Restaurant review: Meat your match at Gold Coast steakhouse Harry’s Steak Bistro and Bar

BOTTOMLESS fries bring the boys and girls to the yard, but Harry’s has the ingredients for a lasting love affair.

Chantay Logan

2 min read

February 17, 2017 - 1:00AM

Gold Coast Bulletin

Harry's Steak Bistro & Bar in Burleigh is a steak specialist. Pictured is a 270g silverfern, grass fed, free range scotch fillet.

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YES, it’s a steakhouse, but Harry’s feels like an entirely different beast. Replicating the vibe and energy of his permanent pizza party Justin Lane, owner Adam Haralampou dodges the stale stereotypes at his latest Burleigh venture.

While serious about its steak, this is no overpriced old boys’ club — it’s a modern, approachable experience for a new generation of diners. It starts with the fresh fitout — brick walls, lofty industrial ceilings, beer taps bristling with the tools of the trade and a giant bovine overseer behind the bar. The slick “beef, booze and banter” branding is reinforced on the refreshment front.

Harry's Steak Bistro & Bar in Burleigh is a steak specialist.

Beer and wine — with particular attention to reds and boutique labels — are the key strengths, but the cocktails are heaps of fun too.

Part of a foolproof plan to ensure no diner rolls out in anything short of a food coma, baskets of crusty house-baked bread and soft pats of butter do the rounds before we start on the small share plates. But the beef rolls ($16) aren’t so small — the satisfying spring-roll-style snackables are packed with braised, meltingly tender pulled portions of the same wagyu showcased on the steak menu.

Harry's Steak Bistro & Bar in Burleigh is a steak specialist.

Charred corn laced with a lick-your-fingers paprika aioli ($9) should also be on your hit list.

While the accessories are hard to resist, the star of the show could just as happily stand on its own. Every steak is served with bread, salad, unlimited frites and herbed butter sauce.

They’ve done the hard work editing customarily lengthy lists to present just four strong contenders: 230g Certified Angus grain-fed rump ($19.95), 270g Silverfern grass-fed free-range scotch fillet ($29.95), 250g Grasslands grass-fed free-range eye fillet ($39.95) and 300g Aaco F1 wagyu sirloin ($49.95). Don’t care if your dinner has been on a diet for 326 days, enjoys sunset walks in the scrub, listens to classical music and comes from a long line of super studs? The menu skips the exhaustive bios.

Harry's Steak Bistro & Bar in Burleigh is a steak specialist. Pictured: chargrilled king prawns.

The juicy details, delivered by a young but well-trained team, are on a need-to-know basis. It’s all about the taste. Sweet? Rich? Tender? The meat matchmakers will point you in the right direction. The narrow focus pays off — the scotch fillet is an expert medium rare as requested; a beautiful cut, teamed with a melting pool of whipped herb butter and more than enough foliage to cut through the richness.

What really impressed me was the value. Beef prices being what they are, you’d be hard pressed to find a cheaper proposition in a pub or surf club and unlikely to match the quality.

Harry's Steak Bistro and Bar at Burleigh Heads. Picture: Adam Head

There are a handful of bit players for those not swayed — a wagyu cheeseburger with truffle aioli ($19.95), ratatouille-stuffed eggplant ($29.95) for vegetarians, herb-dressed, chargrilled half chicken ($29.95) and market fish ($34.95), all with unlimited frites — but no excessive pandering to dietary requirements to mar the menu’s refreshing simplicity.

Finish with blue cheese studded with fresh thyme and sticky honeycomb ($12), bite-size brownies ($8) or a chocolate ice cream sundae complete with hazelnuts and cherry ($16) ... if the fries don’t finish you first.