A Hereford Beefstouw

A Hereford Beefstouw
22 Duckboard Place
City Centre
Melbourne
Victoria 3000
Australia

https://beefstouw.com/restaurants/melbourne-australien

Beef T-Bone Steak, 300 Days Grain-Fed (AUD $62 / SGD $57.80)

Danish Style, Aged Australian Steaks

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 7
Ambience & Setting: 7
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 9
Value for Money: 6
Spent about AUD $55 / SGD $51 per person.


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Founded in 1971 in Herning, Central Jutland, Denmark, on the family farm of Lars Damgaard, A Hereford Beefstouw has since grown internationally, with 14 restaurants worldwide as of October 2019. A Hereford Beefstouw opened in Melbourne in October 2016, and their Nordic style aged steaks are a great fit for the fresh, high quality beef from Australia. Offering a variety of cuts and flavour profiles, A Hereford Beefstouw has since become a regular fixture for good steaks in the city.

Ambience at A Hereford Beefstouw retains a modern, sophisticated Nordic charm. Built in Denmark, shipped to Australia in flat packs, then reassembled in Melbourne, the place is lined with rough brick walls and smooth wooden floors. Choose from 2 warmly lit seating areas, a cozy 40-seater bar for drinks and light bites, where rows of wine bottles are stacked on the wall, or a proper sit-down in the spacious 110-seater dining hall, neatly arrayed with comfortable booths and modern wooden furnishings.

Service at A Hereford Beefstouw lives up to high-end restaurant standards. Staff are quick to greet and seat guests, and they display great product knowledge. Beyond offering recommendations, they were able to describe the aging process of the beef, proactively checked if we were familiar with cuts ordered, and forewarned us about the more extreme taste profiles. Staff carved an order tableside, then expertly plated and served it. I note that cleaning up is done leisurely, as they seem to only have a single seating.

Food at A Hereford Beefstouw is all about dry-aged, grass-fed, Australian beef steaks, presented American style. Chef Daniel Groom and team grill these to consistently good standards, though we felt some could have been grilled either slightly longer, or shorter. But there's little to complain, most of the dishes are delicious and well executed. Portions are large for individuals, so we chose to share. Prices are mid-range, comparable to other restaurants, budget about AUD $55 / SGD $51 per person. Not the best steakhouse around, but decent enough.


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A Hereford Beefstouw Signage

A Hereford Beefstouw Exterior

A Hereford Beefstouw Interior

Bar Counter

Seating Bar

Seating Restaurant

Seats

Seats

Seats

Wine Display

Wine Display

Serving Board

The House Wine Carafe (AUD $30 / SGD $28 per 500ml) is a special treat of a red wine. Sourced from Main & Cherry, a family-owned, small batch winery in Cherry Gardens, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, this is a unique once-off blend of Pinot Noir red grapes from the Onkaparinga and Piccadilly Valleys. Poured via their unique decanter system, this has a deep ruby violet colour, with aromas and tastes of plum, blackcurrant, strawberry, and turkish delight. The body is crunchy, velvety, and rich, with bright fruity sweet earthy flavours, and a short dry finish.

House Wine Carafe (AUD $30 / SGD $28 per 500ml)

House Wine Carafe

The Squid 2-Ways (AUD $20 / SGD $18.70) could easily double as both an appetizer and salad. It features fresh bouncy calamari squid rings, some chargrilled with smoky savoury salty flavour, others semolina dusted with light sweet grainy savoury flavour. Plated with juicy pickled cucumbers that burst with a sharp sour vegetal sweet flavour, crisp red onions, juicy cherry tomatoes, and a medley of chard, spinach, parsley, and sesame seeds. Good!

Squid 2-Ways (AUD $20 / SGD $18.70)

Squid 2-Ways

We loved the Beer-Battered Chips (AUD $5 / SGD $4.70), with its thick cut strips of potato. Slight crisp salty bite on the outside, fluffy sweet savoury on the inside. Fairly addictive, I just kept reaching for more.

Beer-Battered Chips (AUD $5 / SGD $4.70)

The Salad Rocket, Poached Pear, Blue Cheese (AUD $10 / SGD $9.40) is mind-blowing confusing, as in, 'What were they thinking!'. The crisp crunchy rocket leaves / arugula have vegetal bitter herbal flavour, the juicy tender red wine poached pears are fruity sweet with a touch of earthy notes, while the soft crumbly blue cheese has intense pungent cheesy earthy flavour. The trio of ingredients all have strong distinct flavours, none of them complementing the others. Good idea, but it doesn't work.

Salad Rocket, Poached Pear, Blue Cheese (AUD $10 / SGD $9.40)

The Beef Hanger Steak, 150 Days Grain-Fed (AUD $35 / SGD $32.70), also known as a 'Butcher's Steak', is prized for its light tender chew and rich meaty savoury flavour. This 300g serving of Riverina beef wasn't as tender as we'd like, instead having a good chew, but the specially curated 150-day diet of cereals and grains results in rich flavour. Note this cut is generally lean, with a marbling score of 2+. I find that sprinking some lemon juice and salt helps make it more tasty and pleasing. Worth ordering!

Beef Hanger Steak, 150 Days Grain-Fed (AUD $35 / SGD $32.70)

Beef Hanger Steak, 150 Days Grain-Fed

Beef Hanger Steak, 150 Days Grain-Fed

The Beef Ribeye Steak, On The Bone, Côte De Boeuf, 40 Days Dry-Aged (AUD $58 / SGD $54) is a large, bone-in beef ribeye steak meant for at least 2 people. Carved by staff tableside as part of performance dining, this 500g serving of Hereford beef is dry-aged for 40 days, resulting in a beautiful soft tender chew, with bold meaty savoury flavour and a hint of caramel popcorn notes. Grilled to a perfect medium rare doneness, it's paired with rich garlic butter, delicate rosemary infused lemon juice, and creamy béarnaise sauce. Highly recommended!

Beef Ribeye Steak, On The Bone, Côte De Boeuf, 40 Days Dry-Aged (AUD $58 / SGD $54)

Beef Ribeye Steak, On The Bone, Côte De Boeuf, 40 Days Dry-Aged

Beef Ribeye Steak, On The Bone, Côte De Boeuf, 40 Days Dry-Aged

Staff forewarned us when we ordered the Beef T-Bone Steak, 300 Days Grain-Fed (AUD $62 / SGD $57.80), saying that its extreme 300-day grain-fed diet will result in an intense meaty flavour. This 600g serving of Hereford beef is meant to be shared, and has an incredible tender texture that almost melts away in the mouth. Big, meaty savoury flavours here, with a hint of buttery fatty notes. Among the most succulent cuts I've had, incredibly delicious. Highly recommended!

Beef T-Bone Steak, 300 Days Grain-Fed (AUD $62 / SGD $57.80)

Beef T-Bone Steak, 300 Days Grain-Fed

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