With some overseas guests in town we wanted to show them great Aussie steak and we figured Hogs Breath Café (Darwin City), or Hoggies as everyone calls it, would be a good place. Home of "the best steak in the galaxy" and "hogspitality", will they hold the flag tall and proud or would they bring shame upon our glorious country?

I'll be honest and admit it's been a while since I last visited and have forgotten the taste of their famous 18 hour slow cooked prime rib, all I know is that it was awesome when I last had it many years ago. This week however, we went on Tuesday and then again last night for a second opinion. Both times it was a full house with wait staff running around everywhere and loud conversations going on at every table. Couple that with the unusual "outback pub" style décor and you've got a really fun atmosphere for dining out with friends. Not so much of a romantic dinner date location however if that's what you were wondering.

We had the same guy on both nights looking after us and he was very friendly and knowledgeable when taking our order. The female staff seemed more happy walking around sexily and slowly in their outfits instead of looking after the diners. We were left alone for the rest of the night until our empty plates were taken away.

I ordered mine medium rare, and it arrived along with everyone else's in just over half an hour, a bit slow considering the steak is already slow cooked and need only be seared to finish. I couldn't wait to tuck in and was rewarded with some suuuuuper tender, full of flavour and melt in your mouth goodness. It may very well be the best steak in the galaxy as far as my guests and I are concerned. The only thing stopping it from universal greatness is that the steak seems to be cooked unevenly from one end of the steak to the other, meaning that one end might be medium rare whilst the other is medium. I noticed this abnormality on both visits this week. While I'm at it, the steak could also be a bit warmer.

The sides are, well lets face it – shitty space fillers. The steamed vegies are barely cooked, the caesar salad looks like it came from the Coles salad section and the potato mash is a bit grainy and inconsistent in terms of flavour on both visits. Presentation is average and nothing special which doesn't bother me, as long as it tastes alright I'm a happy camper. Most of the mains hover around the $30 mark, with only the awesome steak justifying the price, any more and you'd feel ripped off thanks to the crappy sides.

As for our guests foodies, they were in heaven. I could see drool coming out of their mouths with every bite with taste bud orgasms occurring every few minutes. Normally a very vocal bunch, there was a period of silence where we were all just chewing, nodding and mmmm-ing, totally content with savouring the delicious steak. Same goes for my babe with her lone chicken dish. Hoggies – great steak, but I think the sides and appetizers need lots more work to match the greatness of the legendary 18 hour slow cooked prime rib.

Contact Details

Website: www.hogsbreath.com.au

Darwin restaurant

Email: [email protected]
Address: Casuarina Shopping Square

Palmerston restaurant

Phone: 8931 0885
Email: [email protected]
Address: 18 The Boulevard, Palmerston CBD.