‘Evacuate, evacuate’: When a restaurant review goes wrong
Restaurant reviews don’t always go smoothly and when our critic visited Brisbane’s newest glam steakhouse things became a little alarming.
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Evacuate, evacuate, blares the fire alarm at James St newcomer Fatcow just as our main courses are arriving. We would have gladly escaped the racket, except that two plates of quivering premium beef have just arrived on the white cloth before us.
So we dig in as the waiters calmly go about their business with a “what noise?” demeanour. Maybe this has happened before? There’s no announcement but when I ask I’m told the alarm says there’s fire in the toilets but there isn’t and they have to wait for the fire brigade to turn it off.
It’s a doozy of a glitch not long after the restaurant’s May opening and it continues until after we’ve finished our main courses.
Beyond that rather large distraction, Fatcow, which was displaced from its original site in the CBD when Eagle Street Pier was demolished in 2022, is very busy on an early weeknight in its new digs in the building that previously housed businesses including David Jones.
Owned by Michael Tassis, whose portfolio includes Rich and Rare at West End, Fosh at Portside and Longwang in the CBD, Fatcow is the latest beefy newcomer in the Fortitude Valley grazing paddock that includes SK Steak & Oyster in the nearby Calile Hotel.
The decor is a muted black and white-toned mix of floor-to-ceiling sheer curtains, a sound-absorbing feature wall, banquettes, upholstered chairs and potted eucalyptus trees, including one central plant that looks like it has been pruned by Edward Scissorhands.
Starters can be as simple as bread with jus, foie gras, oysters fresh from the tank or caviar as well as the likes of chargrilled octopus, beef tartare and raw kingfish or scallops. We opt for seared scallops with smoked celeriac puree, pea tendrils and bresaola ($34), which is a lovely balanced starter, while ravioli filled with lobster and prawns lies beneath a voluminous, foamy doona of crustacean bisque ($32) and is also a well-executed if rather richer beginning.
Mains could perhaps be a wagyu burger, quail, lamb shoulder or lobster from the tank. But it’s really all about the steak cooked on the wood-fired grill. Five black angus and eight wagyu options from various producers are supplemented by a $285 wagyu tasting, and Fatcow “experiences” of a butcher’s choice, the golden fatcow (a 400g rib fillet topped with gold leaf for $190) and a 180g eye fillet and half lobster for $199.
We opt for a grain-fed wagyu 220g rump MB 9-plus ($56) and a 350g black angus sirloin on the bone, 28 days dry-aged MB3 plus ($69) and while they’re both cooked as requested, we surprisingly – given this cut’s workmanlike reputation – prefer the rump with its finer texture and succulence. A side is included with each steak and we choose fries with truffle aioli and roasted pumpkin with blue cheese sauce from a line-up that also includes mash potato, mac and cheese, garden salad and mixed vegetables ($16 each). The chips are hot and crisp and the skin-on wedge of pumpkin is cooked just right, although I could have lived without the blue cheese sauce. We opt to stick with the complimentary mustards but sauces ($7) include horseradish creme fraiche, red wine jus and wood-fired mushroom.
The wine list is broad and global, with a hefty red wine line-up including stacks of Australian big-hitter shiraz such as several vintages of Henschke’s Hill of Grace, and a Bordeaux line-up including a Chateau Latour 2009 for $8500. Wines by the glass arrive pre-poured, with the reds decanted and poured tableside.
Cheese is the headline finale here with a choice of 10, including gruyere from Switzerland to Vigneron vine-wrapped washed rind goats cheese from South Australia. Dessert is kept to three (all $18): lime sorbet with coconut foam, basque cheesecake and our choice of a rather chewy textured chocolate tart with ginger caramel and honey cream.
Service is smooth with the team vigilant and happy to offer suggestions.
While it is hardly cheap, this being after all in one of the city’s most in-demand, high-end retail trips, the addition of a side to the price of the steak adds value and besides the errant alarm, it’s a smooth dining experience.
Fatcow
10 James St,
Fortitude Valley
Open
Seven days for lunch and dinner, 11.30am until late
Must try
Wagyu 220g rump
Verdict - Scores out of 5
Food 4
Service 4
Ambience 4
Value 4
Overall 4
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