New Brisbane

Brisbane Nightlife Guide

Bovine Restaurant - Normanby Hotel - Red Hill

Filed under: Restaurants & Cafes, Reviews — June 5, 2010 @ 8:44 pm

Brisbane is a town that loves its steak. Cha Cha Char, The Norman Hotel and what was formerly Fiasco’s at The Morrison all serve up fantastic steaks - and I should know, I’ve tried them all! So when I kept hearing on the radio about a new steak restaurant opening up at the Normanby Hotel in Red Hill, I felt compelled to check it out. And with a name like Bovine, I knew I was going to get a top steak, particularly since they’re one of the only places in town serving Wagyu sirloin!

Bovine Restaurant
The Normanby Hotel
1 Musgrave Road
Red Hill QLD 4059
P: (07) 3831 3353
E: info@thenormanby.com.au
W: www.thenormanby.com.au

Showing up at the Normanby around 11:30 with a friend of mine, we were a bit disappointed to find out that the restaurant didn’t open for lunch until 12, so we grabbed a drink and had a catch up while we waited. As the clock struck noon, the doors to the restaurant opened and I was impressed to see what they’d done with the former gaming lounge at the Normanby Hotel. Completely renovated, I was now entering an open, well-lit dining room with a very modern feel. The tables were all exquisitely set awaiting the lunch service, the wood-panelled walls added warmth and the subtle cowprint were clever and tastefully done. The whole thing was a bit out of place in the suburbs, especially at The Normanby which is known best for its drunken Sunday crowds, but inner-city suburbs are great for steakhouses if the success of The Norman/Morrison are anything to go by.

Taking our seats, we got our first look at the menu. Entrees seem to consist solely of share platters, salad and seafood, so we avoided these and decided to just grab a serve of bread before our main meal. Served with olive oil, dukkah and salt flakes, the bread was a good way to kick-start our appetites for the steak feast ahead.

Now, the second thing that struck me about the menu at Bovine is that there’s really nothing ‘light’ on there. If you’re coming to Bovine, you’re coming to eat a big meal. To be fair, they have the Garden Grill restaurant in the beergarden just outside, which has an extensive range of lighter options, but I still would have expected something smaller in Bovine itself, in case somebody at your table isn’t up for a big meal. For example, if you’re out for dinner with the wife and she’s not a big eater, there’s probably not much on the menu for her. Bovine is clearly, and without question, a steakhouse.

And indeed, there was an excellent selection of top quality Australian steaks on offer, sourced from ranches in QLD, NSW and SA. But really, as impressive and delicious as their range of beef sounded, I was interested in only one steak - the Wagyu sirloin. You see, Wagyu beef is delicious, and after Aria Restaurant stopped serving their $110 sirloin (which I never got a chance to sample), the only wagyu I could find in Brisbane restaurants was rump. And while rump is a lesser cut, it’s still delicious when it comes from Wagyu cattle, and so I wanted to see what a Wagyu sirloin tasted like. My friend thought the same and so, boringly, we both had the same.

As it arrived, we were impressed with the presentation of the meal and felt compelled to take a photo. A perfectly criss-crossed steak, lemon cheek, potato salad and a cosy little spot for my sauce pourer. But the coolest thing on there was the full bulb of roasted garlic - this is something I’ve always wanted to try at home, but to get a full bulb like that in a restaurant kinda blew my mind. It’s a unique touch, for sure.

Wagyu Sirloin - Bovine Restaurant @ The Normanby Hotel

Wagyu Sirloin - Bovine Restaurant @ The Normanby Hotel

So, as delicious as it looked, the real test was in how it tasted - and I have to say, these were some pretty delicious steaks. They were a little undercooked (my medium-rare was too rare, my friend’s medium-well was too medium), which was a bit disappointing with such a fine piece of meat, but they were satisfying nonetheless. The sauces weren’t that great (my wild mushroom sauce had a total of 2 mushrooms in it, my friends diane sauce was gluggy and thick), but the steak spoke for itself and I was quite happy to use the roast garlic to really bring out its natural flavours. The potato salad was also quite tasty, but I couldn’t work out what the lemon cheek was doing on my plate. I much would have preferred a small piece of garlic bread à la The Morrison Steakhouse.

All up, Bovine is a very good steakhouse and I’d probably go there again if I found an occasion - perhaps if my father flies into town and we feel like a larger, more upmarket feed, where I could sample more of the menu items. The food is good, the service is top notch and the atmosphere was very nice also. But, when I compare it to some of the other steakhouses I’ve been to in Brisbane, it’s probably not my favourite.

- Ross

Mellino’s Cafe Bar & Restaurant - Fortitude Valley

Filed under: Restaurants & Cafes, Reviews — May 9, 2010 @ 2:10 pm

Naughty By Nature @ Mystique, Fortitude Valley

Filed under: Clubs & Bars, Events, Reviews, Uncategorized, Upcoming Events — March 18, 2010 @ 7:53 pm

Naughty By Nature @ Mystique - Wed Feb 24, 2010

Filed under: Upcoming Events — February 22, 2010 @ 4:45 pm

Adventure Island Whitsundays

Filed under: Lifestyle, Reviews, Travel — February 22, 2010 @ 3:32 pm

Vapiano - Albert Lane, Brisbane CBD

Filed under: Opinion, Restaurants & Cafes, Reviews — January 20, 2010 @ 10:56 pm

Montezuma’s – Mount Gravatt

Filed under: Opinion, Restaurants & Cafes, Reviews — January 5, 2010 @ 10:00 am

Beach House Bar & Grill – CBD, Myer Centre

Filed under: Clubs & Bars, Opinion, Restaurants & Cafes, Reviews — December 3, 2009 @ 11:44 am

