Melbourne is experiencing a steakhouse revival. There’s the Rockpool team’s 7 Alfred, The Kent Hotel’s refreshed grill, Victor Churchill’s forthcoming steak restaurant at Crown, and the CBD’s Common Cuts. The latter is from former Kisume head chef Reki Reinantha of Atsu, Andzero and Sachi. It combines Reinantha’s nostalgia for visiting bistros for straightforward, comforting steak as a kid in Indonesia with what he says is an exploration of “affordable luxury”. Reinantha interprets the term to mean dishes that feel premium but are enjoyed in a relaxed and accessible way.
Steak frites anchors the offering. There’s scotch fillet, sirloin and a $395 two-kilogram Margaret River tomahawk, but the menu also includes secondary cuts such as Wagyu flank and Angus rostbiff (from the centre of the rump), both $28.50. “People usually under-appreciate those cuts,” Reinantha says, even though they’re full of flavour and treated by executive chef Hafiz Nasir (Trattoria Emilia) and head chef Anita Hermanto (Society, Kisume) with as much reverence as more expensive cuts. “We try to cook it the way we cook expensive steak.” A reverse-sear for consistency, followed by a kiss of Japanese charcoal for smoke and texture.
Steak accoutrements – all house-made – include classics such as chimichurri and mushroom and peppercorn sauce, but also push past the usual suspects. Try warmly spiced ’nduja butter, or Common Cuts’ take on steak sauce. Built using a Japanese technique, the restaurant’s signature starts with an aged-soy tare that’s then folded with cream and spices. The cooking method “gives a deeper, more layered flavour compared to a traditional steak sauce,” Reinantha says.
The vast menu also includes a Wagyu brisket lasagne served with bone marrow on the side, and a playful cheeseburger where a Wagyu patty and slices of A5 Wagyu are both encased inside a coconut bun. And, like many classic steakhouses, the offering stretches well beyond meat. Starters, including spanner crab croquettes topped with salmon roe, and grilled scallops served in the shell and bathed in seaweed butter, draw on Reinantha’s seafood expertise – skills he honed at Kisume and continues to flex at Sachi.
Venue manager Will Lozen curated the Japanese-leaning drinks list, where non-alcs and cocktails shine. Standouts are the Hojicha Tiramisu Milk Punch, made with dark rum, cacao and fortified wine, and Double Popcorn Please, a whisky-based cocktail with a dash of bitters and a “corn-driven flavour profile that’s familiar, but a bit playful,” Reinantha says.
Music is part of the experience too. Vinyls, ranging from Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon to the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack, line the walls and play through a vintage Kenwood speaker, the mix of steak and music giving double meaning to the name Common Cuts.
Common Cuts
Ground Floor/380 Russell Street, Melbourne
0435 168 521
Hours:
Mon to Wed 5pm–9pm
Thu to Sun 11.30am–3pm; 5pm–9pm