The Lowdown: the Jack’s Creek steak menu

Hmm, this feels a little like self-promotion...​
Ok, yes, we admit it, we do have a vested interest in promoting this given the World Steak Challenge is a brand owned by William Reed​​, which is also the publisher of Restaurant​. But the opportunity to be able to sample several of the world’s best steaks right here in London is worth making some noise about.

Fair enough. What can you tell us about Jack’s Creek? ​
Jack's Creek has long been considered one of the best steak producers in the world, and earlier this month that reputation was further cemented when it was named producer of the World’s Best Steak at this year’s World Steak Challenge awards dinner in London. The steak in question is a grain-fed wagyu black angus cross sirloin, which was also named the World’s Best Sirloin and World’s Best Grain Fed Steak, as well as Oceanian’s Best Steak by the competition.

Quite an achievement. What makes these steaks standout?​
Jack’s Creek cattle are bred and raised on the natural pastures that surround Willow Tree in central New South Wales and then finished on a blend of grains, hay and silage. The process gives us a generously marbled steak with a full, robust and buttery flavour and a melt in your mouth texture that, frankly,

I’m salivating already. At which of the capital’s foremost restaurants can I try some of these steaks?​
Angus Steakhouse… Ok, it’s probably not what you expected seeing as the chain isn’t exactly synonymous with top quality steak, but that hasn’t stopped it launching a dedicated Jack’s Creek menu. For the uninitiated, Angus Steakhouse has been around since the late 60s and was once even listed in The Good Food Guide​, but today is often considered to be little more than a prehistoric tourist trap. In fact, comedian David Mitchell once wrote in The Guardian ​that the chain should be afforded World Heritage status​​. “These restaurants, now rarer than the Siberian tiger, are all that we have left of a proud heritage of serving shoe leather with Béarnaise sauce to neon-addled out-of-towners,” he said.

What steaks from the Jack’s Creek range are on offer?​
Perhaps inevitably given its high price point, the aforementioned grain-fed wagyu black angus cross sirloin isn’t on the menu, but five others are. They include a T-bone and côte de boeuf, as well as a sirloin, ribeye and flat iron. All the steaks come from Jack’s Creek’s 180-day grain-fed, verified pure Black Angus range and cost between £29 to £59 in price, which is certainly higher than Angus Steakhouse’s in-house options – all of which are sourced from South America – but not by much.

This is an interesting move by Angus Steakhouse…​
You’re right. It’s fair to say the business has had a difficult couple of decades. In its heyday, Angus Steakhouse had around 20 sites, but now only five remain, all of which are based in the heart of the capital. Then back in 2021, reports emerged that the group was on the brink of collapse, but somehow it managed to overcome the odds. Having done so, it would appear the business is keen to repair its reputation. “We’ve changed the menu and we want to improve the food and improve our reputation,” executive chef Pawel Jursa tells the Evening Standard​​​. “Everybody thinks we’re just a tourist trap, but we’re trying new things. We’re not trying to go upmarket, we don’t want to lose what we are entirely, but there is a huge market for steak and we want to serve good ones and give people options.”

Are the new steaks selling?​
Apparently so. Jursa adds that sales have doubled since the group introduced the Jack’s Creek steaks, and that they now account for 20-30% of orders.

Impressive. Where else can I find Jack’s Creek steaks in London?​
The producer supplies both Harrods and Fortnum & Mason, and features on the menu at Smith & Wollensky, Zuma and STK, so there’s plenty of options for those looking to sample the world’s best steaks.

And what about the other winners at this year’s World Steak Challenge?​
This year’s awards saw The World’s Best Wagyu and also Asia’s Best Steak go to Itoham Yonekyu Holdings for its A5 Wagyu sirloin from the Japanese Black (Kuroge Washu) breed of cattle; while The World’s Best Rib-Eye was awarded to Alliance Group for its 55-day aged ribeye, with the company also taking the title of World’s Best Grass-fed Steak. The World’s Best Fillet Steak and Europe’s Best Steak was a 28-day aged Norland Heifer fillet from a German Rotbunte and Charolais/Limousin breed from Danish Crown; South America’s Best Steak was a rib-eye from Azul Natural Beef; while a Creekstone Farms’ Ribeye wet-aged rib-eye steak from a Black Angus breed was named North America’s Best Steak. To find out more about all the winners, check out the World Steak Challenge website​​.