Pleased to meat you: Sydney’s best steak

BLACK Bar & Grill at The Star is undeniably a cult favourite for Sydney steak lovers, and it’s not hard to understand why.

Executive chef Dany Karam treats meat with practically reverential care, and his method involves lightly smoking the meat over cherry wood ash before cooking it on the wood-fire grill powered by Australian iron bark. The result? Steak which is full flavoured, meltingly tender and incredibly more-ish.

The menu features a selection of David Blackmore’s rightly famed fullblood Wagyu with an MBS9+ score. You can choose from the more modest skirt right up to the king of steak, the David Blackmore 42 day dry aged, ration fed fullblood Wagyu rib eye, which weighs in at a kilo and has a hefty (but totally worth it) price tag.

If the rib eye is pushing the boat out too far, there’s also grass-fed Angus from Gippsland, and grain fed Angus and Wagyu from Rangers Valley. If you’re not meat inclined, the king prawns and barramundi from the charcoal oven will not disappoint.

Dish Cult’s top pick: David Blackmore 42 day dry aged ration fed fullblood Wagyu rib eye MBS9+, 1kg ($650)

The Gidley is, in its own words, “where fine dining meets semi-respectable displays of gluttony”. The jazzed-up lounge-style dining room is for over 18s only and is all about getting into some serious steaks while downing big reds.

The classic American steakhouse is from the same team who brought us Bistecca (also on this list) and has one prime meat option on the menu: the Riverine Black Angus rib eye.

You can get this magnificent meat three ways, as an English-cut prime rib roast, on the bone and char-grilled over ironbark and charcoal, or as a portion of spinalis (heralded as one of the most succulent cuts out there).

There’s also super fancy caviar options, leek mignonette oysters and prawn cocktail.  It’s definitely for when you’re in the mood for an old-school but opulent night out.

Dish Cult’s top pick: Boneless rib eye chop, 500g ($95)

This Parisian-inspired bistro in Potts Point is a gem of the city, a firm favourite for satisfying those steak cravings any time they hit.

Bistro Rex’s menu covers a variety of dishes from mixed charcuterie to spatchcock fricassee, but what you’re really here for is the house fat aged cote de boeuf, a sinfully delicious bone-in rib eye steak, that’s hard to pass up. Other steak options include the classic steak frites.

Mind you if you’re only so-so on steak, a shoulder from the Melanda Park suckling pig, only available from Fridays, would be a fitting substitute.

Dish Cult’s top pick: House fat aged cote de boeuf ($21 for 100g)

When the steak is the only main available on the menu, it had better be mind-blowing and at Bistecca it really is. The restaurant pays homage to bistecca alla Fiorentina, better known as the T-bone steak, which has its origins in Tuscany where this cut of meat is traditionally cooked over coals and served rare.

At Bistecca it hails from the Riverine and after selecting how many grams you’d like, the steak is then chargrilled over ironbark and charcoal and served medium-rare. Once cooked, it is served immediately with whatever sides take your fancy, from bone marrow and parmesan crust to pecorino and truffle honey.

Dish Cult’s top pick: Bistecca alla Fiorentina (of course!, $16 per 100g)

The gorgeously outfitted contemporary dining room at 6HEAD sets the tone for a menu that focuses on six cuts of steak: Rump, rib eye, T-bone, eye fillet, scotch fillet and sirloin.

Meat is locally sourced from respected names in the industry, and you can taste the quality and unadulterated passion that goes into every cut. The steak here features perfectly aged beef cooked to your liking and served with a choice of chips or salad. The likes of grain-fed wagyu and shorthorn are available, alongside dry-aged T-bone. Round off your waterfront dining experience with Murray cod, half a Sydney rock lobster and buttermilk pannacotta for dessert.

Dish Cult’s top pick:  Tender Valley fillet, 200g ($67)