Balwyn is not exactly a place where you would find any foodie – in fact, lets face it there really isn’t anything much in Balwyn at all (I will leave it at that – and for those Balwynites reading, I too am a Balwyn resident so I do know what I am talking about).
However there are the odd gems in the locality, and Stefan’s Charcoal Grill is one of them. For those readers wanting a write up of somewhere trendy, edgy and full of hipsters please stop reading now (go to any of the other blog entries on this site), because Stefan’s is the exact opposite to all of that and doesn’t apologise for the fact that it is all about steak – and that’s about it.
Serving up the usual 3 course meal with salad for around $70, Stefan’s is a no-nonsense steak house and its advantage over similar places like Vlado’s is that its less expensive, allows BYO (although they do have a very extensive wine list) and there are no cows staring back at you whilst you eat. For those who want something a bit special there is the Black Angus or even Wagyu at market prices. For those who don’t want steak (why are you even reading this) there is a chicken option (gross!).
House made Cevapcici (skinless sausages)
Green Salad & Bread
To start there is the choice of house made chevapcici (skinless sausages) or vegetable soup – which is actually not so much as a soup but a broth with two tiny pieces of carrot and/or celery floating in it.
I recommend the chepvacici. The sausages go well with what looks to be supermarket bread and little packets of Western Star butter. The green salad is simple, but fits the bill of balancing out all the meat that is about to be consumed.
Next comes the steak – which is served with chips, unless you ask for the baked jacket potato (which I recommend). On this occasion I had opted for the Porterhouse (medium rare, more on the rare side) – which is a diversion from my usual Eye Fillet. My other co-conspirators also chose the Porterhouse option with the exception of JP who went for the Angus New York cut (700g). The meat is expertly cooked by Stefan himself on the grill, and is succulent and juicy. There’s something to be said for the satisfying simplicity of a well cooked piece of meat, which needs little else than some horseradish and mustard as accompaniment. The Porterhouse was delicious, but my personal preference is for the Eye Fillet – which is a smaller, leaner piece of meat.
Porterhouse - cooked rare
The Angus - New York cut, with hot english mustard
Judging by the clean plates, my friends enjoyed their meat too.
Apple Strudel
Walnut Crepe
Lastly for dessert there is a choice of Apple Strudel, Black Forest Cake or crepes (lemon, strawberry, walnut or banana) with ice cream.
Having sampled all of the choices, my vote goes to the walnut crepes, although the strudel is also a good choice (and it doesn’t have sultanas).
Trendy, fine dining this is not – but if you are looking for a well cooked piece of meat, in pleasant (if not a little bit daggy) settings, then Stefan’s is your pick.
Stefan’s Charcoal Grill
305 Whitehorse Road
Balwyn
Double Dutch Oven 