The Steak House — Restaurant in Western Australia

A Cut Above, With Room to Sear This establishment presents a promising, if somewhat uneven, dining experience. The ambience strikes a comfortable balance, offering intimate booths and larger central tables, catering to various group sizes. Ample parking is a definite plus, though the shared facilities with the adjoining pub and drive-through liquor store slightly temper the upscale feel. The stars of the show, the steaks, are undeniably good. The Wagyu, true to its nature, delivers more on luxurious mouthfeel and texture than on an explosion of flavour – a characteristic understood by discerning palates. However, the introduction of a chargrilling element, perhaps inspired by the Japanese Binchotan method, could elevate the beef significantly, imparting those desirable smoky, cyclical organic notes. This would be a far more sophisticated approach than resorting to artificial "liquid smoke" (often derived from lignoceric acid), which can detract from an otherwise "all-natural warm fuzz." The restaurant has elected to not address the desirable polyphenol issue. The beverage selection is a highlight, particularly the impressive array of local brews on tap, which beautifully complements a locavore ethos. Accompanying the mains, the French fries were a standout – perfectly crisp and flavourful. Unfortunately, not all dishes hit the mark. The Caesar salad was a decided miss. The dressing possessed a hint of rancidity, and despite the presence of Parmesan and anchovies, the salad lacked a crucial umami depth. Service proved to be a mixed bag. An initial concern arose when booking notes regarding dairy allergies and a special occasion seemed to have been overlooked. This was compounded when our first waiter incorrectly executed on the uncooked dairy content of the beef bacon croquettes and displayed a surprising petulance when the issue was raised. Thankfully, service improved markedly after a change to Cherry, the manager. However, the Caesar salad still arrived laden with Parmesan, despite the earlier allergy discussion; at this point, we opted not to pursue the matter further. Of the sauces offered – marrow-infused wattleseed butter, red wine jus, mushroom sauce, and chimichurri – only the chimichurri can be wholeheartedly recommended. Red wine jus seriouly lacked umami. The others, even the red wine jus,regrettably, lacked the umami punch one hopes for to accompany a quality steak. In summary, this steakhouse delivers on its core promise of good steak cuts and excellent fries. There's also evidence of quality among some of the waitstaff. However, the overall experience feels like a work in progress. With greater attention to detail in the kitchen, particularly concerning flavour balance in ancillary dishes and sauces, and more consistent service across the board with focus on food allergies , this establishment has the potential to be a go to dining destination as they have end to end control of their core product from...

PART ONE It’s a little long We booked for Valentines Day lunch. When you enter you walk through a very well presented bottle display pass the beautiful display of steaks in Aging Cabinets = sublime. Service Staff were attentive, friendly & we felt welcome without being smothered. We were seated in a booth. The comfort level surprised me as booths don't usually mix well with my disability. The booth was comfortable, supportive, well maintained &, very clean. The only downside to the ambience & tone of this venue, is the very 'tacky' display of empty wine bottles located on the top shelf between the booths. Once seated we had our drinks order taken & promptly delivered. One of the best dining experiences we’ve shared. One minor hiccup, but we’ll get to that. The menu & simple, but it does contain enough detail for us to be confident to order. We asked questions about our options and the service staff appeared well educated with the menu items. We asked what sauce would be best to go with our steaks & were advised to select the bone marrow butter, as to enjoy the steak as the ‘champion’ flavour & to avoid any of the sauces overpowering the steak seasoning, So I tried the bone marrow butter & Husband selected the confit garlic cream. We’ve never had Beef Crackle before, & we very glad we did. We tried it naked first, no dipping. Imagine the lightness of a prawn crackle, but visually - a weird, deformed alien, coupled with the rich buttery taste of Wagyu and a light salty flavour. Then we added the Davidson plum mayo, oh my pure flavour balanced bliss. Onto brioche & bone marrow butter. Another fine example of rich buttery goodness in layers of sweet fluffy brioche. We dipped our brioche into the generous serve of bone marrow butter. Simple & divine. Our steaks came out & we smelled them before we saw them. We were not disappointed. Crisply seared on the outside and juicy tender on the inside. Both steaks were delivered as ordered, mine- medium & Husband - medium/well done. True perfection. My steak with the bone marrow butter was definitely an excellent choice. I did feel as if the steak had enough seasoning of its own and the bone marrow butter really only over-emphasised the butter & saltiness when combined. Next time I’m definitely choosing the porcini mushroom sauce. Husband absolutely chowed down when his steak was delivered. It was also seasoned well & the sweetness of the confit garlic cream was a perfect contrast to compliment his steak. We paired our steaks with the steamed market greens, macadamia & cashew nut pesto, parmesan & we were not disappointed. Nutty, sharp cheese on perfectly cooked greens. An excellent choice. PART TWO...

Many places do steaks.

Some better than others, but I never have never had anything truly exceptional....until today.

Reading other reviews of The Steak House made me visit it with high expectations.

We ordered a farm raised 650g Sirloin steak with mushroom sauce and chimichurri sauce as the main for sharing among the 3 of us.

For sides charred broccoli, Wagyu fat potato and a ranch salad.

And for starters, brioche buns with bone marrow butter.

The buns are made in-house and were soft, fluffy, yet had enough bite and texture on its own to be mouthwateringly appetising. Smear on the feather light yet creamy butter and a pinch of coarse salt and the explosion of flavour is just a hint of what is to come.

The steak came with the chimichurri sauce gleaming on the side.

It was done medium well as I had requested and it was exceptional.

The first bite and the lingering winter blues left my being. The meat was melt-in-your mouth, yet a cut above in flavour. Sublime.

My 78 year old mum who usually has problems chewing through beef fought with my son and I for the last piece - a phenomenon that never happens, much less over beef. And by the end of the meal, she was beaming and chatty - a demeanour that never even happens when I prepare her favourite home cooked dishes.

Even the humble broccoli was mystically flavourful and cooked to perfection with enough crunch and a tantalising deep green.

The Wagyu fat potatoes and salad.

Standard dinner fare.

But even these were made special. Special mention goes to the potatoes which has a light crisp on the outside and the consistency of almost a mash on the inside. It was flavourful because of the Wagyu fat, but not rich, dripping with sickly oil. It was light and balanced and such a treat!

Steak lovers will be pleased.

I was.

And I am fussy.

Pair this with never needing to head into the city, pay for parking just to get good steak, and I will come here again and again; of not just for the food, but also the service - which was attentive, anticipatory, and just made me feel at home - even though this was our first visit.

If you love steaks, try their dry aged steaks. I know I will for my next visit.......tomorrow!

Don't take my word for it. Let your taste-buds be the judge.

I'd wager a guess, that "exceptional" will also be...