David Chang’s second season of Ugly Delicious dropped on Netflix in early March. While season one explored tacos, pizza, and fried rice, season two so far is diving deep into the history and culture around kids lunches, Indian cuisine, and meat on the spit — all the while showcasing some of the world’s best restaurants.
Episode three in the second season is centred around steak. And throughout the course of the 52-minute love letter to the classic dish, Chang and his pals visit not one, but two Sydney restaurants to dine on their delicious steak offerings.
Three Sydney haunts in total feature throughout the episode, and if you’re keen to visit them and dine on the same dishes as the Michelin star-awarded chef, then you’ll be thankful for our wrap up below.
But you’d better get there quick; restaurants that feature in Chang’s shows typically tend to pack out pretty quick following the mass exposure.
Macelleria
The name translates to ‘butcher shop’ in Italian, and that’s exactly what this place is. Described by Chang’s friend Danny McBride as “fast food steak” the store allows patrons to order a specific piece of steak portion uncooked, before having it grilled to their exact liking.
“It’s a good steak,” Chang says, praising the accessibility of the quality cut at an affordable price point.
Chang visited Macelleria on Bondi Beach, but a second canteen is situated in Newtown on Enmore Road. There are also three outposts in Melbourne and a fourth Victoria location in Geelong.
Firedoor
Chang stops by Surry Hills fine-dining spot, Firedoor, where everything that sees heat on the menu is cooked over, you guessed it, fire. With Momofuku Seiōbo head chef Paul Carmichael in tow, the two sit down to feast on the cut that Firedoor head chef and owner Lennox Hastie says “ruins steak for quite a lot of people”.
“This is as pure of cooking you could possibly do,” says Chang of the cooking over fire method, as he watches his 203-day, dry-aged rib of beef steak being cooked — it’s a cut that costs patrons $220 when they visit.
“This is really, really, really good. I have nothing more to say,” Chang says tasting it for the first time, adding: “Dude, for certain this is the best bone I’ve ever had.”
Firedoor is situated at 23-33 Mary Street, Surry Hills.
Momofuku Seiōbo
Though Chang didn’t dine in Momofuku Seiōbo, at least not that was aired in the season, the restaurant, as well as its head chef Paul Carmichael, is featured many times throughout the show.
The two-hatted eatery celebrates Caribbean cuisine through the best in Australian produce, and has been awarded many accolades in the nine years since it first opened.
The seasonal and ever-evolving 10-course tasting menu runs over 2.5 hours and is $185pp. Momofuku Seiōbo is located inside the Star Casino in Pyrmont.