Sam’s Bar & Grill — Attraction in Melbourne

[Long rave review alert!] First let me explain my 5 star rating for Sam's Bar & Grill It was Sunday afternoon lunch, a laid-back post-event celebration of my daughter's birthday. Just us two. We'd made a booking, had a nice window table looking out at Camberwell's Burke Rd with its quiet Sunday face on. Easy parking, spots around the corner, short walk. Straightaway, I love the interior and ambience. Interesting wall mural, subdued lighting, well spaced tables with full settings. Music just right, gentle lounge, at the perfect volume. And one of my absolute loves: Intelligent interior decor to stop a cacophony of echoes and overloaded ears (I am in my 70s). When the harshest sound is the occasional shirr of a cocktail shaker, you know they are doing it right. Service: Warmly welcomed and shown to our table, never had to wait or attract anyone's attention for service. (That's an art in itself, worth all 5 stars) As were the friendly, smiling young staff. (I was seriously contemplating adopting them) The menu is very good. We were there for the steaks and were going a la carte, but noticed that they have well-curated set lunch offerings. Which may be our less expensive option next time. We both had scotch fillets. Minimal sides: Broccolini for my daughter, chips for me. The steak served with a potato galette and peppercorn sauce. Enough detail. Others have described the excellent food in detail. For me, everything was done to perfection That's my 5 stars. But then... While paying the bill at the bar, the lovely young lady server asked me if I could stall for a few minutes as they had a small surprise. Which was an entirely unsolicited complimentary dessert to share with a small birthday candle alight. AND... as I told them, they had turned a terrific dining experience into a memorable one. So... I am forced to stop at five stars because that's all I have to give out. For Sam's Bar & Grill ... I wish I...

UPDATE: I dined on the 5th of May NOT on Mother’s Day. Sad to hear you had another shocking experience. Also very unfortunate to hear you refunded someone else’s meal that went through a similiar situation and not mine. I mean this with the utmost respect, but I doubt the credibility of the reviews of this restaurant. If you scroll down enough, you can see that a lot of the 5-star reviews are from profiles that look like bots.

I dined here last week and have been contemplating leaving a review because the staff were lovely and I love to support small businesses.

I had the mac and cheese croquettes for an entrée, which were great, and one scallop, which was plain with butter but still nice. But the Wagyu scotch fillet ($95) was awful.

Since this place is supposedly fine dining, I asked the waitress for the chef’s recommendation on how the meat should be cooked, as some Wagyu is best served medium while others are preferred medium rare (due to fat composition). Unfortunately, the waitress had no idea what I was talking about, asked the chef, and came back with a photo showing different steak cooking levels and their definitions. I was quite disappointed in this interaction. You’d assume the staff would know what they’re serving — especially if I’m paying $95 for a piece of steak.

The whole meal felt poorly constructed. The potato sides seemed like they were from the freezer, and both the broccoli and steak had a strong gas smell. I couldn’t finish the meal. I informed my waitress, and she even smelled the broccoli and agreed it smelled like gas. I asked if she could let the chef know after I left, but instead he came out and tried to justify it, mansplaining that the steak was cooked with gas — which is why it tasted like that.

I honestly think more people should be leaving legitimate reviews rather than AI bots. I’m really disappointed in the food and how the staff handled...

A Hidden Gem – Perfect for Picky Eaters and Ambiance Lovers Alike!

My partner and I really struggle to find places we both enjoy—I'm extremely picky with food, and he's all about the ambiance—so I was thrilled when I discovered Sam's Bar and Grill and took him there for his birthday! We started with the butter scallops, and I also ordered the rocket and pear salad, which had the perfect amount of parmesan. To this day, it's probably the best salad I've ever had. For mains, I chose the half rack of pork ribs, which came with chips or salad. I'm usually not a fan of chips (I'm that picky), but these were genuinely delicious and just the right portion size—perfect for sharing with my partner. He got the rump steak, cooked medium rare, with the mushroom sauce. This came with broccolini and potato pave. I'm not into steak at all, but I had a bite and was blown away. It was perfectly cooked and the sauce was phenomenal. My partner does not drink alcohol—so we were really happy to see that they offer a zero-alcohol beer. Such a thoughtful option!

He's also not into sweets, so he requested steak instead of cake for his birthday and was absolutely delighted. I, on the other hand, have a massive sweet tooth, so I ordered the sticky date pudding. It was so good I insisted my partner try a bite—and we ended up sharing it. That’s how good it was! To top it all off, we were lucky enough to have the upstairs area to ourselves, which made the evening feel extra special. Couldn’t have asked for a better experience—highly recommend!

(Unfortunately I didn't take many photos but their Instagram has plenty of photos which really helped me pick...