Steer Bar and Grill

My family follows a doctrine of Taoist-Buddhism that forbids beef consumption. My grandma, who I stay with, would explain to me why she choose not to have beef, though she was never one to impose her religious views on others. I was free to decide for myself whether to adopt the practice. Since it was my grandmother who usually cooks, however, beef wasn't part of my diet growing up. (See? It's not my fault for not being able to differentiate a cow from a goat...) Now, of course, I make up for all the lost time and eat all the steaks that come my way. 

A month ago, my family made a visit to Steer, a steak outlet. It's a restaurant that offers fine-dining experience, and I was sure to be on my best behaviour. 

Moooo

We went on a Friday, and they had a two course option for $39.50, which includes a steak, a side dish, a choice of an appetiser or a dessert, and a glass of wine or beer. Since I was being all fancy and everything, I opt for the house wine. (I'll save the wine critique for someone better-equipped for the task than me.) A basket of bread came alongside. 

Wine and bread? This post is already so religious

I wasn't sure what the appetiser Steak tartare is, but it sounded delicious, so we ordered one. 

I wasn't expecting it to be finely chopped raw beef though, with a raw egg yolk balanced precariously on top. Still, I finished the dish (I wasn't kidding about the whole 'making up for lost time').

We also had two other appetisers, which we loved.

The prawn ball appetiser was fried to a deep crisp and was immensely enjoyable. 

The third appetiser was pretty good as well, but I've forgotten the name of the dish (Pork Terrine?).

For the mains, we ordered a lamb steak, as well as several beef steaks such as the Darling Downs Grain fed Wagyu Flank 9+, and the John Dee Grain fed Scotch Fillet 4+.

The lamb was perfectly done, soft and well-marinated. It looked underdone, but one taste told us it was cooked just-right.

Lamb

The other beef dishes were well-cooked as well, though we definitely enjoyed the lamb more. 

The steak frites that came alongside the mains were good, and the mashed potato was especially delicious. We were almost sorry to destroy the well of olive oil in the middle.

We also ordered a side of Onion Rings, which came nicely arranged from small to large. It was hot and crispy and was one of the most delicious onion rings I had.

We also had the cheese platter. Call me crazy, but I assumed a cheese platter would come  with a selection of cheeses, rather than just one thin wedge of cheese. The cheese was served flopped face-down, which makes for a pretty poor first impression, and makes not cutting the nose of the cheese impossible. The cheese itself was too young; it was mild, tasteless and more rubbery than would be enjoyable. In hindsight, we would have chosen another dessert - any other dessert - instead. Their raspberry chocolate mousse looks particularly good, and I was sorry we couldn't try that. 

The Verdict:
The presentation of every dish is impressive. Personally, I enjoy their lamb more than their beef dishes. Their onion rings are fabulous and we also enjoyed their mashed potato. Avoid their cheese platter though.