Chifley’s Bar and Grill

Chifley’s Bar and Grill in the Hotel Kurrajong

It’s Thursday evening and Bron and I go to dinner at Chifley’s Bar and Grill in the Hotel Kurrajong. The restaurant was named after Ben Chifley (Australia’s sixteenth prime minister) and the restaurant specialises in beef and locally sourced produce.

As we arrive at about 7 pm we notice the courtyard with many of the tables occupied with local Canberrans enjoying an after work drink. The clue to knowing they are local Canberrans is that many of them are still wearing lanyards bearing Australian Government identification tags (and they’re also dressed in business attire).

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On confirming our reservation we’re shown to a table near the kitchen and the function rooms. It’s a relatively quiet night in the restaurant so we effectively get a waiter to ourselves. The service is very good. Our waiter is knowledgeable about the menu and very helpful. He attends to us fairly regularly through the evening asking if we’re okay and checking that the food is meeting our expectations.


For an entrée I went for the crispy sardine fillets (with salsa rossa).

Grilled sardines at Chifley's Bar and Grill in Hotel Kurrajong
Grilled sardines

The sardines were crispy and tasty. This is the first time I’ve eaten sardines that weren’t from a tin in oil. I could definitely eat a bigger plate of these.


For a main meal dish I went for steak, after all Chifley’s Bar and Grill is all about the premium steaks it serves and I ordered the  Sher wagyu fi Scotch fillet with a marbling score of 5+. I asked for horseradish aioli and the steaks came with celeriac purée.

Sher Wagyu Fi Scotch fillet +5 at Chifley's Bar and Grill at Hotel Kurrajong
Sher Wagyu Fi Scotch fillet +5 with celeriac purée and horseradish aioli

When I got my piece of steak I thought I’d died and gone to food heaven. I’ve never enjoyed steak so much. 

We also got some pommes frites which were delightful.


For dessert I had the vanilla panna cotta. It was nice.

Vanilla panna cotta at Chifley's Bar and Grill at Hotel Kurrajong
Vanilla panna cotta

I’m very happy to recommend Chifley’s Bar and Grill. The steak is amazing. I would like to become a regular steak eater here.