Best steak restaurants: Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast
FOR many foodies, finding the perfect steak is a life-long quest. We’ve done the hard yards for you and found the best steak restaurants in the southeast.
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FOR many foodies, finding the perfect steak is a life-long quest. We’ve done the hard yards for you and found the best steak restaurants in the southeast.
Blackbird
Riverside Centre
123 Eagle St, Brisbane
07 3229 1200
This slick and stylish restaurant with river views and access to a downtown financial district clientele makes no bones about its mission statement – the menu boasts 11 varieties of steak, and the kitchen’s centrepiece is a large grill lowered over glowering coals.
Steaks range from Glen Innes Rangers Valley Wagyu-cross rump to Tasmanian Robbins Island full-blood Wagyu scotch fillet and are diligently cooked as requested, served with house-made mustards, a choice of three sauces and coleslaw.
Beyond this fiesta of beef, options include roast suckling pig, moonfish roasted over coals and topped with seaweed butter, and share plates such as slow-roasted lamb shoulder and roasted
chicken.
What is slightly surprising amid all this hearty barbecue action is the delicacy of the entrees and desserts. Starters of crispy soft-shell crab on a bed of cauliflower puree and rabbit ravioli – a soft parcel of rabbit mousseline in a pond of ribollita, topped with currants and pickled walnuts – are well conceived and bursting with flavour.
As a finale that represents Queensland on a plate, coconut rice pudding is teamed with passionfruit, orange and lime sorbet, caramelised roasted pineapple, as well as soursop fruit which proves a splendid addition. Rum baba is also smartly matched with citrus compote and Earl Grey ice cream.
The wine list has global breadth and depth, and includes a large selection of local Granite Belt wines.
It has a simple grill ethos built on quality produce as its centrepiece but Blackbird aims high in every aspect of its menu – and delivers.
Must-eat dish: Rabbit ravioli
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Chef: Jake Nicolson
Price: $$$
Bookings: Yes
Black Hide Steakhouse
36 Caxton St, Petrie Terrace
07 3369 9500
Fronting the well-trodden footpath of fans to Suncorp Stadium, Black Hide Steakhouse is flanked by pizza joints and nightclubs. But step inside, and the restaurant is every bit a refined destination for those who know and love their beef.
With white tablecloths, comfortable seating and matte gold wallpaper, the space is modern and
inviting. Black-clad waitstaff deliver excellent service, but really, it’s all about the beef.
A partnership with Stanbroke beef offers cuts with a marble score of 3+ or 5+ as well as an organic eye fillet. Angus 350g rib-eye comes with Wagyu fat-roasted potatoes, rosemary and garlic, and is spectacular in its simplicity. It could easily take a Barossa shiraz but is perfect with a Mornington Peninsula Scorpo Noirien pinot noir from the red-centric wine list, which effortlessly syncs with the menu.
Steak may be the star here, but entrees and desserts are by no means understudies. Italian
meatballs are aromatic with basil, sweet with sugo and savoury with a sprinkle of parmesan, while a French-inspired tarte Tatin of caramelised apples comes with green apple sorbet and a wicked salted caramel sauce.
Black Hide opened in 2013 directly across from its big brother Gambaro’s seafood restaurant and both are class acts on the busy Caxton St strip.
Must-eat dish: Angus rib-eye (marble 3+)
Cuisine: Steak, European
Chef: Lukas McEwan
Price: $$$
Bookings: Yes
Open: Tue-Fri 11.30am-late, Sat 5.30pm-late
Instagram: @blackhidesteakhousebne
Pony Dining
18/45 Eagle St, Brisbane
07 3181 3400
Perched on the edge of the Brisbane River, Pony is a restaurant with serious wow-factor.
While the water view may captivate, so too does the handsome interior, seamlessly uniting industrial elements such as a concrete bar and floors, and curved metal detailing with shots of greenery and touches of cow hide for a space that feels comfortable yet carefully put-together.
Acclaimed chef Michael Crosbie is at the pans in the open kitchen, harnessing the signature woodfired grill and the finest local ingredients to create elevated dishes that flaunt creativity, individuality and finesse.
