Google review
BeefBar - 27 July 2023
I did not experience the visceral reaction that my friend immediately displayed on his first bite of steak, but in the end BeefBar definitely let me down.
I expect a high degree of fat from a Wagyu cut of meat–this is indeed it's signature characteristic. Unfortunately, where I was most let down was in the decidedly muted flavor of this steak's fat. A 495SAR steak ought to slap me in the face with flavor with each bite, while I found BeefBar's offer to be rather muted and ultimately underwhelming. The potatoes I found reasonably tasty, but I found the lack of texture disturbing. The mash was frankly runny, not set.
For these reasons I agreed with my friend that the highlights of the meal were the wonderful kale salad and the refreshing Stella Artois.
BeefBar might have scored higher for me if they'd be willing to shave 100sar off the steak, but at this price point there is simply no wiggle room for imperfection.
Addendum:
Further discussion over breakfast encourages me to highlight a few additional points.
First, as my friend indicated above, the steak did not reach the table at an appropriate serving temperature. This is a critical fault for Wagyu steaks as the fat reads greasy on the pallet as it approaches room temperature.
Second, there was some inconsistency in cooking between the two steaks. My ribeye was noticeably thinner than my friend's and consequently the chefs were unable to serve medium rare as requested, with the steak approaching medium well in several places. The high far content prevented the meat from ever feeling dry, but this was another salient flaw. My friend's, by contrast, was a good bit thicker and cooked perfectly from center to edge.
The third point is a working thesis we've developed that is a bit more controversial. One thought that came to mind last night was that the muted and slightly odd/off flavor of the beef's fat might actually be down to the meat being old. Not aged, mind you, but old. I've experienced steaks in the past which I was certain took on a dull off flavor because the meat was simply past its prime. That may have been the case here. In addition, I experienced some digestive stress before bed which I put down to high total fat load (I've been on a low fat diet for months which may have created some sensitivity), but my companion also reports some discomfort through the night. These issues have resolved themselves this morning but are troubling nevertheless.
