The boys wanted meat, and we had enough of steakhouses. So we opted for American-style smokehouse BBQ.
Meatmaiden is an American smokehouse with an interesting twist, with the best local produce grilled on custom-built grills and wood-fired smoker. Located in the basement that can only be accessible from a side door leading down, one would miss the nondescript entrance easily. The number “195” on GPS points to an office building and was really misleading. We walked up and down Little Collins and could not find the entrance until we looked up and saw the neon sign.
Pitmaster Justin Wise, formerly of The Press Club, has created a menu which not only focuses on meat, but also provides a range of options for vegetarians and pescatarians. The dishes are designed to share, and a casual attitude with a focus on honest food is apparent. The meat cabinet can’t be missed as you sit in the main dining area and is very impressive.
What we ate for the evening.
- The Start
- The Maiden’s Mood
- Grilled Bread, Whipped Bone Marrow Butter
- Chopped Wagyu Tartare, XO Sauce, Yolk, Crisps
- Charred Octopus, Nashville Hot Sauce, Potato Aioli
- 5+ Score Rangers Valley Tri- Tip, Garlic &Thyme Jus, Herb Butter
- 20-Hour Smoked Sher Wagyu Brisket, Coffee BBQ, Pickles
- Charred Greens, Jalapeno Salsa Verde, Smoked Scamorza
- Hand-Cut Chips, Confit Garlic Aioli
- Signature Lobster Mac Cheese
The Start
While we were waiting for folks to come, we ordered some “finger food”.
Burnt Ends, Crispy Onion, BBQ, Horseradish
Many cooks declined to serve the fattiest parts of the brisket, so many burnt ends were drawn from this portion, ultimately served as appetisers. Burnt ends can capture just as much melted-down fat as smoky, crunchy bark, producing an all-around incredible bite in the process. The BBQ sauce was totally unnecessary distraction as these nuggets of culinary gold were sufficiently good eats on their own. But the relish of fresh horseradish and deep fried shallots was a welcoming balancing act with the heavy rendered fats.
Seasonal Oysters Natural W/ Burnt Lime Granita
The Sydney rock oysters were really tasty. The menu does not specify which region they will come from but they source the fattest ones from different parts of Australia depending on seasonality and what’s fresh and are designed to be chewed. Tonight we had oysters from the Central Coast, fat plump molluscs that could not be gulped down in one go.
The Maiden’s Mood
The items for the Sample Mood menu
Grilled Bread, Whipped Bone Marrow Butter
The meal kicked off with hot pita bread, not warm but hot off the grill. The bone marrow butter was ok, but the bread was heavenly. It went perfectly with the wagyu tartare.
Chopped Wagyu Tartare, XO Sauce, Yolk, Crisps
Wagyu beef tartare is always good as long as the beef used is fresh. The fattiness of the wagyu is perfect for tartare. And coupled with a raw egg yolk it was perfect. And when XO sauce was mentioned, I thought of Cantonese-style dried scallops chilli relish but it was exactly as described – a dressing made with cognac. And what’s in that green power?
The potato crisps are made on site. They were too oily for my liking. So instead of scooping the tartare with these crisps, I resorted to the pita bread.
Charred Octopus, Nashville Hot Sauce, Potato Aioli
The only non-meat course we had tonight and it was a very tender piece of charred octopus in the Greek BBQ style, smothered with Nashville hot sauce.
5+ Score Rangers Valley Tri- Tip, Garlic &Thyme Jus, Herb Butter
Moving onto the beef, the Rangers Valley wagyu tri-tip with a marbling score of 5+, which is the result from a Black Angus and Wagyu cross breeds, was tender and juicy. It was cooked medium rare on the grill as opposed to being smoked so was more of a “traditional” steak. I am not a big fan of the tri-tip as I find this cut chewy.
20-Hour Smoked Sher Wagyu Brisket, Coffee BBQ, Pickles
The king of cuts, brisket is the ultimate test for any keen barbecuer. Australian Wagyu beef produced by the Sher family is Wagyu Full blood 100% and Crossbred Wagyu F1 50% beef. Delicious, tender and juicy with superb flavour. The brisket, rubbed with Tasmanian pepper berry, and smoked for 20 hours was amazing. It fell off my fork as I went to grab a piece and when I ate it the whole thing melted in my mouth. The smokiness was very apparent and overall it was a real winner.
Charred Greens, Jalapeno Salsa Verde, Smoked Scamorza
Smoked Scamorza is a semi-soft Italian cheese that is very similar to mozzarella but which is aged which means it is firmer and drier with a more pronounced flavour. This cheese formed the base of charred greens that included French beans and broccolini, which was topped with a verde salsa spiced grilled jalapeño.
Hand-Cut Chips, Confit Garlic Aioli
The chips were decent but not mind blowing. They weren’t quite as crisp as they could have been.
Signature Lobster Mac Cheese
For me the highlight of the evening was the lobster mac and cheese. Australians are so blessed with such a great variety of cheeses, and succulent rock lobsters. This thing was decadent and contained a generous serve of lobster atop a classic, creamy mac and cheese. Definitely one to share amongst the table.
The food was really good, generous in portion even though it was a sampler. It was as though we have ordered ala carte for everything. The pace of the meal was fanatic, it would score better if we paced it more leisurely. After all this is a smokehouse and the experience should be laid back and casual.
The downside? The saloon seat we got was really uncomfortable. Imagine 5 big guys the size of me stuck in a horseshoe shaped saloon seat. We cannot every stretch out hands. The table was insufficient to place all the meat that we ordered. I could not understand why we were not offered a table.
Meatmaiden
195 Little Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Tel : +61 (03) 9078 7747
Visited Jan 2023
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