Take, for example, a starter of eel brandade sandwiched between two hand-cut potato crisps with freshwater caviar that pops in the mouth bringing salt and texture. Or perhaps spanner crab, the sweet, fresh meat hidden beneath crunchy Jerusalem artichoke chips and a fine grating of Parmesan, which brings an umami hit worth crying over.
Steaks are a signature of the grill, but mains such as pork jowl are equally memorable, the tender, fatty meat met by crumbles of pork crackle, blackened pear segments, chestnut cream and turnip.
Desserts pair savoury and sweet elements in a modern manner – think ‘milk and honey’ containing honey parfait, mead, bee pollen and toasted hay ice cream – while the imaginative cocktail list brings sweet treats in liquid form, such as a ‘banoffee pie’ swizzled with Pampero rum, crème de banane, cream, butterscotch, caramel and a biscuit crumb.
Meanwhile, the predominantly Australian wine offering blends big-name labels with small, boutique producers well matched to the menu. Solid service rounds out an upscale dining experience that doesn’t horse around.
Must-eat dish: Pork jowl
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Chef: Michael Crosbie
Price: $$$
Bookings: Recommended
Open: Lunch and dinner daily
Instagram: @ponydiningeaglestreetpier
Burnt Ends Kitchen & Bar
Paddington Barracks, 22/61 Petrie Tce, Brisbane
07 3368 1881
Once the home of raucous nights out and dancing ’til dawn, The Underground nightclub has now been transformed into the slick and sophisticated restaurant Burnt Ends.
Sticky floors and rum-stained furniture have given way to a warm, industrial-meets-old- world vibe with exposed ducts threaded through heavy timber beams, while exposed brick walls celebrate the building’s heritage and curved, teal booths speak of long nights celebrating food and drink.
A vino-clad bar and shiny, open kitchen bookend the space, delivering an impressive, international wine list and a protein-focused menu cooked over charcoal embers – and both are keenly priced.
Meats cooked in the fire pit are the main attraction, such as Great Southern Pinnacle grass-fed 200g eye fillet bar-marked and caramelised on the outside, blushing, medium-rare in the centre and cutting like butter served alongside a generous pan of woodfired vegetables and mustards.
If you don’t feel like steak, try the boerewors sausage, spiralled onto a wooden board alongside zesty chimichurri and a crusty bread roll to create the most exquisite of hotdogs.
Charitably sized starters also command attention, such as sweet, woodfired clams with a black garlic puree and pinto beans, plus a slice of grilled sourdough to mop up all those juices.
Exacting, impeccably trained staff keep the mood professional but light, transforming this restaurant into so much more than your average steakhouse.
Must-eat dish: Great Southern Pinnacle eye fillet
Cuisine: Barbecue
Chef: Gordon MacGregor
Price: $$$
Bookings: Yes
Open: Lunch Fri and Sun, dinner Wed-Sun
Instagram: @burntendskitchenbar
Cha Cha Char
Shop 5/1 Eagle St, Brisbane
3211 9944
It’s arguably Brisbane’s most iconic steakhouse, but Cha Cha Char is about more than just beef.
Overlooking the Brisbane River from its prime Eagle St Pier location, the space is handsome in earthy textures of leather on the chairs and timber accents on the ceiling.
While the venue may be favoured for important business meetings by local corporates, it doesn’t take itself too seriously with an artwork of gun-touting dancing cows adding an element of black humour, alongside professional yet good-humoured waitstaff, who bring mischievous personality and knowledge in equal measure.
Unquestionably, steak is the star attraction, with an entire page dedicated to grass and grain-fed cattle of different cuts, including the $110 150g striploin from Mayura Station with a marble score of 12+.
A solid mid-range option, however, may be the New England pasture-reared T-bone, expertly cooked on the woodfired grill, served alongside a mass of chunky creamed corn, potato
rosti and beurre noisette.
Fish is also executed to the same exacting standards, with a quirky main of snapper coated in rice bubbles for crunch alongside a punchy jungle sauce an unexpected standout.
Entrees such as gently seared beef tataki, or scallops joined by bites of crispy chicken and pickled veg, are also worth investing in.
For those with deep pockets, the wine list is a liquid playground courtesy of owner John Kilroy’s “cellar reserve” boasting Australian classics like Kaesler Old Bastard, Jim Barry The Armagh and Rockford Basket Press shiraz.
