Good Food Month: Steersons Steakhouse $39 menu, King Street Wharf, Sydney (30 Oct 2013)

17 Lime Street, King Street Wharf, Sydney NSW 2000

http://www.steersons.com.au

Steaking out King Street Wharf

“Steersons offers premium quality in all aspects of the dining experience — from the tablecloth to the steak knife and the steak. Steersons will remain true to the steakhouse fundamentals yet exhaust new beef trends allowing the Steak Lover to appreciate an enhanced steakhouse experience for both body & soul.”

Thanks to Jess Guilfoyle from The PR Partnership for inviting me to sample the Good Food Month menu ($39 per person including a drink) at Steersons Steakhouse as part of the Food Art & Film By The Wharf during October. Upon arrival table water was provided promptly which always gets a tick in my books. While perusing the menu their was strangely no promotion of the Good Food Month menu and my waiter had no idea what I was talking about. Thankfully another waiter knew all about it but mentioned they'd recently stopped promoting it on the tables which I thought was unfortunate because then diners wouldn't be aware of it unless they had seen it on the website. A tasty Pan-fried chorizo with mint and basil ($10.90) was an enjoyable starter and the Freshly baked damper from Fuel Bakery with salted butter ($5.90) had a nice crust and lightness inside. 

A glass of Bishop by Ben Glaetzer Shiraz 2012 was a good choice to enjoy with the 400gm dry aged rib eye on the bone ($39 with wine) served with beer battered prawns and tarragon salted hand cut chips. Prawns were plump with a light crisp batter as hoped and the flavoursome steak was served pretty much medium rare as ordered. I wasn't a fan of the lettuce garnish which I guess added colour to the dish but needed to be dressed to make it more appetising to eat and cut through its slight bitterness. The chunky chips were good and the option of boulangère potatoes is also a good choice. For the sweet tooth the nicely presented White & dark chocolate mousse with Stracciatella ice-cream, honeycomb & lavender ($13.90) had enjoyable rich flavoured chocolate and the Mango Sorbet, Raspberry Sorbet, Vanilla Ice-Swiss Cream ($13.90) looked a treat although I didn't get to try it but I'm suspecting larger scoops would have been appreciated.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Well-presented dishes, Water view, Nice decor, Pleasant ambience, Steak lovers menu, Menu seems reasonably priced for the location and quality, Service was professional and friendly

CONS: Good Food Month menu wasn't promoted with the a la carte menu and some service was unaware of the promotion

MUST TRY: Pan-fried chorizo with mint and basil, A steak that tickles your fancy

VERDICT: Seems like a popular spot for business lunches for suits that love their steaks but hopefully there's a few suitable menu options for the ladies

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Good Food Month menu — although wasn't promoted with the a la carte menu even though the promotion runs until 31 October

Nice having white table clothes — I'd would give extra marks if the creases were ironed out

Bishop by Ben Glaetzer Shiraz 2012 Barossa Valley — very nice wine

Pan-fried chorizo with mint and basil ($10.90) — enjoyable tasty flavours as an appetiser 

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Freshly baked damper from Fuel Bakery with salted butter ($5.90) — nice crust and softness, flavourome 

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

400gm dry aged rib eye on the bone, served with beer battered prawns, tarragon salted hand cut chips ($39 with wine) — nice plump prawns with thin batter, flavoursome steak, lettuce needs dressing, good chips

WORTH TRYING :-)

400gm dry aged rib eye on the bone, served with beer battered prawns, boulangère potatoes ($39 with wine) — nicely cooked potatoes

Mustard options

Steak order medium rare and looks pretty close

Nice prawns, decent size, thin crispy batter — these would make an excellent canape on their own for a function

Nice chips — would have loved a side of tomato sauce provided as an option

Lettuce garnish — slightly bitter, would have preferred served with some dressing to make it more interesting and appetising on the plate

White & dark chocolate mousse with Stracciatella ice-cream, honeycomb & lavender ($13.90) — enjoyable rich flavoured chocolate, nice presentation

WORTH TRYING :-)

Mango Sorbet, Raspberry Sorbet, Vanilla Ice-Swiss Cream ($13.90) — I didn't try it but looked pretty good although I suspect larger scoops would have made it better value

Steak menu 

Small dishes menu to start — oysters seem reasonably priced if shucked to order

Water views

Clean toilet although having walls so dark I seemed to miss seeing the exit sign on the door and opened a cubicle instead

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Taste Test: Shottesbrooke Engine Room Shiraz 2010, McLaren Vale, South Australia (29 June 2012)

http://engineroomwines.com

Spiced up engine well-matched

‘We need to determine the sell price for the wine in your goody bag and ultimately how it will fit into our range. Bring your bottle, log in on Monday 2nd July, 3 pm and be part of the Naked buying team.’