Love and Rockets: Level 2 Launch Party - Fortitude Valley

Filed under: Clubs & Bars, Events, Launches, Reviews — December 1, 2009 @ 12:06 pm

Boardwalk Bar + Bistro - Eagle St Pier, Brisbane CBD

Filed under: Restaurants & Cafes, Reviews — November 27, 2009 @ 10:05 am
 
  • valium 2mg
  • dog skin remedies
  • alcoholism medical treatment
  • body building training
  • cheap medicine
  • health drugs
  • natural hair loss remedies
  • fda tamiflu
  • chronic pain syndrome
  • pain treatment
  • how to prevent strokes
  • on line weight loss program
  • drug smoking stop
  • arthritis help
  • face skin care
  • remedy for hair loss
  • buy vitamin a
  • phentermine to buy
  • stop smoking medication
  • weight loss product for women
  • viagra for her
  • buy cheap cialis without a prescription
  • depression drugs
  • jelly kamagra
  • dogs health problems
  • natural ways to relieve pain
  • pregnancy prevention methods
  • lower my blood pressure
  • plan b pregnancy
  • medication to help stop smoking
  • total health shop
  • my drug store
  • weight loss success
  • alcoholism information treatment
  • medical weight loss
  • blood pressure high
  • heart failure medicine
  • latest cure for aids
  • prescription drugs discount
  • med orders
  • citalopram 20mg
  • joint pain cure
  • pain meds without prescriptions
  • how to prevent hair loss
  • chronic pain syndrome
  • bronchitis infection
  • rapid flu
  • no prescription medicine
  • buy pain meds online
  • back pain muscle
  • buy drugs prescription online
  • cheap viagra without prescription
  • drugs for pain
  • cats hairball
  • clonidine dosage
  • treatment for diabetes
  • nolvadex 20mg
  • clonidine dosage
  • discount medicines for pets
  • pet treatment
  • on viagra
  • dental antibiotics
  • preventing pregnancy after sex
  • where can i buy viagra
  • free weight loss programs
  • new cancer treatment
  • finasteride pharmacy
  • fast weight loss tips
  • how to get teeth white
  • can i get a viagra today
  • prescription medicine
  • female body building
  • pain meds order online
  • prostate flomax
  • stop smoking cigerette
  • weight loss on line
  • allergies
  • fast weight loss supplement
  • where can i buy arthritis drugs
  • weight loss web sites
  • prostate cancer therapy
  • pain meds without prescriptions
  • natural hair loss cures
  • flu shots
  • reducing high blood pressure
  • hand pain
  • medication ranitidine
  • treatment for dry skin
  • medication for blood pressure
  • urinary tract health
  • levitra buy levitra
  • prevent high blood pressure
  • preventing hair loss
  • cheap phentermine online
  • how to increase bust
  • new diet supplements
  • what does viagra do
  • canadian pharmacy ltd
  • penis development
  • care health pet
  • bronchitis treatments
  • weight loss how to
  • order on line medicine without prescriptions
  • levitra buy levitra
  • dog products online
  • natural cure for hair loss
  • discount pet med
  • cheap impotence drug generic cialis delivery
  • pneumonia vs bronchitis
  • medicine for blood pressure
  • dog health problem
  • build muscle mass
  • cat health help
  • online alcoholism treatment
  • ear pain
  • alcoholism treatment option
  • drug free high blood pressure help
  • treatment of breast cancer
  • antibiotics diarrhea
  • body building program
  • cheap cialis online
  • on rx leagle diazepam
  • how to get teeth white
  • information on viagra
  • lorazepam klonopin
  • obesity care
  • weight loss how to
  • new cancer treatments
  • care for a cat
  • dog skin
  • sleep disorder treatment
  • how sleeping helps
  • easy weight loss
  • order medicine from mexico
  • approved canadian pharmacy
  • buy viagra online
  • body building fitness
  • right side pain
  • body building online course
  • treatment hypertension
  • new depression treatments
  • med on line
  • way to improve skin
  • information soma
  • neck muscle pain
  • drugs on line
  • vitamin shoppes
  • weight loss diet
  • what is high blood pressure
  • prescription meds without a prescription
  • prescription meds without a prescription
  • new depression treatments
  • health drugs
  • coupon code health pets
  • acne treatment for teenager
  • back muscle pain
  • women health
  • dog products online
  • weight loss exercise tips
  • weight loss health health
  • mens health care
  • weight loss product
  • arthritis information
  • new diabetes drug
  • prescription drugs discount
  • stop smoking cigerette
  • about soma
  • pet health dogs
  • heart rate treatments
  • treatment for type 2 diabete
  • dog skin
  • how to lower blood pressure naturally
  • care of a cat
  • blood pressure tablets
  • norvasc 5mg
  • dog skin disorder
  • cat health information
  • normal blood pressure
  • new cholesterol medicines
  • easiest way to stop smoking
  • buy stopping diabetes
  • free prescription drugs
  • online weight loss programs
  • discount depression medications
  • buy prescription drugs
  • cat care
  • body building training
  • flu
  • healthy weight loss plan
  • weight loss after pregnancy
  • weight loss doctor
  • before and after weight loss
  • how to get white teeth
  • how to lower high blood pressure
  • what causes hair loss in women
  • weight loss for children
  • ranitidine medication
  • buy plan b online
  • generic medication for chronic pain
  • chronic pain relief