Review - Hare and Grace

Hare and Grace
525 Collins Street 
Melbourne
Victoria

Cuisine: Modern Australian
Taste Rating: 7.5/10   Value Rating: 7.5/10

Tues, 30 Apr 2013

Hare and Grace nestles the side of  The Rialto, the iconic building at the corner of King and Collins Streets. You walk up a short flight of stairs from Collins Street, turn right into the outdoor eating area, then left down several steps leading to the entrance. 

Outdoor Dining Area

Entrance  to inside dining areas

The first dining area as you step inside is called the Mini Bar. Here, there are several tables and a bar. Further inside is the Restaurant. The ambiance is subdued lighting with an interesting ceiling feature of hanging branches. Windows look out onto King St.  

Mini Bar dining area

Restaurant

Looking out onto King Street

Eight of us had lunch here on "Steak and Frites Tuesday". It didn't take much arm twisting for everyone at the table to decide they wanted to order the steak and fries.

Cutlery and tea towel Napkin

Good first impression. The french fries were piled high in terracotta pots lined with grease-proof paper. The 180g steak is a nice size for a meal where you don't want to overdo the meat food group. Dark green parsley completes the ensemble. 

Steak and Frites (French Fries)

French Fries

For the steak, we were told there are only 2 choices of done-ness - medium or well done. 
I chose 'medium'.  As you can see from the photo below of my meal, the meat is quite pink and nudging medium rare. I liked the flavour of the steak.  A member of the party found his steak had a large portion of girstle. Mine did have slight gristle on one side but overall it was tender and juicy. I would order this dish again.

The fries were nicely done - crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. 

The waitress brought around the table a choice of Dijon mustard, English mustard and Seeded mustard. For those who like tomato sauce, there was Heinz tomato ketchup on the table.

Medium Steak, Dijon Mustard, French Fries, Parsley garnishes

The service was friendly, prompt and attentive. Glasses of water were provided and then refilled without having to be requested. The meals arrived quickly, and at the same time, so we could all start eating together.  

Overall, Hare and Grace.is a good place to have lunch. The food is good, based on today's meal. Prices are not low, but are consistent with the other venues close by.  The ambiance is cosy. The staff are friendly and efficient.

Menu