Tuesday, January 14, 2014

The Village Bar, Subiaco - 88%

It was so hot on Saturday, that the BBQ we had planned for a friend’s birthday could have been done with nothing but a frypan and the raw power of the sun. Instead, as the temperature rose towards 44*C, we dined in the air-conditioned comfort of The Village Bar in Subiaco. The restaurant was fairly empty for a Saturday lunch and we had an entire portion of the restaurant to ourselves. It might have been the heat, but The Village Bar is at a quieter end of the Subiaco strip so I suspect they don’t get a lot of drop-in traffic from nearby shopping. It’s a shame, as it’s a bright, classy sort of atmosphere and a perfect place to celebrate a friend’s birthday lunch.


The steak sanga was by far the most popular choice at the table. Approximately 50% of the table ordered it, which might be a testament to the appeal of the simplicity offered by: Steak Sandwich—200g Sirloin w Onion & Pepper Jam, Swiss Cheese, Romas, Chips & Aioli. I was chuffed to be able to order the steak rare to my specifications, but was the only one to take the option. Everyone else went the Trust-the-Chef route.
Steak Sanga and friends

The steak sanga came out on a plank with a generous serving of chips, and aioli. Two toasted slices of bread encased a tower of lettuce, tomato, cheese, a sizable chunk of steak, and onion jam on the top layer. It was very well constructed with the ingredients well distributed and nothing falling out over the course of the meal.

Close up of steak sanga

The steak was a generous slab of sirloin cooked to my specifications. Most bites came away cleanly, though some were a bit tougher and required some gnawing. I enjoyed that the steak wasn’t heavily seasoned which allowed the delicious flavour of the beef to come through. The bread was evenly toasted so that the crusts bit off as cleanly as the rest of the bread and were gentle on the soft palate. It was sturdy enough to hold the contents together until the very last bite. The salad was simple, but of good quality. There was enough tomato and lettuce in each bite to ensure that I didn’t feel like a complete carnivore, even while I gnawed the next bite of steak free. Nor was there so much that the integrity of the steak sanga was compromised. Understated, but much appreciated. The condiments were another high point of the steak sanga. Both the cheese and onion jam were spread over the entire steak sanga so there was a bit in every bite. I was especially impressed with the onion jam, which was just sweet enough to balance the richness of the steak and cheese. The chips and aioli were also excellent. The chips were large, generous, and crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Together with the garlicky aioli they were very moresome and I was disappointed that there wasn’t enough space in my belly at the end for all of them.

Everyone else at the table seemed well pleased with their sangas, and other assorted meals. I would love to come back to sample more of their drinks list (in particular the iced cocktails-on-a-stick which would have been a good choice that day!), and their meals—the steak in particular calls to me. It was a lovely place to while away an afternoon, though I hope for their sake that it gets busier at other times. Overall I really enjoyed this steak sanga. I have since found out that it won the prestigious “Steak Sandwich Award” in the Australian Hotels Association Awards for Excellence in 2011. Well deserved.

Steak: 4.5 / 5
Bread: 4 / 5
Salad: 4.5 / 5
Condiments: 5 / 5
Surroundings: 4 / 5

Steak Sanga Score: 88%

Price: $23.00

The Village Bar on Urbanspoon

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Leapfrog Cafe, Wanneroo - 50%

Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year! 2014 started for me with a trip down south and a steak sanga at Settlers Roadhouse not really worth mentioning.

2014 is the year my sister is circumnavigating the globe. On the first day of the year she is flying to Malaysia, then blazing a trail across South-East Asia, Japan, Europe and North America. Since I was away on the day she left, we caught up a few days prior for a game of minigolf at Wanneroo Botanical Gardens, and then joined our parents at Leapfrogs Cafe for dinner.

Leapfrogs Cafe have a good reputation for pizza, but once my eye fell upon the steak sanga, my course of action was clear.

The steak sanga looked promising when it came out. Toasted turkish bread was filled to the brim with grilled beef, lettuce, tomato, onion jam, swiss cheese and aioli.

The steak was sliced thinly and cooked unevenly, being medium in parts, medium-rare in others, and was chewy throughout. The bread was Turkish, and toasted, which I like, but failed at holding everything together. I found myself rotating and rotating again trying to keep the contents and juices contained, but by the end of the meal I was eating with a fork and dirty hands. The salad consisted of a lonely slice of iceberg lettuce and a substantial amount of tomato. The condiments were fairly good-- the onion jam was a good foil for the aioli and swiss cheese, however I feel that the aioli contributed to the overall sloppy texture, so have marked this down.

Unfortunately this steak sanga was underwhelming and I wished I had ordered a pizza instead because those looked delicious!

Although the steak sanga was a disappointment, we had a lovely time playing minigolf, and both venues are in the Entertainment Book with fairly good deals-- half price for the minigolf, and 25% off for the meal. Therefore, despite the low score, I would still recommend Wanneroo Botanic Minigolf and Leapfrogs Cafe for an outing-- just get the pizza.

It will be some time before I see my sister again, if you don't count selfies in front of monuments on Facebook. So, Bon Voyage, Jesse! Auf Wiedersehen!

Steak: 2 / 5
Bread: 2 / 5
Salad: 2 / 5
Condiments: 3 / 5
Surroundings: 3.5 / 5
Company: 5 / 5

Steak Sanga Score: 50%
Price: $23.00

Leapfrogs Cafe on Urbanspoon