When my husband and I visited Launceston about a month before we officially moved here, one of the locals told us that we must go to The Black Cow Bistro if we wanted to try one of the best steaks in town. Unfortunately we weren't able to fit it into our brief 36 hour visit, and with the craziness of moving and settling in, it took us a good three months to actually get organised and make a booking.
As with many new places we've tried recently, it wasn't until a friend of ours from Sydney made plans to stay with us for a few days that we figured it would be a good excuse to sample what we had heard were the best steaks in Launceston.
The Black Cow Bistro is located in the centre of Launceston, in a previously occupied butchery. It is in the same family as Launceston's famous Stillwater Restaurant and specialises in premium Tasmanian beef cuts.
We made our booking for a Friday evening, and upon entering at 6:30pm, the restaurant was completely filled. I knew I couldn't come here without ordering a steak, so I decided on the Cape Grim Eye Fillet, served with their roasted garlic demi-glaze. We also chose a few sides to share, including some roasted honey brown mushrooms with thyme and garlic, and the baked sweet potato with harissa yoghurt.
It is fair to say that every positive review I had heard about this restaurant was not wrong. The steak was incredibly tender, juicy and lean, and the accompanying potato galette with dijon cream and chives was an excellent addition to the meal. Both the mushrooms and the baked sweet potato were also beautifully cooked and paired very well with the steak.
As is often the case, I had eyed off the dessert menu beforehand (some may call it greed, I like to call it being organised and planning ahead), so I knew that I wanted to try the frozen caramel slice with salted hazelnut caramel, chocolate soil, tonka bean clotted cream and vanilla tuille. The two boys decided to share one of these, however I myself am rather opposed to sharing dessert, so ordered my own one (a decision I did not regret).
The service was particularly noteworthy - we had only been waiting 15 minutes or so for our dessert, when our waitress came to the table apologising for the delay, and offered each of us a glass of dessert wine on the house. Definitely a tick of approval in my books.
While The Black Cow Bistro is on the pricier end of dining options in Launceston, it is definitely worth visiting if you have a special occasion to celebrate (or just need an excuse to consume a delicious meal).
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