LOCATIONOn Flinders Lane in the CBD.
PROFILED BY DEGROOTS MEDIAKingsley’s is actually one of an Australian group of restaurants, and its first Melbourne home is in a tall red-brick building in food-savvy Flinders Lane. It is thoughtfully designed, with lots of timber, bare-topped tables, staff in uniform-aprons, and an open kitchen. It looks warm and old-fashioned, like a steakhouse from decades ago.
Starters include oysters in various forms, a range of charcuterie, and a number of salads – including a Waldorf, which really does look like gastronomic time-travel, except that this version includes pomelo and dates. There’s pasta, a pie and a burger listed among main courses, but the heart of the place is steak. In the imaginative environment of Flinders Lane, it all seems a bit retro, and for many, that’s terrific. The menu lists five cuts of grain-fed beef, two cuts of grass-fed, four different versions of surf and turf, some Wagyu and three really, really large steaks. The grass-fed mid rib-eye is full of flavour and succulent, and cooked to perfection. Pick your own choice of accompaniments and sauces to match your beef or crab extravaganza. The wide-ranging wine list and friendly staff also gives this restaurant a definite thumbs up.
Rita Erlich, December 2008
