Vic's Meat I + II
I'd always wanted to try meat from Vic's Meat - supplier of meat to the top Sydney restaurants - and not just because of a crush on owner Anthony. So when I saw you could order retail, we put in a trial order, trying not to get carried away. I went to pick it up yesterday - all nine kilos of our order, including an outstanding-looking 4.6kg rib eye rack - the offices smelling nicely of raw meat and everyone super lovely. In my haul were 120-day aged scotch fillets, free range lamb mince, quail eggs and a share of a wagyu rare roast beef.
What a jinx then, to find Anthony, Vic's and the best Aussie butchers exporting to China as the cover story in yesterday's Good Living.
So, is the meat all it's cracked up to be? As for the prices, they're about average - some things more, some things less than what you'd pay at other butchers. But it's the quality and variety that I'm interested in. Let's put it all to the test.
Scotch Fillet With Chimichurri, Pan Fried Potatoes And A Simple Salad
When I feel like tucking into a good steak I usually don't want much else - maybe a little salad or a little mash. No sauces, nothing masking the meat. But I felt like a herby accompaniment and I wanted to try making chimichurri. Like salsa verde, it's zingy and fresh and brightens the dish and the palate. Pan fried potatoes and a simple salad of rocket, tomato and bocconcini round out this steak dinner.
Squeeze a little lemon juice and sprinkle sea salt over rocket, sliced tomatoes and bocconcini.
Parboil or microwave potatoes for two minutes on each side. Slice in quarters lengthwise.
Season the steak. Heat a little oil over medium-high heat and add the steak. Cook for a couple of minutes on each side. Medium-rare for me please. Rest the steak, covered in foil. In the same frypan heat a little more oil and add the potatoes. Cook on each side until golden. Sprinkle with sea salt. Tuck in.
Verdict: The scotch fillet was good, hardly any fat. I ate the whole 300g steak before Spanish and usually a steak would sit in my tummy like a brick for the rest of the night but I didn't feel a thing with this. Maybe it was because there wasn't much fat that the meat was quite mild in flavour and I was hoping for a meatier punch, especially being 120-day aged. I'll try again.
We bought a two kilo whole wagyu rare roast beef for something a bit special. It's seasoned and best taken out of the fridge 10 minutes before, and sliced thinly. We've been enjoying it in wraps with vegies and I'll be trying my share warm in pasta and salads.
Verdict: Delicious, perfect for something different.
Mum: "I watched a documentary on obituaries last night. I ate the last of the lamb and then said I would never eat meat again!"
Me: (slightly confused, nothing more than usual, chatting away, then) "...do you mean abitoirs?"
Mum: "Yes".
What a jinx then, to find Anthony, Vic's and the best Aussie butchers exporting to China as the cover story in yesterday's Good Living.
So, is the meat all it's cracked up to be? As for the prices, they're about average - some things more, some things less than what you'd pay at other butchers. But it's the quality and variety that I'm interested in. Let's put it all to the test.
Scotch Fillet With Chimichurri, Pan Fried Potatoes And A Simple Salad
When I feel like tucking into a good steak I usually don't want much else - maybe a little salad or a little mash. No sauces, nothing masking the meat. But I felt like a herby accompaniment and I wanted to try making chimichurri. Like salsa verde, it's zingy and fresh and brightens the dish and the palate. Pan fried potatoes and a simple salad of rocket, tomato and bocconcini round out this steak dinner.
Squeeze a little lemon juice and sprinkle sea salt over rocket, sliced tomatoes and bocconcini.
Parboil or microwave potatoes for two minutes on each side. Slice in quarters lengthwise.
Season the steak. Heat a little oil over medium-high heat and add the steak. Cook for a couple of minutes on each side. Medium-rare for me please. Rest the steak, covered in foil. In the same frypan heat a little more oil and add the potatoes. Cook on each side until golden. Sprinkle with sea salt. Tuck in.
Verdict: The scotch fillet was good, hardly any fat. I ate the whole 300g steak before Spanish and usually a steak would sit in my tummy like a brick for the rest of the night but I didn't feel a thing with this. Maybe it was because there wasn't much fat that the meat was quite mild in flavour and I was hoping for a meatier punch, especially being 120-day aged. I'll try again.
We bought a two kilo whole wagyu rare roast beef for something a bit special. It's seasoned and best taken out of the fridge 10 minutes before, and sliced thinly. We've been enjoying it in wraps with vegies and I'll be trying my share warm in pasta and salads.
Verdict: Delicious, perfect for something different.
+++
Speaking of meat, best mum-ism to date:Mum: "I watched a documentary on obituaries last night. I ate the last of the lamb and then said I would never eat meat again!"
Me: (slightly confused, nothing more than usual, chatting away, then) "...do you mean abitoirs?"
Mum: "Yes".
posted by Julia at 10:39 PM
7 Comments:
Great 'mum-ism'.
Go the Wagyu!
She is full of them, bless her cotton socks!
yum.
yum.
yum.
oh i saw that documentary too. it certainly makes you think about where your food comes from. i was squirming at certain parts, and lj was saying "don't watch it if it makes you uncomfortable" - but i think one should know the reality of where food comes from. i think if everyone did we would treat animals and what we eat far more humanely.
love your mum's comment. did she finish all her wagyu?
I didn't see it, although I remember Rick Stein's look at it, and from that point I decided to go to good butchers who source their meat from smaller, quality farms, which from what I read kill the animals more humanely.
I wanted to try Vic's before I got her in to order with us, but as for meat she will definitely keep eating it :-)
i've spent the last 3 years hand feeding cattle through the drought, watching the weak ones die or be shot if we got to them in time...i am under no illusions about where our food comes from.
Exactly.
Also it's the major supermarkets I won't support.
Post a Comment
<< Home