Melbourne's Meatmaiden BBQ Restaurant
Meatmaiden brings American BBQ to the CBD
Meatmaiden’s fish dishes, such as this tuna flat iron steak, are surprisingly excellent. Picture : Andrew Tauber
I don’t have a good record picking trends that define an era. As a (try-hard) trendy teen in the ’80s I held out swapping my 501s for the stonewash version, convinced the look would be gone within a year.
Five years on, and I, like the rest of Melbourne, was still happily wearing our acid washed jeans and would continue to do so for many years. Ditto cargo pants. It seems anything I don’t think will last has the last laugh.
Who would’ve thought this paleo palaver would stick around such that cafes are now opening all around dedicated to the cause? Not me, the rubbish futurologist.
Thus, I have no idea how long American barbecue is likely to be with us, but, given Melbourne’s current unwavering devotion to it, there’s a fair chance it’ll be longer than my stretch Levis.
We just can’t get enough of smoked meat. Barbecue is still king in the notoriously fickle inner city, where once pop-ups are finding permanent homes — Fancy Hanks BBQ in what was the Mercat Cross Hotel; Bluebonnet Barbecue on Johnston St — and
Neil Hamblen and Nick Johnston, who first surfed the wave with Richmond’s Meatmother, are hoping to do so again with a more ambitious sibling, Meatmaiden.
The chicken ribs with tequila mayo is tasty. Picture : Andrew Tauber
The duo’s new home is the site of the ill-fated Little Hunter.
They’ve taken the bones left by the previous tenant of the basement of the historic George’s Building and given it a dark, moody, meaty makeover.
Descend the gleaming steel staircase and enter a cavernous realm that’s all dark wood and metal fittings, meat on display, glorious leather booths, copper lights and mellow beats.
It’s got a touch of the Hellfire Club about it; the space looks the goods. So, too, the menu, which has been given the once-over by Justin Wise, who is popping up around the traps as a gun for hire following his departure from The Point earlier this year.
A look inside Meatmaiden. Picture : Andrew Tauber
Where Meatmother is all about the simple meat tray, Meatmaiden’s offering is more extensive, even ticking off some non-meat options.
In fact, the fish here is surprisingly excellent.
Smoked barramundi ($24) is a pretty dish that’s as hearty as some of the more full-blooded options. The crisp-skinned fillet is served with cauliflower florets, oven-roasted until wonderfully nutty, and a tumble of green beans tossed through onion. It’s very good.
As is the Cajun spice-seared tuna ($15), one of the small/share plates offered to start. Squares of ruby-centred, firm-fleshed fish that have just a touch of paprika heat come draped with slivers of soft avocado, finely sliced radish, dill and a grating of fresh horseradish atop.
But let’s face it, you don’t go somewhere like Meatmaiden if you’re not into getting your carnivore properly on, and the southern fried chicken ribs ($14) start things off well. A bowl of little drummettes, coated in a chilli/paprika-spiked crisp batter that encased wonderfully tender meat inside, are great eat-with-your-fingers fare.
The smoked brisket at Meatmaiden. Picture:Andrew Tauber
A “tequila” mayonnaise sounded more exciting than it was, but it did take the edge off the chilli heat.
There’s more space here than the Richmond sibling, and they’ve made good use of it by installing a grill section to complement the smoker for which the original is famed.
Meatmaiden’s take on the classic apple pie is modern. Picture: Andrew Tauber
From the grill, the flat iron steak ($22) was excellent — perfectly cooked O’Connor pasture-fed beef, served simply sliced on the angle and in its own juices. There’s Sher F1 wagyu rib eye, hanging in the display cabinet that you order by weight, which you can likewise do for the brisket that comes out of the custom-made Silver Creek smoker ($10 per 100g). The beef — Rangers Valley wagyu — gets a pepper berry rub (a native Tassie pepper that has a spicy, herbal heat) before going into the smoker for 20 hours.
The resulting meat, served simply as thin slices on wax paper, is powerfully smoky yet buttery and tender; the fat rendered to create a deep, charry crust. Washed down with one of the six rotating local (Moon Dog, Mountain Goat) or American craft beers on tap, or one of the bourbon cocktails being shaken behind the bar, and all seems pretty right with the offering.
Portions are generous and prices are very reasonable — though the wine list shows ambitions at odds with the rest of the package, including service that needs a much firmer guiding hand.
To finish, an individual cast iron ramekin filled with apple and walnut chunks under a shortbread crust ($10) provides a fittingly modern take on the quintessential US dessert.
Meatmaiden might be hitching its wagon to the trend of the moment — but it’s a trend that could well define Melbourne for some time.
Source : Herald Sun October 13th, 2014 , Dan Stock
