Stake out your own cut at novel venue

Brett Adkins

IT‘S different, the quality is superb and the value for money outstanding. Sounds too good to be true? Well, not if you‘re in the middle of a suburban butchery which has a solid reputation for its A-grade cuts. Only thing is, you‘re not just picking your personally selected, vacuum-packed steak from the refrigerator to take home – you‘re sitting down to a beer or glass of wine while the staff immediately grill it and present it to you, with your chosen trimmings, a short while later.

Charlo Butchery in Luke Avenue has added “Bakery and Grill” to its name and is now home to a very casually laid out dining area adjacent to the butchery floor shop where, on top of enjoying a great cut of meat or their spare rib specials, there are all sorts of other items to choose from – sausage bar, deli, bakery, dessert section, breakfast menu, even a pizza oven. There‘s also a full bar service with several wine specials.

It‘s not a big space – but with all the genuine atmosphere of sitting in the middle of a brightly-lit, working kitchen and bakery and with tables in close proximity, it takes on a delightful air of bonhomie.

My mate Andrew and I – having developed a serious mid-week appetite – were taken through the specials by the attentive staff and then it was explained how, if we wished, we could go over to the butchery section, select our steak from an extensive array, and then just wave our table flag for attention.

And here‘s where the value for money aspect really kicks in.

The price you pay for your steak is the retail cost on the packaging – there‘s no charge for the preparation, only the extras like chips, baked potato, veggies, salads and sauces, and even these are very reasonably priced.

Andrew selected a man-size 460g rump (R59,78 – and it‘s interesting to note that the price per kilogram of the A-grade cuts is also reflected on your bill), while I opted for a substantially sized 320g fillet (R63,18).

We also ordered chips with each meal (R12) – very generous portions – and just a single green salad to share (R12) which was more than enough to add as a fresh and crunchy side to the dishes.

The steaks were delicious, melt-in-the-mouth affairs – my fillet was ultra-tender, juicy and done just the way I had requested: medium-rare.

The rump was not quite the medium-well Andrew had asked for, being slightly underdone, but this was immediately rectified on the grill upon request and he tucked in eagerly.

Price of our beers was also good – R10 for a 330ml – and freshly-baked bread was served. Service was spot-on.

To be able to enjoy a top quality and very substantial steak meal like this for two (pretty hungry) people for under R179 is, by all comparisons, great value and I can‘t wait to get back.

Life