SK Steak & Oyster, Brisbane review: Surf, turf and too many martinis

This is not Manhattan, not even Brisbane’s Eagle Street Pier. But there’s something undeniably luxe and urbane about this place that makes you want to linger.

Come Fly With Me vibe: SK Steak & Oyster. Picture: Jeff Camden

The promo line on SK Steak & Oyster’s website offers a clue about what is expected of the diner. “A place for a long lunch and few too many martinis.” At least, that’s their hope.

This is not Manhattan, not even Brisbane’s Eagle Street Pier; there’s no bright-lights view or cocktail-hour vibe. But there’s something undeniably luxe and urbane about this newish piece of the Calile Hotel puzzle that does make you want to linger. Positioned on the street level of the complex, slightly away from the hotel lobby, the dining room slides down one long wedge of the building, making the most of its internal assets – huge concrete colonnades and pale-wood panelling, as well as those compulsory modern restaurant accoutrements: the seafood bar and a line of leather banquettes. Have you stepped into the pages of Architectural Digest? Yes, you have. Please take a martini.

SK is a breakout venue for Simon Gloftis (the S) and chef Kelvin Andrews (the K), who have nailed Queensland hospitality, Greek-style, upstairs at Hellenika, a restaurant that lolls seductively by the Calile’s hugely Instagrammed pool. If Hellenika is your summer holiday escape, a place where no one would blink if you rocked up in a bikini and kaftan, SK is your sequinned night out; leave the Havaianas in the hotel room, as a minimum effort.

There’s plenty of theatre in a menu the size of a broadsheet newspaper that contains an intriguing number of side streams and rabbit holes down which to disappear. A seafood cocktail menu? Yes, love that. Risotto menu, uh-huh. Potato menu, fabulous. It might take a while to choose.

Crab cocktail. Picture: Jeff Camden

Why not start with oysters at a place called SK Steak & Oyster? Slightly odd to find tonight’s only offerings are Pacifics; there’s not a Sydney rock in sight. Laziness or procurement issues? Let’s offer the benefit of the doubt and simply enjoy a heaving pile of meaty, salty Tasmanians, freshly shucked and smacking of the sea; the textbook vinaigrette is not required.

Do prawn cocktails pair with martinis? Maybe, but take the step up into a daringly old-school version of a proper crab cocktail: a mound of picked Fraser Island spanner crab, eschallot, salmon roe, chopped pickle and more, artfully offered inside the shell. It’s as perfect to eat as it is pretty.

Sirloin. Picture: Jeff Camden

From a list that works hard to wander beyond the steakhouse paradigm, order an exceptional coral trout fillet, masterfully poached and served simply in a very fine white wine and asparagus sauce that would not be out of place in a superior Parisian brasserie.

To the steak then. Is it odd that every steak comes from one Darling Downs farm/producer (unnamed on the menu) with all meat produced in the same way: grass-fed, grain finished? A gentle suggestion: when you’re paying $68 for 400g of sirloin, a little more information/choice would be good. Still, it’s a wonderfully cooked and rested piece of meat. Sides? Try a leaf salad or green beans with bacon and butter; then again, there’s the potato menu to work through, too. Have the gratin, with fine, fine layers of spud amped with all the good things (salt, butter, cream, cheese), its top as glassy as creme brûlée.

The plentiful waitstaff glide around in white jackets, ready with a recommendation from the 18-page wine list, or some idle chat. It all feels very Come Fly With Me, a bit swing, a bit jazz, even if there’s a ’60s an ’70s rock soundtrack playing in the background.

So there are a few menu gates that should be shut. But SK is still so genuinely personable, and offers so much that is purely delicious, that it’s hard to take offence. You may have a few too many, after all.

SK STEAK & OYSTER

ADDRESS: 48 James St, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane

CONTACT: 07 3252 1857; sk-so.com

TYPICAL PRICES: Starters $22-48, mains $40-$260, dessert $22

LIKE THIS? TRY… Mimi’s, Sydney; Rockpool Bar & Grill, Perth

SUMMARY Rat Pack redux

STARS out of 5: 4 stars