PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIAIt seems the cows have come home to Canberra at last. Kingsley’s Steak and Crab House, newly opened in Civic, offers the best steak and crab in this fair city. Whether it’s the desire for a pint and a pie (they have beer on tap), or a bottle of aged red with an Angus fillet, Kingsley’s (not to be confused with the fried chicken vendor) caters for all and sundry within its stylish walls. Glossy wooden floors and heavy leather seating give a contemporary ranch-style appearance to the interior, which, coupled with the quirky cartoon prints and blocks of warm red on the walls, offers a tempting visage to hungry passers-by.
Once inside, leather-bound menus offer up sophisticated, high-end steak and seafood as well as the more casual surf and turf, with a great versatility presented in their dining options. A veritable mountain of petite fillets, strip loins, rib-eyes, and wagyus (each with a short description indicating weight, area of origin, and whether it was grass or grain-fed) is balanced out with an array of fresh salads, pies and side dishes, ensuring that the herbivores don’t go hungry. The seafood side of things is almost as well represented, with three varieties of crab (snow crab, Alaskan king, and mud), freshly shucked oysters and miscellaneous prawn and fish dishes. Service is polished and gracious, whether catering for individuals or functions. To avoid disappointment, it’s probably best to book, so take the bull by the horns and reserve yourself a table.
Stephanie Wang, August 2007