Bob’s Steak & Chop

April is a busy time for us every year – in no small part due to a number of birthdays, in particular that of JP’s who insists on a full ‘week’ of birthday specialness every year. This year Bob’s Steak & Chop – freshly imported from Dallas, Texas – opened just in time to ring in JP’s birthday.  Located in the Docklands, presumably because there is plenty of space for a large American steak house, Bob’s is not necessarily what you would picture a Texan steak house to be.  There is no mechanical bull, no tacky ranch interiors and certainly no half dressed cowgirl behind the bar.  Its the total opposite with its high ceilings, wood panelled interiors, floor to ceiling glass, and an impressive glass cellar which spans the two floors in the centre of the dining room.  Waiters, dressed in pristine white with black ties, certainly look the part – whether they know what’s going on is another matter, as we find throughout the night.

Seated at our rather large table – presumably to make enough room for the large American sized meals – we are served promptly by our waiter who also doubles as sommelier.  Lucky for us JP knows a thing or two about wines, and with the wine list featuring a number of good Australian wines, we don’t need to rely on the waiter/sommelier (who by the way is nice enough, and probably the only one there who knows what is going on).

The menu, as one would expect, is focused on steak, with a few chops (veal, lamb, pork) and a smattering of seafood options.  The steaks come with a choice of fries, baked or skillet potatoes.  There is also a good selection of sides – we tried them all – including creamed corn, creamed spinach and onion rings.  So far so good.

Crab Cake

Prawn Platter

However with the arrival of entrees, the newness of the joint shows – the waiters serving the entrees not only do not know who ordered what, but they also don’t seem to really know what they are serving.  After a little kerfuffle we finally sort out what is what and plates are served to the rightful owners.  JP ordered the crab cake – which was nice enough, not very exciting.  A couple of us tried the prawns – done 3 ways.  Again, nothing to write home about.  At this point, I must say I am disappointed with the portions which are not exactly Texan sized.

The Porterhouse

Next come the steaks – and unfortunately with it comes the confused kerfuffle that came with the entrees – except this time, it was much more difficult to distinguish the different steaks from each other.

Scotch Fillet

After much to-ing and fro-ing we finally identify the different cuts of steak and their rightful owners and can finally dig in – and we were not disappointed.  You can tell a good piece of steak from the first cut into the juicy meat – and the meat at Bob’s is fantastic.  Cooked to perfection it is served simply on a white plate, no other embellishment needed.  I chose the porterhouse which was succulent and juicy, with just the right amount of marbling through the meat so that is wasn’t sinewy and chewy, and the skillet potatoes came with a rich gravy – very hearty and warming.  Judging by all the clean plates, everyone enjoyed their steak.

Key Lime Pie

Marble Cheesecake

Moving onto desserts, we were looking forward to volcanic ice cream sundaes and mountainous cheesecake.  But alas, no oversized desserts here.  Rather, there is some very plain looking key lime pie and marbled cheesecake.  A nice touch was the slice of chocolate cake for the birthday boy, complete with sparklers.

So, whilst there were more than a few hiccups with the service (to be expected with a new establishment), the quality of the steak will bring us back to Bob’s at least once more, and hopefully by then the hiccups are gone.

Bob’s Steak & Chop

737 Bourke Street

Melbourne