Overview
Can we just take a moment to say we are loving the new wave of venues that only do one thing and do it super well? It's a delightful trend because, as it turns out, in this crazy modern world we all want less choices — not more. And if your first choice is a fat, juicy steak sandwich, Empire Steak should be your new go-to.
After a short teasing period, the sandwich venue opened on Little Collins Street last week — and it's definitely been worth the wait. As you would expect from a joint that basically just does meat in bread, their menu is simple and features several variations on the steak sarnie. There are vego options too though — just as an FYI for the herbivores out there who want to hang out in a steak restaurant.
Our pick is the Lazy Susan, a char siu-glazed steak between perfect steak-sized bread (white or mulitgrain) with slaw, sesame dressing, coriander and pickled cucumber that looks indecently juicy. We're also intrigued by the Fritz, a sandwich that features steak, shoestring fries, butter lettuce and house sauce. And just to clarify, yes, that's fries in the sandwich. What a world we live in.
They've decked their CBD shop out in cheerful, retro signage emblazoned with a slogan we can really get on board with: "embrace the drip factor". Thanks for the tip.
Empire Steak is open from 10.30am till 9pm Monday to Saturday at 61 Little Collins Street, Melbourne. FOr more info, visit empiresteak.com.au.