Black Cow Bistro — Restaurant in Launceston

When searching for the best restaurants in Launceston, Black Cow Bistro features prominently on several lists and discussion threads, so we were excited to give it a try. Parking is quite easy as there is a garage across the street.

When we walked in, we were greeted by a lovely server - it didn't seem like there was anyone dedicated to welcoming guests, checking reservations, and seating - however the server that helped us for the remainder of the evening was quite unpleasant. They were quite curt and honestly it seemed like we were a bother the moment we were sat.

We had a look over the menu and decided to get a starter to share, the bone-in ribeye to share, a couple of sauces, and a couple of sides. We also came from a full day of wine tasting and were not in the mood for a full bottle so we ordered two glasses of local wine. When the server poured my glass, it came from the last couple of ounces in the bottle, including of all the sediment. The pour was short, especially when compared with wife's glass. The server looked at it and shrugged it off - you could tell they could not be bothered to open another bottle to top off the glass. For a restaurant with a dedicated sommelier, it's a shame that no training or instruction was seemingly provided, at least to this particular server. Nobody wants to drink a glass of wine with the gritty sediment.

The beef tartare was good. The accompaniments were minimal, allowing the high quality beef to shine. For the ribeye, we asked for it to be cooked medium rare and it came out perfectly done and was perfectly seasoned as well. The accompanying potato galette was an adequate starch component, but far from the best we've had. We selected the beetroot relish and the peppercorn demi-glaze as our sauces and had an order of mixed mushrooms as our sides.

The beetroot relish was interesting - adding nice acidity to cut through the richness of the meat, however the "demi-glaze" was just sad. I'm not sure if it was intended to be a "demi glace" or not, but what was served most definitely wasn't. It was a thin stock that had been thickened with corn starch, so it lacked the depth of flavor that you would get with a traditional demi.

The mixed mushrooms were delicious, but they cut the very nice mushroom mix with a bunch of cheaper button and portobello mushrooms. We saw the same mixed mushrooms on offer from Mr Brown & Towns at the harvest market earlier in the day.

Overall, the meal was fine. There are some things we would get again and others we wouldn't, which is perfectly normal for any dining experience. However, the service was a real turn off... a very stark difference to Stillwater, where the development of this...

It is fairly hard to secure a booking, because there are only 40 seats in the restaurant (plus a function room). I was expecting great things. Then we were told there was no Wagyu, and only the massive 550g portion of rib eye. It was akin to the pub with no beer.

Then I saw the charges. You pay for the meat, the sauce and the side separately. I said good bye to $61.50 for a scotch fillet, small square of potato, Paris sauce and a side salad. Wow. You don't pay those prices at three chefs hat restaurants let alone a bistro in Launceston.

Entree was scallops which were very nice. Again paying $24 meant you were expecting something exceptional. They weren't exceptional.

Main course was the scotch fillet, medium rare. I was looking forward to the best steak experience in my life at the prices that were being charged. Sadly, what I got was a very chewy, bleeding piece of meat, starchy potato and a dry rocket, Parmesan and pine nut salad with little or no dressing.

Dessert was the highlight of the experience. The caramel slice was the best dessert I've tasted in town, better than its sister restaurant, Stillwater. Wine list was good, but again very pricey, charging over 300% markup on many known favourites.

The service was good, polite and friendly. Although, having all the staff standing in the little bar area staring at the customers, staring back at them, was a bit awkward. They need somewhere to disappear to when they gossip about the customers who are disappointed the Wagyu isn't available.

There was no atmosphere. Let's face it, the dining room has the same fit out and feel as a flat white cafe. Tiny two person tables hugging one wall, long party tables of 8 in the middle and a mix of four and two seaters on the other wall with the feature cow murals. It was snug, my back was touching the table behind me. One couple were sitting under a ladder - part of the decor. Not a single tablecloth in sight.

Overall, it's claims to be 'up market' are grossly exaggerated. So don't be disappointed if you can't make a booking. It's a nice 'bistro' that charges way too much for its food. You'll get more value for your dining dollar at Stillwater or one of the places down at Seaport. And if you want the best meat experience in Tasmania, buy some quality Cape Grim scotch fillet from the farmers market (every Saturday morning)...

We had the pleasure of dining here on the 28/9. Firstly the service is superb at this restaurant. Some of the best service I have received in years, with friendly and knowledgeable staff. The young gentleman that served us went above and beyond to cater to our requests, which was very much appreciated.

The bread that they bake in-house is incredible and a must try. I only wish that it was served with a little more than simply butter, as delicious as the butter is. Some quality olive oil and balsamic would do this bread justice and take it to the next level.

Now, the reason for only 3 stars, is unfortunately the steak that we ordered. At $60 per 100g the Waygu scotch fillet is not cheap, however with a marble score of 9+ should be well worth it, and should simply melt in your mouth if cooked properly. Our steak was cooked perfectly, so my compliments to the chef. It was also presented very well. Much to our disappointment though the steak was tough, to cut with a steak knife, let alone to chew, and even in the dim light of the restaurant it was easy enough to make out that there was not enough of the delicate marbling in our steak to classify it with such a high marble score. With a 9+ cooking it to medium-rare should produce a 'buttery' steak that slices open with very little knife work and melts in the mouth with a consistency unlike any other steak, hence why it is worth so much more than most other steaks. This did not and was disappointing. It had a wonderful chargrill on the outside and as mentioned was cooked perfectly to medium-rare, however it seems it was simply not a good cut of meat. The potato galette served with the steak was excellent and worth a mention.

The other reason for the 3 stars was our first glass of pinot noir was superb. However the second glass that came out seemed off, and had a slightly frizzante aspect to it. Possibly a bad bottle..

Both things we should have raised on the night, however we were not inclined to on this evening. A friend has been here before for dinner and had the Waygu and commented that it was as it should be, superb and delicious. So I will be back to try the steak again. Hopefully next time it impresses as much as the 5...