LOCATIONMelbourne CBD.
PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIAGrill restaurants with a range of steaks and sausages accompanied by cabbage salads are not uncommon in Melbourne. The Butchers Grill, however, ups the ante in all sorts of ways. Firstly, the dining room is glamorous in an old-fashioned way, with red and gold patterned wallpaper and chandeliers hanging delicately from the ceiling. Secondly, the menu is extensive, taking leaps and bounds away from a regular steakhouse menu but serving it up in a refined manner.
The food choices are broad, starting with a range of first courses that includes oysters, a cured meat platter, prawn and seafood cocktail, and dips. Our advice is that if you’re having a mixed grill, you should skip starters (and probably the previous meal as well). Meat’s the thing here. There is a section for steaks, each with details of its provenance, feeding patterns and age. There’s also a section for the house specialities and raznjici shish kebabs. If you can’t decide, there’s a mixed grill of considerable proportions – or if even that proves too difficult, go for one of the banquet menus, which have been designed for the hungry. The wine list is extensive and very fairly priced, with some good choices by the glass, too. The waiting staff are friendly and brilliantly efficient, which contributes to the overall grace and style of a restaurant which focuses on big eating.
Rita Erlich, December 2008