A little while back, we were invited to the official media launch of Iron Steak and Bar on Bree Street. I love steak, so it sounded just about perfect to me. Sadly, life happened and I wasn’t able to attend – and consequently experienced a huge amount of FOMO when I saw the pics on social media! Luckily, Iron Steak and Bar still wanted I Love Foodies to come by and so we set up a date for a review.
Iron Steak and Bar is the new kid on the Bree Street block, taking over the space from Charango, where, interestingly enough, Benike and I did our very first I Love Foodies review back in 2015! Anyway, what piqued my interest is that they have this super cool oven from Spain AND that they feed this oven with Namibian charcoal, which we all know is the best in the world (#ProudNamibianGirl). They also use SA wood, which is cool too 🙂
Luckily, it almost goes without saying in Cape Town, Iron Steak and Bar uses only free-range, grass-fed beef. The way it should be. Because the availability of certain cuts of ethically sourced meat keeps changing, Iron Steak and Bar make use of a giant blackboard to let you know what they have, at which size, and for what price. I like that.
Welcome to Iron Steak and Bar on Bree Street
The beef cuts available are listed on a blackboard
Hello There, New Venue
But before we get into all that goodness, let me start at the beginning. I asked my friend Ray to join me and off to Iron Steak and Bar we went. We were warmly welcomed by the manager, Milo, and shown to our table. The décor is a mix of dark wood and green splashes of colour – palm leaf cushions, green plants hanging from the ceiling, and etcetera. All in all, a comfortable space.
So Many Cocktail Choices
Our waiter Ulric served us their complimentary Wagyu-beef-dripping popcorn to snack on while we got very involved studying the amazing cocktail menu. There were at least five options I wanted to try. Eventually, I selected the Tommy’s Margarita (Patron Silver Tequila, agave nectar, and fresh lime juice, R96). Ray went with what would have been my second choice (yay!), the Ironcolada (Silver Patron Tequila, fresh lime juice, Bottling’s roasted coconut and pineapple puree, sugar syrup, and soda water, R69).
Turns out Iron Steak and Bar has what they call “Social Hour” from 16:00 – 19:00, which means two for the price of one on select cocktails. The Ironcolada was one of those, so we got two. Double yay! It was divine and refreshing and just ‘happy-tasting’. A definite winner. Tommy’s Margarita was good too, but I prefer a normal regular margarita and don’t think I would order this again.
Popcorn, dripping with Wagyu Beef
Tommy’s margarita and an “Ironcolada”
The Flat Iron Special
Iron Steak and Bar has a pretty cool special relating to their name. Their name comes from the flat iron steak – shoulder of the cow – which is also known as the chuck steak, btw. This special is also the only actual main meal on their menu. Everything else is on that ever-changing blackboard. Anyway, 200g of the flat iron steak is served with a house leaf salad for a pretty affordable R100. Of course, we had that.
Now, I love meat – I’m a Namibian girl after all – but I don’t enjoy too meaty a flavour, which this cut had. However, I know I’m pretty specific with flavour profiles and can be a fussy eater, so it’s quite possible that it’s not an issue for anyone else.
The Iron Steak version of a ‘steak knife’
Wagyu Flat Iron Steak And The Fillet
I was really hoping to try the T-bone or the rib-eye, my favourite cuts, but I will have to go back for those. In addition to the Flat Iron Special mentioned above, the Chef also decided to serve us the Wagyu flat iron steak (250g, R370) and the fillet (200g, R230).
To accompany those, we chose a portion of Wagyu-beef-dripping chips (R29) and the mash and gravy (R32). For fun, we also added a pink peppercorn sauce and a romesco sauce (R29 each).
Now, Ray likes his steak medium, I like mine well done, and as we were sharing everything, we went with a medium-well. Life is all about compromise. I ate the ends, Ray the middle bits.
Both cuts were perfectly prepared, soft, succulent and full of flavour. I ended up preferring the Wagyu flat iron steak, while Ray preferred the fillet. Each portion was served with the house leaf salad, which Ray loved. The dipping chips were also amazing. I had expected them to be super oily, but they were crispy and yummy instead. The mash and gravy was pure comfort food and perfect happiness.
I almost forgot to mention the branded cleaver Iron Steak and Bar lets you slice your meat with! It’s more fun than a regular knife and definitely adds to the experience.
Steak numero one.
A “Thank You” Token
Also super cool is that you don’t get a boring mint with your bill when you leave. Nope, you get a branded poker chip. And one chip equals one ice cream cone containing a scoop of salted caramel ice cream, which has been rolled in shaved Valrhona chocolate. I mean, really. What a way to end a meal! I’m told if you want to save your token and come back another day, you can totally do that too.
A token of appreciation
You get this with your ice cream!
Visit Iron Steak And Bar
A huge thank you to Iron Steak and Bar for the invite, to the manager Milo, and to Nicola for setting it all up.
Iron Steak and Bar
Address: 114 Bree Street, Cape Town CBD
Website: www.ironsteak.co.za
Opening Times: Monday – Sunday (11:00 – 23:00)
Call: +27 21 422 1175
E-mail: capetown@ironsteak.co.za
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Written by Sabine Palfi
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Article Date: February 2020
All information correct at time of publication. We do not accept any liability caused by errors, including, but not limited to, changes in price, menu, opening times, address, or other contact details.
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