Sydney’s best steaks: Your guide to finding a top hunk of beef
IF you love your steak to be cooked just so then you need to check out our guide to the best places in Sydney to dine for that perfectly
WHILE the day of the $10 steak is dead, the emergence of venues such as Firedoor in Surry Hills, with its $138 charcoal and woodfire-cooked steak, has proven that quality is on the rise and people are willing to pay for it. Even Rooty Hill RSL sees the sense in offering a $29 grass-fed 250g Angus beef tenderloin.
And the corner butcher shop is not dead either, far from it, as face-to-face contact is becoming increasingly important when you hand over your hard-earned, especially for customers who want to know where and how the beef on their plate was raised.
HOW TO PUT ON THE ULTIMATE BARBECUE
So if you are a lover of the perfect steak where is the best place to go so that you know it will be done right?
We have a look at some of the best steak joints in this city.
The Buena Vista Hotel, Mosman
Beloved Mosman local loves the thrill of the grill with a range of steaks seared then served with chimmichurri, cafe de Paris butter, peppercorn or mushroom cream sauce or red wine jus. Steaks include a 150-day grain-fed 200g eye fillet, from Gippsland, Victoria, $28, or pasture-fed Cape Grim sirloin from Tassie, $35, scotch fillet, $32, or 300g Riverina rump, $26.
76 Middle Head Rd, Mosman,
9969 7022, buenavistahotel.com.au
Icebergs Dining Room, Bondi
Head chef Monty Koludrovic along with Victor and Anthony Puharich from Vic’s Premium Quality Meats held a special lunch on Thursday to showcase three of not only Australia’s but the world’s leading beef producers in David Blackmore of David Blackmore Wagyu, Don Mackay of Rangers Valley Cattle Station and Matt O’Connor of O’Connor Beef. The brands feature on Icebergs menu, including a Rangers Valley sirloin, bone marrow, rosemary and truffle dish on the $170 tasting menu.
1 Notts Ave,
Bondi Beach,
9365 9000, idrb.com
Papi Chulo, Manly
This low and slow smokehouse is king of the hill in Sydney, from its charcoal rotisserie porchetta, $32, and Suffolk lamb ribs with Papi’s barbecue sauce, $32, to grilled seafood of jumbo king prawns, $38, or New Zealand flounder, $35. Still you can’t go past the famous Papi Chulo barbecue platter of smoked lamb ribs, wagyu brisket, pulled pork, porchetta served with coleslaw, soft rolls and barbecue sauce ($86 serves 2-4).
Shop, 22/23 East Esplanade, Manly Wharf, 9240 3000, merivale.com.au/papichulo
Barbuto, Narrabeen
Despite being a popular newcomer, this northern beaches steakhouse, run by Doug and Kylie Fraser, has already had a refresh. There is an array of steaks from rump to lamb chops, kangaroo and wagyu on offer. Rock up from the beach for 200g Rangers Valley rump, with a marble score of 5+, $26, a 220g Paroo kangaroo, $29, a great combination of eye fillet and sirloin, $34 or lamb T-bones served with parsley and lemon, $26. For the hands-on approach try the Ribs & Combos, marinated, slow-cooked then grilled with sticky barbecue basting, from a half rack of pork ribs, $39, to a surf and turf of 250g eye fillet and 300g of chilled crab, $60.
5/16 Ocean St, Narrabeen, 9970 6171, barbutorestaurant.com.au
The Oaks
While the Garden Pavilion here is still the traditional home of the cook your own steak, with the amount you spend these days on a steak it’s best left in the hands of the expert chefs at the Neutral Bay venue’s Bar and Grill. Choose from the trays of meats including a selection from publican David Thomas, including a grain-fed, in-house smoked 250g Wagyu rump cap ($32), or take on the tomahawk (1.6-1.9kg) served with roast potatoes, steamed green beans and three different sauces.
118 Military Rd, Neutral Bay,
9953 5515, oakshotel.com.au
Chophouse, Sydney
A spot favoured by the city’s suits, this moody Bligh St diner offer an array of grill options. Starting with a dry aged wagyu burger ($19.90) with cheddar, grilled onions, aioli and barbecue sauce on brioche or dry-aged 400g Riverine District Delmonico striploin on the bone, with a marble score of 2+, ($49.90) or go the whole hog, so to speak, with a 1kg pork tomahawk for two ($68) which comes with apple fritters, condiments and crackling.
25 Bligh St, Sydney, 1300 246 748, chophouse.com.au
Zest Grill, Rooty Hill
Executive chef Carl Middleton lists venues such as the Hilton Sydney, Darley’s at Lillianfels, Quay Restaurant, and The London Hilton on Park Lane on his CV. Try on for size a 250g Grass Fed Angus beef tenderloin ($29) or put on the fat pants for a 400g grain-fed Angus T-bone ($28), with all grill items served with roasted chat potatoes, fried onion rings and a choice of sauces, from bois boudran to romesco and chimmichurri.
Rooty Hill RSL, 55 Sherbrooke St, Rooty Hill, 9625 5500, rootyhillrsl.com.au
Rockpool Bar and Grill
Neil Perry’s iconic Art Deco marble palace appeals to all things indulgent. Choose from a selection of David Blackmore’s dry-aged full-blood wagyu cuts, all with a marble score of 9+ or Cape Grim 36-month dry aged 350g rib-eye on the bone or Minderoo dry aged, “iron fed” 350g rib-eye on the bone.
66 Hunter St, Sydney, 8078 1900, rockpool.com
OTHER GRILLER THRILLERS
LP’s Quality Meats, Chippendale
Head chef Luke Powell mans the monster smoker at this popular venue but go for the thrill of the grill with grilled WA octopus with chorizo crumb, $24, or barbecue chicken, half $24/whole $2, with a paprika and dill rub.
Suite 1, 12-16 Chippen St, Chippendale, 8399 0929, lpsqualitymeats.com
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