Whenever I hear people recommend the Carlton end of Lygon Street as a destination for great food, it makes me laugh. Sure, there’s nothing wrong with most of the many cafes and restaurants dotted along the strip, but most of them are certainly not particularly noteworthy.
That said, I did enjoy a recent meal I had at the Lygon Charcoal Grill & Steakhouse (120 Lygon St, Carlton) a lot more than I thought I would.
In nearly all respects, it’s your typical Melbourne steakhouse, with slabs of meat on display in a glass cabinet, ready to be turned into the steak of your choice – in terms of cut, size and doneness. The menu also includes the obligatory seafood, sausages, chicken and strawberry pancakes, along with (surprisingly) risotto. Not sure why you’d order risotto at a steak house, but whatever floats your boat.
I chose a porterhouse done rare. The steak itself wasn’t overly flavoursome for a porterhouse, and was closer to medium rare, but was tender enough and not overcooked enough that I’d send it back. Particularly given that, at $31.50 for around 450 grams, it was fairly priced. Like all steaks, it came with some spinach and potato, which was absolutely delicious thanks to liberal use of butter.
The others two people I were with ordered the scotch fillet and the rib-eye, and spoke very highly of them – and the sides.
While I can’t see Lygon Charcoal Grill & Steakhouse gracing the pages of the Good Food Guide any time soon (it actually did feature in 1995 and 1996), if you’re looking for a reasonable steak, at a reasonable price, with friendly service, in the inner city, it’s recommended.