PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIACharcoal Restaurant opened in 1962, and according to owner David Ramage, very little about the restaurant has changed. Perhaps he feels it’s better not to tamper with a good thing by following modern restaurant trends. Sticking to what he knows and what he knows people like has kept this traditional steakhouse a popular and award-winning Canberra institution for decades. The accolades heaped upon this stalwart include Restaurant and Catering ACT Best Steakhouse 2005 and Lifetime Achievement Award 2006. But the nightly packed tables are the strongest evidence of the restaurant’s quality and success.
The signature dish is the 1kg prime rib, served on the bone. Some popular dishes have been on the menu since the restaurant first opened such as the fillet mignon, steak diane and carpet bag steak. Also popular are the seafood dishes, such as the spaghetti marinara, garlic prawns, and fresh oysters from the Clyde River. Charcoal prides itself on sourcing fresh produce and making everything in-house, aside from the bread rolls. The wine list is almost exclusively Australian, and the wines take up all available wall space in the small dining area. The tables are dark timber, lit dimly by lamps. The perfect environment, David divulges, for a discreet lunch with a high profile guest.
Sarah Theeboom, December 2006