But there are plenty more budget-friendly options among the red-heavy offering at this Brisbane institution that’s an ode to one of our best exports, beef.
Must-eat dish: Snapper curry with jungle sauce
Cuisine: Steakhouse
Price: $$$
Bookings: Yes
Open: Lunch Mon-Fri, dinner daily
Instagram: @chachacharrest
Ten
Shop 2-4, 2669-2679 Gold Coast Hwy (cnr of Elizabeth Ave), Broadbeach
07 5570 1010
Set behind striking, Iron Chef-inspired stainless steel doors in bustling Broadbeach, Ten is an unexpected Japanese den of deliciousness.
Glass meets steel and stone accents to bring a gravitas to the opulent space that wows without intimidation. Prime position is at the central curved teppan hugged by high-backed chairs where the team of chefs’ bring theatre and flavour together using the highest quality produce, say, 7+ or 9+ marble-scored wagyu.
Diners can choose from a tight a la carte menu offering the likes of oysters, tempura, miso-marinated Patagonian toothfish and lamb rump, or a variety of set menus, including the 12-13 course omakase where the chef takes control.
A popular starting point is a picture-perfect plate of sashimi and sushi, which shines away from popular fish choices to offer the likes of grouper, trevalla and swordfish. While, for a dish of considerable substance, there’s the wagyu beef cheek – achingly tender and yielding beneath a semi-sweet, viscous red miso and sake glaze.
Perhaps the star of the menu, though, is the 7+ wagyu sirloin. With just a shake of salt, it is cooked simply on the teppan rendering melt-in-your-mouth texture.
It’s well paired with a glass of the Kuroobi Yu-Yu sake from the detailed drinks list, which traverses sakes and shochu to cocktails and a thoughtful collection of interesting, global wines dotted with simple tasting notes to gently guide diners.
Also there to guide diners is the crack team of calming and attentive staff, which never misses a trick. While not for the traditional sweet tooth, take their recommendation of the ginger sorbet for dessert, featuring a single scoop of cleansing sorbet, fiery dried ginger chips, dense financier and clever tofu doughnut rolled in roasted soybean flour, and you’ll leave feeling zen.
Must-eat dish: Ginger sorbet
Cuisine: Japanese
Chef: Yuta Yoshimura
Price: $$
Bookings: Yes
Open: Lunch Fri-Sat, dinner Tues-Sat
Madame Rouge
100 McLachlan St, Fortitude Valley
07 3252 8881
Madame Rouge is for the drinker, the thinker and the stayer. A rush to turn over tables gives way to a desire to have diners settle in and make a night of it – working their way through a heavily French-accented wine list of keenly priced, quality bottles, or perhaps a Frenchie-inspired cocktail or three.
And what a place it is to linger. Rich leather booths, dark-stained bentwood chairs and timber tables surround a central, curved bar glistening with hanging wine glasses. The whole space is moody, faintly lit and wrapped in red curtains for a touch of theatrics channelling France’s famed cabaret days at the Moulin Rouge.
Food is equally sumptuous, favouring French classics such as the timeless coq au vin featuring fall-off- the-bone tender chicken pieces lazing in a syrupy red wine sauce salted with speck and a coronary-inducing Paris mash. Confit duck follows a similar format: tender protein, crisp skin and a meaty jus to bring it all together.
The classic steak frites not only delivers brilliant value, but outstanding flavour with a signature charry exterior and blushing juicy pink centre
Desserts are equally traditional: crème brulee, tarte au citron or, perhaps, raspberry soufflé - puffy, subtly flavoured, well-executed and accompanied by an obscenely good caramelised white chocolate ice cream.
Madame Rouge is the work of Mary Randles, wife of acclaimed E’cco Bistro, Brisbane chef and restaurateur Philip Johnson, and was created as a tribute to an old bistro she used to frequent in France. Although most diners will likely never go to the original, Randles’ nod to it certainly takes our hearts, minds and stomachs there.
Must-eat dish: Duck liver parfait
Cuisine: French
Chef: Gert Pretorius
Price: $$
Bookings: Recommended
Open: Tues, Wed and Sat 5.30pm-late, Thurs-Fri noon-late
Instagram: @madamerougebistro
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