Steel Bar and Grill, CBD

Because of my non-existent cooking skills, all my fine dining and eating out does have its costs but in spite of that, I remain intensely prideful of the way I save. A whopping 50 percent off the entire menu is where it's at for the conveniently located Steel Bar and Grill down Wynyard. Heads up to SimonFoodFavourties for revealing this deal on his facebook site. Thanks a lot.

Suits crowd the place, ready to kick back from what I presume is a number crunching filled day. 

It's sleek and shiny, ornate with modern upper class furnishings that don't do much when it comes to cushioning loud volumes. There is an almost unsurprisingly Rockpool Bar and Grill feel sans marble and leather. Prices indicated in the captions are regular prices and not the discounted.

Duck Liver Parfait 15.5

A deep red duck parfait is what we order first to share, silky and velvety smooth. It's in stark contrast to the less desirable stone hard layer of duck fat on top which is almost impossible to cut. Toasty brioche was the perfect accompanyment but for the generous amount of parfait, maybe just one more brioche slice would have been nice because we were struggling to finish it. Still... I have no problem just eating the duck liver by itself.

Ocean Trout 24

There's a long anticipated wait between our appetizers and entrees but when they come, they look good. A multitude of elements, from the really intense olive crumbs and olive crisps, to the rumble and tumble of cucumber strands and gel to the goats cheese, almost threatens to detract from the ocean trout save for the deft hands of the fish curer which results in an impossibly soft slightly flaky flesh and a really fresh flavour.

15 hr Pork Belly 21

The prism of pork belly was really tasty, complete with just the right fat to meat ratio which means lustrously soft meat and of course a superb crackling. It comes flanked with its best friends of tart onion and mustard with an almost gravy like chestnut puree which rounds out the dish nicely.

Rangers Valley Scotch Fillet 36

Cooked more to a medium than the requested medium rare according to A, the sirloin still doesn't fail to be just as delicious but isn't as big in flavour. We get both get a Cafe de Paris butter (I've never had it before and yes that's right, I call myself a foodie) which has a wicked kick of indian curry flavour. Hmmm, I'm nitpicking here but it would have been cool to have the butter been presented as a half melted cylinder.

Master Kobe's 9+ Hanger Steak 49

My experiences of wagyu up to this point have, besides 1 or 2 exceptions, been underwhelming. I've had far better non-wagyu steaks than wagyu steaks and it seems these days you can pretty much slap a wagyu label on anything (picture Subway's load of crap a couple of months back) and it'll instantly garner attention, a far cry from the supreme Japanese breed of cattle. 

Along with this note, I'd like to mention that there's usually there's a compromise when it comes flavour or tenderness of the steak, a dichotomy of sorts. Porque no los dos? Grain fed or grass fed, rib eye or skirt but not with this steak. Hanger is one of those steaks that's not recognised to be completely tender but makes up for it with its really gutsy flavour. 

HOWEVER sceptical, cutting in to Steel Grill's only wagyu product reveals a gorgeously marbelled steak, tender beyond imagination with a buttery deep meatiness and meltingly nice chew. There's an expertly charred smoky exterior that's just rippling with intense flavour and just a subtle crunch that's sublime. Seriously crackingly good steak, one of the best I've ever had.

Valrhona Chocolate 16

No sides means plenty of room for desserts. I'm excited for the chocolate, which is fiercely rich and dark but soothed with the lighter buttery ice cream and the sharp blobs of almond flavoured amaretto gel. The almond theme is continue with roasted almonds as well as a crunchy nougatine.  

Caramelised Banana 15

Bananas get some lovin' from a really smooth hazelnut moussed sandwiched between 'slices' of wafer thin banana bread tuilles (really cool guys), crunchy popcorn, and a borderline too sweet caramel. 

Petit Fours 5

Petit 4s round out our meal, the highlight being melt in your mouth marshmellow.

Overall, service is sharp, friendly and really attentive which always brings a smile. However, not particularly impressed the fact that I asked for passing by waiter to bring along a menu and was abruptly told to wait for my own one which is really unusual when she should have probably extended the message to 'my own one'. I'm really glad that it doesn't appear treatment is anymore different from a full price paying customer although I'm just ignorantly assuming not a lot of people were aware of the promo.

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Posted in: crackling, ocean trout, pork, steak, wynyard