Meat Mate Opens at Indigo With Affordable Chilled Australian Beef Steaks

Meat lovers near Jiangtai now have a reason to eat steak every bloody day of the week courtesy of Meat Mate, which opened at Indigo on Sep 24. Their first location, which christened Beijing last autumn in the Phoenix Business District, sells solid chilled beef steaks imported from Australia at very affordable prices so you can skip the suit and tie, pass the posh restaurants, and get straight to chowing down on your favorite fresh flesh in a casual atmosphere or in the comfort of your own home.

The first butcher shop to sell chilled steaks only, Meat Mate’s second location is tucked away in the basement of Indigo, opposite the BHG supermarket. As its name implies, Meat Mate provides imported Australian beef steaks, including most main cuts, such as rib-eye, sirloin, oyster blade, tenderloin, shank, silverside, rump, and skirt.

We found it hard keep our eyes off the stunning floor-to-ceiling display fridges upon entering the shop; everyone’s attention was locked onto the stunning (albeit a bit macabre) crimson wall of meat, with its marbling visible from across the room. On the opposite side, sit a number of cheeses, sausages, salts, and sauces to accompany your meat. Simply pick your meat, priced according to type and weight, and request either take out (raw or cooked) or eat in, whereby they'll grill it for you, free of charge, and let the meat speak for itself with just a dash of sea salt and black pepper.

A steak weighing around 300g costs anywhere between RMB 100-300, depending on the cut. The medium-cooked rib-eye we ate came served on a wooden board and paired with a slice of lemon. Beautifully sautéed, the steak had a sizzling golden-brown outside and a nice pink inside and needed no sauce to boost its juicy texture and bold flavors.

The wait staff here are knowledgeable and professional about steaks. If you want to impress guests with a steak dinner party (or if you're just a steak-loving lush), Meat Mate can also provide wines from Australia and Spain (RMB 100-200) to pair with your meat.

Meat Mate's no-fuss approach to high-quality beef, easy cooking style, and minimal aesthetic makes dining here a refreshing change to what can often be a long, drawn-out affair. It also stands to make a great entryway for China's growing number of beef lovers to cut their teeth in this lesser-known arena. 

Meat Mate
Daily 10am-10pm. B1, Indigo Mall, 18 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District
鲜食肉铺：朝阳区酒仙桥路18号颐堤港商场LG层(BHG超市对面)

More stories by this author here.

Email: tracywang@thebeijinger.com
Twitter: @flyingfigure
Instagram: @flyingfigure

Photos: Tracy Wang