Black Hide Steakhouse by Gambaro

Overview

Nothing like an award to stir up fresh interest in an established restaurant; a title like ‘Restaurant of the Year’ certainly does have some pulling power. Black Hide Steakhouse by Gambaro, having been awarded that very title (along with Best Steak Restaurant) at the 2014 Queensland Restaurant & Caterers Awards for Excellence on Monday, September 8, was full to the brim at our midweek dinner time visit a couple of days later.

The title is yet another feather in Black Hide’s cap, following their receipt of a Good Food Guide Chef's Hat earlier this year. Regardless, Brisbane carnivores don’t need much convincing to visit this already highly regarded steakhouse.

The menu, devised by head chef Lukas McEwan (formerly of Sydney’s Rockpool), features Angus, Wagyu and organic cuts of meat (sourced from Stanbroke Beef), which are cooked on the restaurant’s Montague Broiler Grill. It seems to do a good job.

We recommend the Wagyu rib eye (note: the price is a bit hefty at $57.50). Though all steaks come with Wagyu fat roasted royal blue potatoes, rosemary and garlic (and your choice of sauce), consider it a garnish. The hand-cut fat chips with aioli ($9.50) are quite special, and if you’re in the market for a decadent extra, the bone marrow with parsley, caper and eschallot salad ($12.90) is hard to overlook. Accompanied by grilled bread, the richness of the marrow is nicely offset by the zesty saltiness of the salad.

If you are the type of person for whom too much beef is never enough, precede your main with the steak tartare served with cornichons, chilli, eschallot and crostini ($19.50). Though if you’re after a bit of variety, the share plates deliver. The delicately flavoured beetroot and horseradish cured salmon with celeriac remoulade ($22.50) whets the appetite.

Service is attentive and the interior is warm (literally. Possibly even a little hot). Though dimly lit almost to a fault, the atmosphere is very agreeable. This is just as well, as it may take you a little while to polish off your steak. Especially if you’ve selected the 1200g Tomahawk.