SK STEAK & OYSTER
This sleekly upscale grill is the epitome of glamorous excess – and yes, it comes with all the trimmings, writes FIONA DONNELLY.
Decadence means different things to different people. But if your personal take on utter self-indulgence revolves around seafood, steak, benchmark wines and caviar, it’s hard to think of a better place to go for broke than SK Steak & Oyster.
This is a restaurant designed to impress. Housed in The Calile Hotel, SK boasts horseshoe booths and metres of glass and concrete juxtaposed with feature timbers. A dramatic floor-toceiling drape draws the eye upwards to appreciate the towering ceilings above.
Every aspect – from bustling waiters to the baby grand, dry-aging cabinets, and double-draped linen on tables – conspires to underline you’ve arrived.
As I slide into a booth, I notice a card that lists today’s caviar. Italian and French Oscietra. Fifty grams for $360, with blini, potato gems, cured egg yolk shavings, crème fraîche and shallot.
A platter more your speed? SK’s signature caviar option includes 100 grams of Italica’s Oscietra with prawns, bugs, scallops, lobster, clams and a crab cocktail. The sobering news? It’s $990. Beyond my budget. If you need prompting to seize a moment, a Frank Sinatra quote on the drinks list reminds us: you only go around once, but if you play your cards right, once is enough.
It’s clever stuff and reflects the love affair SK co-owner Simon Gloftis has with old-school restaurants. SK is his spin on a New York steakhouse crossed with an LA grill. He’s co-owner of four venues, including Hellenika, Sunshine and Sushi Room, with Theo Kampolis and chef Kelvin Andrews.
Given SK’s name it would be remiss not to order oysters. Two varieties make the cut. Appellation Sydney rocks from Pambula, New South Wales, and Gazander Pacifics from South Australia’s Coffin Bay. Arriving on crushed ice these come Europeanstyle, with a Champagne mignonette and lemon cheek. Simply good.
Our crudo yellowfin tuna doesn’t require the tuna mayo concealed beneath its folds. Or the fried capers and herbs on top. But the combination is a tasty argument in favour of excess.
A buttery tagliatelle with briny spanner crab, chilli and lemon is a study in how not to mess with classics. Ditto the multilayered potato gratin in four batons. It’s perfect with a rested Kiwami 9+ sirloin, squeaky green beans and snow peas with oil and lemon.
There’s sides aplenty with nine potato options, and a dozen potential add-ons from creamed spinach and foie gras to lobster mac and cheese.
SK’s Old World-leaning drinks list provides the expansiveness you’d expect – from grower Champagne and skin contact to Sassicaia by the glass.
Dessert? When too much caviar isn’t sufficient try a $48 smoked white chocolate ice-cream, supercharged with fish eggs. For most, a fat tranche of SK’s strawberry cake will be enough. Like SK, it’s designed for times when you want everything to be bigger, brighter and sweeter than real life. ●