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Dining / Burger that’s one of the best

That burger… dry aged beef, smoked cheese, tomato relish, pickle, mustard and chips. Photo by Holly Treadaway
That burger… dry aged beef, smoked cheese, tomato relish, pickle, mustard and chips. Photo by Holly Treadaway
WE’RE big on beef in the capital these days. Big slabs of beef. Expensive slabs of beef with some restaurants charging what some see as tsunami prices at more than $140.

Wendy Johnson.
Wendy Johnson.
It’s a trend, including at Marble and Grain, on Mort Street in Braddon.

But if you think you’re going to read about how I overdosed on protein, at this relatively new – and massive – steakhouse, think again. When we rocked up, we had just missed lunch. Darn. But the lovely staff told us not to fear, directing us to the all-day bar menu.

Marble and Grain is divided into three areas. The restaurant side seats 70 plus. The bar side not quite so many. And the outdoor area fewer still (it’s still a hefty size though).

It was raining, so outdoors was a no-go, but staff obliged and threw open the large windows in the bar so we could enjoy fresh air.

The bar menu features snacks ($4 to $10) and mains ($14 to $24). Snacks include your basics – oysters, hummus, a deli board and chips (triple cooked). If you want some pork-on-your-fork, order the scratchings (crackling) with Szechuan pepper and parmesan smoked salt.

While the mains aren’t inspiring – salt and pepper cuttlefish, zucchini lasagne, chorizo roll and flank steak with chips – perhaps the execution is… we ordered the burger and fried chicken and got on with lunch.

The burger was one of the best we’ve had in yonks – by far ($18). Dry aged beef, smoked cheese, tomato relish, pickle, mustard and chips. There’s nothing like a burger made with quality, lean meat, cooked just over rare. And that’s what Marble and Grain dished up. No after-taste from an overload of fat. Just great meat served with simple, tasty ingredients.

The fried chicken ($18) rated at the opposite end of the “happy spectrum”. The coleslaw was boring (there’s no other word to describe it) and the chicken coating failed in the taste department. It was served in a bowl, which was odd, with the smoked barbecue sauce hidden underneath the chicken, making it challenging to access.

Our next visit to Marble and Grain will be to chow down at dinner, which delivers classic European steakhouse options with modern twists (such as parsnip brulée). We’ve “been there, done that” with the bar menu.

Marble and Grain’s décor, by award-winning Australian architecture firm Paul Kelly Designs, features leather, dark-wood panelling and heaps of polished brass.

BTW: There’s a two per cent surcharge for using your credit card, although this isn’t printed on the bar menu or posted anywhere so far as we could see – it’s something you’re told when you’re standing at the bar ready to pay.

Marble and Grain, 25 Mort Street, Braddon, Call 6246 9555.

 

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Wendy Johnson

Wendy Johnson

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