotel, 59 Napier Street, Footscray, 9687 2913
They’re serious about steak here and the price tags don’t hurt too much. Also consider the wintry pot au feu with poached ox cheek, tongue and tail.
Middle Park Hotel, 102 Canterbury Road, Middle Park, 9690 1958
The diverse steaks at this modern boozer include minute steak with frites and a couple of mega-steaks for two: chateaubriand comes with sauce Diane and a kilo club steak is wood-grilled and served with parsley and bone marrow.
First published in The Age, June 24, 2012
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