Treat yourself to a steak that will live up to your expectations …
It’s hard to beat a good steak and in Ireland, it shouldn’t be much of an ask considering our rich heritage of cattle farming. Sadly, there are many pretenders out there offering up shoddily cooked steaks with gloopy sides and frozen chips. On the plus side, there are also a lot of quality restaurants who take immense pride in their steak dishes and only allow the very best cuts of meat to grace their menu. Add to that, the drool-worthy steak appropriate sides and excellent wine menus and a classic steak dinner can make for a very memorable occasion. Here’s where to go for a great steak in Dublin …
FXB, various locations, Dublin
A top quality steakhouse from one of Ireland’s most respected butchers feels like a natural progression and FXB have happily proven that to be the case. With outlets in the city centre, Parkgate Street and Monkstown, FXB Steakhouses offer consistently excellent steakhouse experiences with top quality drinks to match. Grass-fed heritage steaks are cooked in charcoal ovens at 350 degrees and as expected, there are plenty of top quality cuts to choose from including rib eye, porterhouse, T bone and chateaubriand and a range of classic steakhouse sides are available too. A steak dinner in FXB might be on the pricier end of the scale, but the old adage ‘you get what you pay for’ feels appropriate on this occasion. Should you want to recreate the experience at home, the FXB Cookbook is a great place to start. www.thebuckleycollection.ie
The Wild Goose Grill, Ranelagh, Dublin 6
The all day Sunday lunch at Ranelagh’s Wild Goose Grill is celebrated in many circles (the Sunday roast being one of the best on offer in Dublin) but the Cote de Boeuf for two is also a legendary dish. Dry aged beef from McLoughlin’s butchers is carved tableside and served with a selection of potatoes and vegetables, pepper and wild mushroom sauce plus Café de Paris butter and at €80, it’s reasonably priced. My advice? Request the crunchy goose potatoes on the side for the full experience. www.thewildgoosegrill.ie
Bovinity, Capel Street, Dublin 1
Edgy with a side of industrial chic appears to be the vibe at Dublin’s newest steakhouse and reports so far have been mostly promising. The menu is concise with a choice of three starters, three steaks, a highly rated burger and one meat-free option. There is also a selection of steak appropriate sides including mash, triple cooked fries, mac n cheese and onion strings. €23 for a ribeye feels like good value for a city centre steakhouse, especially as the beef reputedly comes from the aforementioned FX Buckley. Drinks wise, the bell pepper sour sounds like an excellent choice. www.bovinity.ie
Shanahans on the Green, Dublin 2
Perhaps the most famous steakhouse in Ireland, Shanahans on the Green is one of the last remaining remnants on the Celtic Tiger excesses. Today, Shanahan’s is still considered to be one of the best steakhouses in Dublin (although preferably on someone else’s dime) and is beloved by the corporate posse with a company funded flexible friend. None of this takes away from the fact that Shanahans’s serve up some of the best steaks in Ireland and meat specialist Anthony Dunne has even developed a beef program to ensure that every single certified Irish Angus steak at Shanahan’s is of the highest quality. The side dishes are also on a par with the whipped potatoes, creamed spinach and crunchy onion strings being stars in their own right. www.shanahans.ie
Mister S, Camden St, Dublin 2
Mister S is famous for many things. The burnt end rending spring rolls come to mind, as does the grilled pork chop with sticky glaze but for steak lovers, it will always be the cote de boeuf with smoked béarnaise. Purveyors of quite possibly the best value steak in Dublin, just this week it was announced that the Friday lunch menu at Mister S would include a limited amount of West Cork Waygu steak frites for a purse friendly €19, and the cote de boeuf (cooked over fire, as are all most things at Mister S), serves two people and costs just €58 – I have seen similar priced at €90. Sides are extra, but €30 buys a lot of sides. You will want to order a double portion of fried potatoes with onion salt and aioli and at €4.50 per portion, it feels like the obvious thing to do. www.misters.ie
Other noteworthy places to get a good steak include Featherblade on Dawson Street (www.featherblade.ie) which offers superb value steaks and the most delicious truffle mac and cheese; Deanes Meat Locker in Belfast (www.michaeldeane.co.uk) for a mammoth 18oz T bone from meat mogul Peter Hannan; and Elbow Lane Brew and Smokehouse in Cork (www.elbowlane.ie/) for wood grilled steaks with smoked cascade hops butter.