At the Naked Wines Australia Media Launch everyone received a bottle of Engine Room Shiraz 2010 from Shottesbrooke McLaren Vale to assess and hopefully provide their feedback to the winemaker Hamish Maguire in the chatroom at 3 pm Monday 2nd July. Predicting that drinking at work during the day would prove challenging I chose to pre-open the bottle the following night and try with their suggested food match of Indian spiced lamb cutlets. The flavours complimented each other very well on the palate which was actually better than just drinking the wine on it's on. For me the robust flavour of the wine was better suited to enjoy with food rather than drinking on its own. I think a bottle would be worth between $15-$20 and the interesting wine label would also make it suitable as a retro-style gift. The alcohol content seemed higher than normal as well. I'm not sure if 14.5% is normal or high but I felt pretty happy after the second glass.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Goes well with Indian spiced lamb cutlets as recommended, No shortage of alcohol in this baby, Interesting and fun wine label

CONS: Didn't enjoy as much just on its own and preferred with food

MUST TRY: Checking on the results of the chatroom

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Engine Room Shiraz 2010 McLaren Vale Shottesbrooke

14.5% alcohol really hit home for effect

Tandoori lamb cutlets with spiced baked potatoes and green beans, Chef Leong

est: SIFF 2010 Let's Do Lunch, Sydney (5 Oct 2010)

Establishment Hotel

Level 1, 252 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000

http://www.merivale.com/#/establishment/est

Perfectly cooked fish

The grand high ceiling of the est. restaurant is always a great setting for a special lunch and SIFF 2010 makes the 3 Hatted Restaurant a lot more affordable too. Complimentary bread is good and the $35 lunch deal is a perfectly cooked Pan roasted aoraki salmon with crispy skin and moist and tender meat as hoped which is matched well with a drinkable Brown Brothers Chardonnay 2008. It comes with shaved fennel, asparagus, witlof, preserved lemon and dill oil which all balances well on the palate. The Brown Brothers Shiraz 2009 was also well liked. A glass of wine and coffee is included in the meal price — my cappuccino is good without being too bitter in taste. A bowl of Mash ($10) helps fill the stomach with it's creamy goodness. Petit fours ($4) can be ordered with your coffee which comes with a selection of 6 little sugary morsels. The est labeled chocolate is probably my favourite. It's great to finally see the toilets now use soap dispensers rather than a cake of soap which I noticed in my previous visits.

Other visits to est.:

• 17 Oct 2011 - Let's Do Lunch: Barramundi with asparagus, Sashimi of ocean trout, Salad of spanner crab, Italian buffalo mozzarella

• 5 Oct 2010 - Let's Do Lunch: Pan Roasted Salmon

• 12 Mar 2010 - March Into Merivale: Oysters, Scallops, Veal Parmgiana, Corn Fed Chicken, Mesclun Salad

• 30 June 2009 - Winter Feast: Scallop linguine, Barramundi, Lamb rump, Chips, Cheesecake, Slow poached quince

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Nice decor, Professional and welcoming service, Perfectly cooked fish, Nice balance of flavours, Reasonably priced petit fours

CONS: Might need to order some side dishes to help make the meal more substantial, No entree or dessert specials

MUST TRY: Pan Roasted Salmon, Petit fours as a cheap dessert alternative with your coffee

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Complimentary bread

Pan roasted aoraki salmon, shaved fennel, asparagus, witlof, preserved lemon, dill oil ($35) with wine and coffee

Brown Brothers Chardonnay 2008

Brown Brothers Shiraz 2009

Mash ($10)

Cappuccino

Petit fours ($4)

Bill $158 for 4 people

Table setting

SIFF Let's Do Lunch menu

Sides menu

Seating

Merivale specials promotion — candied scorpion anyone?

Finally have soap dispenser instead of cake of soap

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Taste Test: GraysOnline Wine Samples (3 Oct 2010)

http://www.graysonline.com/wine

Affordable & Quaffable Wines

Thanks to Karl from First Rate for contacting me about taste testing some wine samples from GraysOnline. I received 2 bottles each of a Riesling, Shiraz and Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc. I shared the Clare Valley Estate Riesling 2009 and Jorgensen Hill McLaren Vale Shiraz 2008 with a dinner table of 7 people and the Pirramimma Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc 2010 at two dinners of 8 people and 7 people. Everyone agreed the wines were very drinkable. The light tasting Riesling wasn't too overly sweet. The uncomplicated Shiraz had a light bouquet and taste without too much tannin — more like a merlot than a shiraz was commented. I tend to prefer more depth in flavour and bouquet but it would be do quite nicely as an everyday/BBQ/casual dinner style wine. The Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc was slightly sweeter than your usual sauvignon blanc and probably good for those you don't like their dessert wines too sweet — I tend to prefer the more sticky sweeter versions like a Brown Brothers Orange Muscat & Flora or Nobel One Botrytis Semillon.

I tried to checked the retail prices of the wines and it seems they might be only sold through GraysOnline through a bidding system. I couldn't work out an estimated price for the Clare Valley Estate Riesling 2009 but the Jorgensen Hill McLaren Vale Shiraz 2008 had bidding prices around $39 for 12 bottles which is only $3.25 per bottle and the Pirramimma Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc 2010 was getting auction bids of $29 for 6 bottles which is around $4.83 per bottle. For such a drinkable selection of wines that's incredible value and I think would suit anyone buying in bulk for a party, cafe or even restaurant — perhaps even to stock up at home for your ready home cellar.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Selection provided was very drinkable, Very reasonable prices to be found online

CONS: Need to bid or order online and wait for delivery, Limited to what's available online, Minimum order of a case

MUST TRY: Checking out the specials available for bulk orders

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Clare Valley Estate Defender of the Faith Riesling 2009

Jorgensen Hill McLaren Vale Shiraz 2008

Jorgensen Hill McLaren Vale Shiraz 2008

Auction bid: $39 for 12 bottles = $3.25 per bottle

Pirramimma Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Pirramimma Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Auction bid: $29 for 6 bottles = $4.83 per bottle