Squires Loft Tooronga

Haven’t been to one of these outlets in ages! I went in with very minimal expectations as previous times in one of these chains (including Kobe jones) was $$$ and shit! Nvrtheless I found myself going with the flow and reserving my judgement after the outcome.
We ordered the rib eye surf turf and the scotch. Rib eye came out first and just watching how effortless the knife cut through it I knew I was in for a treat. It was like carving through butter! Didn’t need to cut more like a glide w/​the knife across the steak! No excessive juices /​blood flowing through to plate. All of which was held within the meat itself! Medium rare was done to perfection! FINALLY a place that does med rare and burnt /​chargrilled burnt bits of edges! No sauce or anything else needed!
First piece went in my mouth and before I knew it melted and gone! It was amazing!
The scotch was a backup in case rib eye was shit and still hungry! I found myself in trouble! The scotch 450g was excellent! And I was getting full! Nice problem to have :) the scotch was done equally to perfection with burnt bits and no thawed out freezer after taste! It was soooo good! I finished it with no tired jaw or meat fibre left on the hotplate.
Overall… I think it is the chef /​cook that is at this outlet that is gd. I’ve been to the others and … meeh…
Will definitely return! thank you for restoring my faith in Melb steak! I’ve been let down by the Steak Ministry, Meat n Wine and some other so called steak places which charge an arm n a leg for under par steak! I’ve avoided steak in Melbourne since these sh$tty experiences. am yet to try San Telmo and Meatmother.
Oh… no 5 star as I have not encountered anything like the steak I had at Wolfgang’s in New York! OMG! Hunger pains again! haha

When I’m traveling, I like to try out different burgers and steaks because, just like Coke, the taste is not consistent, varying greatly depending on where you get it from. It’s not a bad thing, it’s actually a fun way to explore a regions tastes when it comes to those two things (if they serve beef/​burgers). I must admit though that when it comes to burgers and steaks, I think SoCal/​Vegas does it best.
I wanted to try an Australian steak.
So when I heard that this steakhouse was supposedly really good, according to a local here, we decided to check it out.
There were four of us and we each got a different cut of beef so that we can try the other person’s cut of beef to see how it fared.
I must say though, that I was disappointed. The steaks were slightly overcooked to be medium-​rare (which led the steak to being a bit dry) and just looking at it, I can tell that this was a less expensive cut even though the price didn’t reflect that. The marbling was minimal and the color was just ok. And for a steakhouse that’s supposed to be «mid to upper» level, it was way too over seasoned. A good steak doesn’t need more than some good salt and a little pepper.
I normally am able to finish a normal cut of steak but even at 18 oz, I didn’t finish. Not because I was full, but because it was beyond saving. It wasn’t just me either. Two other people couldn’t finish their steak for the same reason. The one guy did finish it only because he felt it to be a waste not to.
Décor was modern and clean. Nothing to complain about the way this place felt when I walked in. Had that semi-​high class feeling.
Service in Australia tend to be a bit slower, if not absent, so if you’re coming from the States, don’t expect decent service. It’s just more laid back here and you have to call them to you if anything’s needed. They’ll rarely, if ever stop by to ask how the food is. So this place was the same.
I really wanted to enjoy this steak but alas, I’m not sure if I could recommend this steakhouse if you’re in the mood for some tasty steaks.

I had dinner here with a couple of mates last night and it was alright. There was no wow factor or anything. We’d been to the Squires in Southbank before and I sort of knew what to expect.
I had the sausage as entrée and the 400gms Black Angus Porterhouse with the mushroom gravy for the main. They were both really nice.
The staff were nice and kept checking on us to see if we needed anything else from time to time without overdoing it, which was good.
I really like the fireplace towards the back of the restaurant. It adds an element of intimacy to the place and works well with the décor.

Steak was done just the way I like it. Service was quick and friendly.

This is a restaurant, in the new Stockland complex in East Hawthorn.
When we arrived there was a subdued crowd eating in a nicely decorated restaurant. I’m guessing that the market here is more aimed at the dinner crowd. And as we only had a beer, I can’t really comment on the food.
The service was good though.

Squires Loft was a popular chain of steakhouses in South Africa so it involves a bit of nostalgia to visit. Sadly the Tooronga one is not up to scratch. We ordered 2 porterhouses and one scotchfillet — the order arrives as 2 scotchfillets and 1 porterhouse. One of our steaks was cooked to within an inch of it’s life — it was ordered medium. The service was lack lustre, slow and after our food arrived no one bothered to check whether we were happy or not — so we just ate the food and were not particularly happy. On receiving the bill, we had by this time mentioned the steak mix up, they deducted the price of one steak which was a nice gesture, however 4 drinks that didn’t belong to us had been added. Whilst there was an effort to rectify the problem, it’s unlikely that we will bother to visit again. The food is nice, however the service and general attention of the staff leaves a lot to be desired. Perhaps inexperienced or too few staff for the number of tables.

I love Squires Loft. The steaks, ribs and sauces are very good. Try the steak if you haven’t been here but don’t go past the ribs either.