Location: 70 George St, Launceston TAS 7250
Price: Around $240 all up for 2 people
Website: https://blackcowbistro.com.au/
Social: https://www.instagram.com/blackcowbistro/

After stopping over in Hobart, we moved onto Launceston where we had to try the renowned Black Cow Bistro. As one of the last meals in Tassie, I made sure not to hold back and definitely walked out of the restaurant ready to explode 😂.

James: 5 out of 5 – An incredible meal start to finish and one of the best steaks I’ve ever had.

With a fairly extensive menu, you’ve got lots of choice at Black Cow Bistro, and if you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t be afraid to ask the wait staff for help as they’re quite knowledgable and can advise on the best steak for you. To start, we went for just the scallops which were delicious. They were baked with parsley, garlic butter and panko crumbs for a rich, creamy and buttery taste. These are bought individually so I’d recommend grabbing one or two max and leaving stomach space for the main course. The oysters and sashimi were also popular picks on other tables.

Onto the main course and highlight – the steaks. We went for the Scotch Fillet ($60) and the Wagyu Rump ($75) which was a great pairing for us. The Fillet was a fattier cut of meat, making it a more tender and flavourful cut. While the Wagyu was lean and had a much meatier taste with more bite to it as rump should. Both balanced well with each other and was delicious when paired with the sauces that come with the steak (1 complimentary sauce per steak). In particular I enjoyed the Roasted Garlic Demi-Glaze with the Fillet while the Truffled Bearnaise was my pick for the Wagyu. Both steaks were cooked perfectly medium rare and I could not fault them at all. 5 out of 5 steaks and some of the best I’ve ever had.

For sides, we paired the steaks with the Steamed Broccolini with Lemon/Yuzu Dressing and the Mixed Mushrooms, Parsley and Garlic Oil and again these were great. Seasoned and cooked well and perfect for cutting through the meat. The steaks also came with a Potato Galette (pictured on the plate), which is potato layered and baked in the oven and topped with Dijon cream and chives, which was also bloody delicious. They even got the potato side so right.

Finally for dessert and to reward ourselves for an awesome trip lol, we got the Lemon Tart with Cultured Cream, Honeycomb and Compressed Citrus and the Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee with Rhubarb Fool and Caramelized Brik Pastry. I personally enjoyed the Creme Brulee more, the Tart being a bit too sour for my liking. The Creme Brulee was a perfect combo of sweetness and refreshing to cleanse the palette after all the steak.

As you can see, I highly highly recommend Black Cow Bistro if you find yourself in Launceston. It’s an awesome restaurant with great food, service and overall chill vibes. Book a table beforehand to secure a seat as it does get busy and is very popular.