Steel Bar & Grill, Sydney

It quickly becomes obvious why Damien Head's latest retaurant is called Steel. It's everywhere.

The open kitchen dominates the room, the chefs penned in by a floor-to-ceiling steel framework. There's a futuristic feel to the decor, with a molten mercury-look light fitting hanging over several tables. An illuminated all-glass elevator behind our table slowly and ominously descends back and forth from the basement throughout the evening.

Tonight I'm with seven other food bloggers, Howard, Leona, Lili, Simon, Steph, Suze and Trish, dining as guests of David and David from Nuffnang. As we're a group of ten, we're restricted to the set menus, and opt for the $65 option.


Levain bread with extra virgin olive oil

The $65 set menu includes a selection of tapas-style starters that arrive with rapidity at our table. Thick slices of levain bread, a French-style sourdough, are served warm with a saucer of extra virgin olive oil. The bread has a lovely chewy and crunchy crust, the interior soft and fluffy.


Olives marinated with rosemary, thyme and garlic

The olives have plenty of flavour from the rosemary, thyme and garlic.


Wood fire grilled chorizo with tomato and chilli jam

Wood fire grilled chorizo doesn't have the chilli hit or smoked paprika flavour I prefer, and I find the tomato and chilli jam a bit of overkill for a sausage that is usually flavoursome enough to stand on its own.


Cured salmon with orange, watercress and red onion

Thin shavings of cured salmon are pleasantly sweet and soft on the tongue.


Japanese seared beef salad with cucumber, sesame and daikon

Japanese seared beef salad is fresh and lively, although its presentation on the plate is probably a little more carefree than most Japanese plating styles. The dressing is probably a touch too sweet but the sesame seeds add a welcome crunch and the beef is tender.


Freshly shucked Sydney rock oysters

I'm a huge fan of the Sydney rock oysters which have the briney satisfaction that only freshly shucked oysters can deliver. I eat mine au naturelle, for why drown out their amazing flavours of the sea?


Wood fire grilled salmon with celeriac salad and basil infused oil

Main courses involve selecting your own from a total of four options. The smoky flavours of the wood fire grilled salmon give the dish some complexity although we find the flesh a touch dry. It's helped by the celeriac salad, a fine julienne of celeriac smothered in a creamy dressing, and a fluorescent green drizzle of basil oil.


Spiced chicken breast with roasted carrot puree, bok choy and ginger

Spiced chicken breast wins over fans with its crispy skin. "It tastes like crackling!" says Leona.


Baked potato gnocchi with rich tomato sauce and ligurian olives

Potato gnocchi is has been pan-fried so the edges are a little crisp. They're a celebration of starch, drenched in a heavy pool of tomato sauce, olives and a scattering of parsley.


150 day grain fed sirloin with hand cut chips, bearnaise and watercress

Half of the table has gone for the steak, a 150 day grain-fed sirloin with hand cut chips. I find my steak has been cooked more medium, than medium-rare, and the meat is a little chewier for it. Bearnaise sauce is silky and buttery, and I find myself relishing it on my steak.


Hand cut chips

The entire table had cooed over the cute appearance of the hand cut chips. They're more like a crispy baked potato than a hot chip, the interior still quite dense.


Mashed potato and salad of spring leaves

Mashed potato and a salad make up our sides.


Pavlova with double cream, passionfruit and caramelised bananas

I'd been looking forward to my pavlova but find my meringue tastes a little powdery and dry. Suze, who finishes off the rest of mine, notices that it tastes different to hers, so perhaps I received the unlucky one. The caramelised banana has a satisfying shell of toffee.


Caramel and pear creme brulee with date and walnut cigars

I'd thought I was over brulees, but upon tasting the caramel and pear creme brulees, I regret not ordering it after all. The custard is smooth and silky, with little chunks of poached pear at the bottom of the ramekin. The rink of toffee on top is sweet and crisp, and two date and walnut cigars almost qualify as a second dessert, the filo pastry rolls very similar in taste to a baklava, but with dates.


Chocolate marquise with grand marnier cream and pistachio praline

Chocolate marquise is a rich as it sounds, a dense square of moist fudgy chocolate that needs its accompanying double cream.



On our way to the bathrooms, we marvel at the backlit pantry with its plastic containers of fruit and vegetables so beautiful they look like an art installation in itself. And no, I don't normally bring my camera to the bathroom (well, ok, sometimes I do) but I have to go back and get mine because look at the women's bathrooms....!


Women's bathroom

Admittedly this is an optical illusion as I took this photo looking into the mirror. There are only three wash basins in the women's bathroom but oh what a sight. It's like walking into a sci-fi movie, the tiny tiles covering every wall and extending up over your head across the ceiling, making you feel caged in. The glowing eggs underneath the basins add a futuristic eeriness and set into the mirrors are, yes, mini tv screens. It was showing Sex and The City: The Movie, when we walked in and we immediately lamented the lack of chairs so we could settle in and watch. It's quite an odd thing to do given that women are known for already taking too long in the bathroom, and apparently the men don't get one in theirs.

Crazy coincedence #386: When I walked into the bathroom the second time (with my camera), I got ready to take my shot and heard the sound of a shutter and camera flash going off. I was a little startled until I realised I'd walked in just as Carrie Bradshaw was about to start her Vogue photo shoot in the film. There I was taking photos in the bathroom to the in-toilet soundtrack of Ciara's "Click Flash"! Too funny.


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Steel Bar & Grill
60 Carrington Street, Sydney
(corner of Wynyard Street)
Tel: +61 (02) 9299 9997

Opening hours:
Lunch
Monday to Friday 12pm - 3pm

Dinner
Monday to Saturday from 6pm