Salt Bae’s R30k golden steak: How do premium SA cuts compare pricewise?

I did a double take at the R900 price tag of a T-bone — OK, it was for two people — at famed chef Luke Dale Robert’s recently opened Short Market Club in Rosebank, Johannesburg.

That’s until I stumbled across the media hype surrounding a golden tomahawk sold at the newish Nusr-Et Steakhouse in London for a whopping £1,450 (about R30,000). This beef rib-eye is served on the bone, a long one, and comes covered in 24-carat gold leaf. Yes, the bling is edible albeit tasteless.

Nusr-Et is one of a global chain of restaurants owned by Turkish butcher and social media sensation Nusret Gökçe aka Salt Bae, who shot to fame after a video showing his flamboyant method of seasoning meat went viral in 2017. 

Lovers of a good steak, South Africans aren’t scared of spending money on meat, so I did a quick price comparison with a couple of Joburg eateries.

Rosebank’s upmarket Marble restaurant is owned by celeb chef David Higgs and his business partner Gary Kyriacou who pride themselves in their steaks cooked over an open fire. Their most expensive options include “top quality” locally-sourced beef: a 750g sirloin on the bone for R1,150 and the same weight of prime rib for R1,250.

Parktown North’s The Local Grill, which is owned by Steakhouse Champion chef Steve Maresch, offers a huge 3.5kg locally-sourced Wagyu tomahawk steak that will feed six for R4,500.

Whereas at the San Antonio Spur in Sandton City, their most expensive cut, a 300g beef fillet, will set you back just under R200.