Sydney’s first steak frites-only restaurant, by the Rockpool team, is now open

The menus are printed and ready for 24 York’s first day of service – but whether diners will need them is another story.

The latest opening from Hunter St. Hospitality, the group behind Rockpool Bar & Grill, Spice Temple and The Collective, sticks to a tight format: with just one main course, one side and one dessert.

The star of the show is the classic French bistro dish of steak frites, with chef Santi Aristizabal using the same scotch fillet cut from Gippsland that he has on the menu at sister restaurant Rockpool Bar & Grill in Melbourne.

When you offer just one steak, serious consideration is invested in its selection. The trio of culinary directors at Hunter St. Hospitality, chefs Aristizabal, Andy Evans and Shimpei Hatanaka, first eliminated other cuts such as hanger, skirt and sirloin before deciding on scotch fillet for a range of reasons, including fat content, chewiness, mouth feel and taste.

The steaks were lined up in a blind tasting of scotch fillet from 12 suppliers. Aristizabal, who oversees all three Rockpools in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, says at $48 (with chips), the 220-gram scotch fillet from Gippsland producer O’Connor is good value.

“At Rockpool in Melbourne, you pay $95 for 400g on the bone, which is around 350g bone off. The steak at 24 York is only one marble score lower [than Rockpool].”

Diners will still have some decisions to make. The steak can be cooked two ways – medium or well done – and comes with a choice of four sauces: peppercorn, mushroom, chimichurri or umami butter infused with kombu, eschalot, garlic and lemon.

To achieve a rosy pink centre, the fillets are seared on a very hot grill for two to three minutes, rested, then returned to the grill for a final char, before being seasoned with Murray River salt and served pre-cut in thick slices.

Hunter St. Hospitality chief executive Frank Tucker doesn’t hide from the fact that 24 York’s steak frites approach takes inspiration from Le Relais de l’Entrecote in France, which has successfully leaned on steak and chips for more than half a century.

He says customers increasingly appreciate venues that do a single thing well, but says critical mass is needed for the concept.

“I wouldn’t have done this in Surry Hills,” Tucker says.

With Rockpool and The Cut in its portfolio, Tucker is confident his group has the chops in the steak department. He says the decision to include chips was easy: “The one thing that always ends up on every table [that orders steak] is chips.”

The fries fall somewhere between a standard-cut chip and a French fry, and like those at Olympic Meats in Marrickville and Rosie’s in Coledale, they’re cooked in beef tallow for a richer, meatier flavour.

The single side dish is a simple green salad made with seasonal leaves and a mustard dressing.

The drinks list is equally tight and affordable. There are four house wines – two reds and two whites, priced at $12-$13 by the glass or $39-$45 by the bottle. Asahi, Resch’s and Guinness are on tap, while the cocktail selection consists of six classics, including a martini, a negroni and an Old Fashioned – all priced at $18.

The opening of 24 York also signals a shift in strategy for Hunter St. Hospitality. The venue has opened in the former home of The Bavarian, which the group decided to close after operating at the York Street site for the past 14 years, to focus on “unique venues” rather than chains. “The area’s changed,” says Tucker.

That change is reflected in the restaurant’s more refined fit-out, which is elegant without being overdone. The 200-seat restaurant nods to the New York bistro style with dark timber finishes, globe pendant lights, and intimate booths framed by short sheer shop-curtains.

And dessert? It’s a mini New York cheesecake with fresh raspberries and a quenelle of vanilla ice-cream. What more do you need?

Lunch and dinner daily.

24 York Street, Sydney, 24-york.com.au