Start spreading the news, because we’ve found a New York-inspired elevated steakhouse that’s serving mouthwatering meat and seafood to salivate over. Rich and Rare opened late 2023 and we can’t gatekeep this culinary gem anymore. (OK, in truth we only just visited for the first time recently, but OMG this was wagyu worth waiting for and after our first bite, we wish we’d come in earlier.)
Nestled in the heart of Brisbane, at the picturesque West Village precinct, Rich and Rare is a standout destination for lovers of prime cuts. Indeed, the menu features more than 15 cuts of meat including succulent sirloins, tantalising T-bones and dry-aged delights from Queensland farms as well as the paddocks of Japan.
And since Rich and Rare is owned by the Tassis Group—who also own seafood haven Fosh—there’s also an array of the ocean’s finest gracing the menu. Surf and turf combos are encouraged.
Our Rich and Rare experience
Situated in the Garden Pavillion at West Village, Rich and Rare features a lush and verdant outdoor dining area. As soon as you step up to the entrance you can see what is essentially the heart of the whole operation—a cylindrical cabinet that serves as both a dry-aging room for various meat cuts and their temperature controlled wine cellar. The cabinet is stocked meticulously with so many cuts I begin to get super excited about our impending dinner.
We’re seated outside on a chilly night but the heaters above us are heaven, giving us the perfect mix of the night air and the restaurant warmth. Honestly, it’s ideal weather for a hearty piece of meat.
What better way to kick off dinner on a chilly than with warm artisan sourdough and bone marrow butter. Oh and woodfired Camembert with roasted pistachios, pomegranate, caramelised onions and drizzled with honey. Oh, and woodfired beets with goat curd, hummus and black garlic puree. Look, the entree and snacks menu looked SO GOOD we had to grab a couple of things.
Turns out all the things we ordered pair EXTREMELY well together—think about it, warm molten cheese, honey, bread, beets, goat’s curd, garlic… So scrumptious. I think I will now crave warm melty cheese every time the temperature dips.
For our mains, I had every intention of ordering off the main menu but then I got tempted by one of the specials—MB 2+ 200g black Angus filet mignon (hello bacon!), which I accompanied with beef jus and kipfler potatoes with gremolata and wagyu fat. My friend picked a 200g pasture-fed eye fillet from Central Queensland with mushroom sauce and a side of green beans with goat’s curt and chilli. Since we were tossing up between the two, we decide to eat half our own meal and then go swapsies to see what we were missing.
When the steak arrives, I barely need a knife to cut through it—it’s like butter. The smokiness of the bacon, the juiciness of the steak and the richness of the beef jus are a match made in heaven. I honestly think this might be one of the best steaks I have ever eaten.
The potatoes are crispy and flavoursome thanks to the Wagyu fat. The green beans are definitely elevated by the zing of the chili against the creaminess of the goat’s curd.
I am almost a little sad when it gets to swap time because I just want to keep eating my filet mignon. But there’s mushroom sauce to be tasted so we swap. I end up glad I did because this mushroom sauce is heavenly—so smooth but so flavoursome.
We take our time with the remains of our steaks, savouring the flavour and glad we saved some of the bread from our first course to mop up the sauces on our plates.
We are stuffed, but there’s always room for dessert and I have my eyes on a sneaky bit of New York cheesecake with salted caramel sauce on the specials menu. My companion orders a dessert simply called Chocolate, with a description of cocoa crumble, macadamia ice-cream, meringue crackers and black flake salt. We agree to go swapsies on this one too.
The cheesecake comes and it is LADEN with the caramel sauce, and has a Biscoff-style crumble around the base. The Chocolate is essentially a round of chocolate cake, topped with a chocolate mousse, topped with macadamia ice-cream, surrounded by chocolate meringue. Both are taste sensations.
Rich and Rare is one of those restaurants where, even once you’ve finished, you can’t wait to come back. I have to try other things on the menu next time. Or the same things. I just want to go back there already.
Rich and Rare, 97 Boundary St, West End QLD. p. (07) 3638 8888.
In her spare time, she likes long walks down the makeup aisle and performing in Brisbane theatre. You can follow her adventures on Instagram and TikTok @thebeautypalate.
