burger boy and I are both huge fans of dude food and The Merrywell. My post about one of the many American feasts we had at The Merrywell is going back a few years so here’s a new one from my writer Karina who headed there last week to taste their winning steak sandwich by new head chef Ryan Ebbs.
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When I think of a Steak Sandwich I naturally think of a large piece of juicy steak encased in big toasted burger bread with cheese oozing all over it. I did not imagine I would be eating a sandwich like The Merrywell’s newest edition and winner of WA’s Steak Sandwich Competition.
Unlike most traditional steak sandwiches comes Ryan Ebbs’ (The Merrywells freshly arrived Head Chef) ‘To The Mex’. A fresh exciting new steak sandwich that didn’t have the big juicy steak, but instead a slow cooked chilli rubbed wagyu rump that was delicate and pulled away so beautifully with each bite.
The bread was made by Perth’s very own Little Home Bakery and was elegantly toasted on the outside, but still warm and soft on the inside making it the perfect bread to hold the sandwich and soak up all those beautiful juices. Already you can see the making of a something great, but Ebbs’ addition of the pickled cabbage, southern salsa, black bean puree, guacamole and sour cream made it seem like Mexico had just arrived on your plate. Essentially making one of the most perfect combinations of Australian and Mexican flavours.
Though the Jalapenos made it a little bit spicy for me, I still enjoyed every mouthful. The pickled cabbage was my favorite part to the sandwich as it offered so much freshness without being just ordinary cabbage. For $26 ‘To The Mex’ is exactly the sort of creative inventive ‘dude food’ sandwich that can be loved by anyone (not just Dude Food lovers!).
As well as making Perth’s best steak sandwich The Merrywell also has a variety of other American style inspired treats such as The Real NY Sirloin Steak ($39) and the very interesting sounding Donut Doubler ($26), a burger with a grilled donut! Check out this post for more on The Merrywell’s menu.
My favourites were undoubtedly the lollipop buffalo wings with blue cheese fondue, hot sauce and celery sticks ($21) and the mac & cheese bites with house made HP dip ($18).
I must say I am not usually a fan of wings as I find them a little messy and sometimes tough to eat. But these were delicious and simply fell of the bone! The hot sauce definitely packed a punch, luckily the blue cheese fondue complimented the spice perfectly and cooled your mouth down just in time to avoid any embarrassment.
The best part of it all however were the mac & cheese bites. I simply couldn’t get enough of them.
At one point during lunch, I just had to move the plate away from me because I couldn’t think of another way to stop myself! The inside was creamy and cheesy exactly like mac and cheese should be. But the outside is what made it so special. The crispiness of the outside reminded me of when I was a child fighting for the corner piece of my mum’s mac and cheese so I could get all that crispy baked cheese. Except my experience at The Merrywell’s was better because there was no fighting and a lot of delightful crispiness. The house made HP sauce finished off the plate flawlessly.
The Merrywell is a great place for a good hearty sort of a meal. But don’t be disheartened if you’re after something lighter because they also have a range of salads; or if you’re just not that hungry The Merrywell chips with crisp ripped potatoes and bacon aioli is a sure winner.
I had a wonderful time at The Merrywell trying their winning Steak Sandwich and I cannot wait to go back soon to see what new and exciting food is on their next menu.
A bit about Karina
If someone were to record all my thoughts for a day, they would be astonished by the perpetual insatiable hunger I have for food. I constantly desire food, but not just any food, the most fabulous food I can find. From healthy low-carb high-protein power balls to decadent chocolate filled desserts, I will readily devour anything that looks and tastes fabulous!
Disclaimer: foodie cravings was invited as a guest to The Merrywell, please see disclosure policy for more details.