Australian Steakhouse Brontë Serves the Bone-In Ribeye of Your Dreams

(SPOT.ph) If there is one kind of restaurant Metro Manila is not in want of, it’s the steakhouse. For the average meat-lover, naming 10 good spots for a fancy steak dinner off the top of your head isn’t a real challenge, and you’ll find them everywhere from hotels and casinos to malls and office buildings doing what they do best: the deceptively simple yet low-key difficult art of searing and serving up generous portions of consistently tender, ridiculously juicy cuts of beef.

Competition is stiff, to say the least—but the Metro’s newest steakhouse to enter the arena isn’t very interested in being the best. Tucked into the quieter corner of Makati, Aussie native Chef Wade Watson and actor and proprietor Derek Ramsay’s Brontë (pronounced “brawn-tee”) is dedicated instead to being different: celebrating and cooking up thick, proudly Australian steak and produce in its own exacting way and at its own deliberate pace.

The first clue that you’re in for something different at Brontë is its utter audacity in opening away from hotel grandeur and neighborhood foot traffic. Instead, it’s set up shop near the tail end of Jupiter St, on the top floor of luxurious design haven the Levanto Building alongside other fine dining spots like Tadhana, Mireia, Hakka, and Taglish. Unless you happen to live in Bel-Air, it’s the sort of place you'll go out of your way for.

And Brontë definitely gives you a welcome, with crisp white tablecloths balanced out with a space decked out with fluted walls, Bordeaux-colored drapes, stunning yucca plants (fun fact: co-owner Derek Ramsay’s contribution), and warm, earthy tones everywhere else. When they’re down, the blinds on the windows facing the greenery of Urdaneta Village shield you from the worst of Metro Manila’s heat, and really, the rest of the world. It feels intimate, like you could spend ages in it over good drinks and conversation as you wait for your steak—or as their menu puts it, “the main event.”

“Filipinos love steak,” states Chef Wade Watson simply; it’s an observation he’s gathered from 11 years of running Legazpi Village’s Aussie comfort food institution Bondi & Bourke, which is itself known for serving a mean striploin and tomahawk. “There are so many successful steakhouse chains in Metro Manila, but for Brontë, we wanted to go down the path of Australian meat. Not because I’m patriotic, because I’m not, but because I think it’s superior, and I’ll argue it with anyone.”

There are nine steaks on the menu at Brontë, ranging from classic striploin and rib-eye to showstopping bone-in Porterhouse and Cote de Bœf made to share, and nearly all of them are sourced from some of the finest estates of New South Wales and Queensland. Each is deliberately chosen for its specific flavors, character, and marbling—and the specific grades for the latter are even listed per steak on the menu. The majority of Brontë’s other proteins (and nearly all dairy and cheese) also come from Down Under, including their barramundi, salmon, and lamb chops.

“[With Australian meat,] you get three or four different flavor profiles when you eat it,” explains Wade. “And the flavor lingers, and it’s pleasant. And that comes down to Australia’s more stringent regulations, so you end up with a nicer product. And that’s basically why I wanted to open a steakhouse just to focus on it.”

While its space may look fairly standard for an upscale steakhouse, Brontë deliberately moves away from some of the conventions of its American counterparts. For one, its food menu is rather lean, spanning one sheet of paper in generously-sized font you won’t need to pull your glasses out to read. In fact, you could argue that its beverage menu and wine list—heavy on Champagne and bubbly, for those looking to really dine in style—are longer.

Second is its obvious joy in more unusual cuts of beef. If you are after your usual fatty rib-eyes or leaner striploins, Brontë will deliver. But if you truly want a shining showcase of what this new take on Australian steakhouse dining really has to offer, you go really big with the Côte de Bœf Carrara Bone-In (P14,900/1.2kg).

Easily good for three to four people, this whopping cut of rib comes with intense marbling that gives each luxurious bite lots of juiciness and a gloriously buttery taste. The zingy mustard it’s served with has an addicting kick that keeps things from getting too heavy—though the nicely sharp fresh horseradish they’ll offer to grate over your steak will already do a great job.

Eagle-eyed meat lovers will notice that this steak is entirely pink between its seared crusts, which is something that you only get with a skilled reverse sear and lots of time—though a casual diner will definitely notice that it takes upwards of 45 minutes.

“Anything over 500 grams, you have to wait at least an hour for,” says Chef Wade bluntly. “I’m unapologetic about that because I cook it to my own standard. You can cook steaks a lot quicker, but for thick four-inch cuts, we fire it in the oven at a low temperature, and it will sit in there for an hour. And then it’s got to rest. All together, that gets you a more tender and juicy steak that is pink from top to bottom. No grey bits. Nice and even all the way through.”

It’s definitely worth the wait—but that’s not to say you’ll starve, with plenty of other items on the menu to keep your taste buds plenty occupied. The first thing the menu itself will recommend getting is a drink, and they have plenty of them, with or without alcohol. For cocktails, there’s no better place to start than the easy, breezy Brontë (P590) with peach, strawberry, and Prosecco; though if you’re skipping the booze, the citrusy Jumping Jax (P265) (named after Wade’s child) has a playfully gingery kick.

In theory, you could wait with your drinks and just their complimentary Japanese Milkbread— already an experience in itself with French butter, tomato jam, and date chutney to go with each fragrant and pillowy bite—but where would the fun be in that?

Their seared Japanese Scallops (P1,890) with a chimichurri sauce and tarragon butter are a great place to start. But if you’re looking for something subtler, there’s the Burrata & Prosciutto (P1,390), a clever balancing act that lets delicate stracciatella shine without overpowering it with the fresher flavors of tomatoes, basil aioli, and cured meat.

Being at a steakhouse is no excuse to skip your greens, and their very brunch-coded Australian Wedge Salad (P1,090) with avocados, brie, eggs, and house-made ranch is a fresh take on the Aussie steakhouse staple. Meanwhile, the Persian Feta Salad (P790) with apples, pecans, and a nicely funky goat’s cheese from Meredith Farms is a treat for those who like their salads on the sweet-savory end of the spectrum.

That’s not to say that steak is the only main on the menu at Brontë. You’ve got classic Australian Lamb Chops (P3,490) with mint sauce, as well as the Barramundi Meuniere (P2,890), which showcases a proudly Aussie fish with lots of French butter, vine tomatoes, and capers to give it a lift. And if you’ve got a hankering for something heftier, their elegant Linguini Rosa (P1,890) pairs tomato and lime salsa with gorgeously roasted tiger prawns.

All this together with whatever glorious steak of your choosing, and it’d be nothing short of a miracle if you were anything less than stuffed. But for those with a separate compartment for sweet things, Brontë does have Aussie dessert staples on hand, including their fluffy and butterscotch-forward Sticky Toffee Pudding (P590), their Dark Chocolate Tart (P590) filled with bittersweet ganache and salted caramel, as well as their classic Pavlova (P590), appearling like a cloud of meringue on your plate with plenty of berries and mango to keep it down to earth.

When the wine’s been emptied, the steak devoured, and the last crumbs of dessert licked off their respective plates at Brontë, you’ll likely find that hours have passed without you noticing. Because beyond being simply a fine dining establishment where you can enjoy some luxurious steak and seafood, it is the kind of place that encourages good conversation and indulgence at your own pace.

“Good things take time, and that includes steak,” says Wade. “You can order it ahead or order a smaller cut if you’re in a hurry. But if you’re going to come in here and rush me, you can f*ck off. Shut up, relax, and enjoy.”