The Falconer

The Falconer

31 Oxford St

Darlinghurst NSW 2010

Ph: (02) 9267 8434

You know how it is when you suddenly get a craving for the comfort food that is a steak sandwich?

Yes, that.

Unfortunately, wanting a steak sandwich and being able to find a steak sandwich at that exact time…a quick online search lead to the tantalising possibility that one might possibly be available at the old Oxford St stalwart which has been revitalised in the last few years through new ownership, The Falconer.

As a young kid, for a number years there was an almost weekly treat of a fabulous steak sandwich from a particular café in Canberra. It was a cut above the average 'old school' steak sandwich, as not only was the takeaway container a polystyrene box, but the steak was always good quality and cooked to medium, never well done, as tends to be the default position with steak sandwiches.

Fortunately, there was a steak sandwich on the lunchtime menu at The Falconer.

Described as a “steak sandwich with smoked mozzarella, crispy onion, slow roasted tomato and fries”, at $16 I wondered - would it be worth it?

The steak knife boded well.

It turned out to be not only an open sandwich, but only on a single slice of (toasted) bread, so if you want a sandwich that you can get your hands around and bite into, this is not for you. I admit that I’d have liked that second slice of bread.

The amount of bread notwithstanding, this is a pretty good steak sandwich, the beef generous in portion, tender and juicy. The melted smoked mozzarella, was something that I wasn’t so sure about, but once I ate it, I was pretty convinced. The crispy onions, fried to a point similar to that of fried shallots, were tasty, but occasionally a bit of a bugger to eat, as they kept on falling off.  The shoestring fries were generous in quantity, crisp and decently salted, the mixed greens not really dressed, and not really all that exciting, but providing some food greenery I guess.

As well as the steak sandwich, I ordered a blood orange juice ($5). This was surprisingly rather bland, I shall not order it again.

Was the sandwich worth the $16, and would I order again? I enjoyed it and would eat it again happily, but if I were to have another steak sandwich craving, I am not sure that I would necessarily wish to spend $16 each time.

However, the Falconer is a very welcoming comfortable place, and this was not my first visit there, nor will it be my last.

[AP]