Hog’s Breath Cafe

I go to hogs breaths all over Queensland and this is probably my least favourite.
Food was good as usual, service was slow, and the actual restaurant is not on the same level as others around…

Hogs breath is hogs breath. You know what your gonna get. Only go there to get a steak if I don’t feel like driving. Maybe a new menu would make it more exciting. 18 hour slow cooked steak isn’t that fantastic. Give me flame grill any day as it is more flavoursome. Over priced also

The newest addition to the Hog’s Breath chain of steak houses is located within Garden City’s outside eating precinct. While the main selling point of Hog’s Breath has always been their slow-​cooked ribs, the menu also features steaks done in numerous ways, chick and fish dishes, burgers and wraps, and salads and pasta dishes.
I decided to forgo the ribs, instead choosing a cut of steak that comes topped with slat-​and-​pepper crumbed calamari. The steaks come accompanied with potato, in the form of curly fries, mash, or a baked potato, and a side of salad or steamed vegetables.
While the calamari that topped my steak were nice and not overcooked, they felt out of place. It really was just a steak with some calamari heaped on. No real rhyme or reason. The steak, which I ordered medium-​rare, was significantly overcooked. The steam was well done, bordering on medium, with just the faintest signs of pinkness to the meat. If you intend to eat here, take the cooking down a grade or two to get something that isn’t overdone. This made the meat a little tougher and blander than I would like, and the meat had a very strong char-​grilled taste which was a little overpowering and bordering on artificial. While the menu promises the best steak available, the reality is far from it. I should note that they offer a number of sauces to accompany the steak if you’re into steak sauce (I believe that a steak should be good enough to not need hiding behind a sauce). The cost of the steak is quite high given the poor quality of the delivery.
The sides that accompany the steak were similarly disappointing. The curly fries were certainly curly, but beyond that they weren’t properly cooked to the point where you have the outer crunch and the soft centre. The steamed vegetables, broccoli and carrot, had their life steamed out of them. My expectation from steamed vegetables is that they retain some of the crunch. These were soft and flimsy, and had gone a little white from being overdone. A little seasoning would have gone a long way on both sides.
The service is friendly, though a little frantic with the wait staff running around from sections to section and table to table. While attentive wait staff are excellent, being served by three different people is a bit much. Having the wait staff serve dedicated sections would work better and get around the problem of having to tell three different people that you’ve ordered.
The interior is fitted out with a lot of Hog’s Breath paraphernalia, which is also available for purchase (why anyone would is beyond me). The place overall feels incredibly kitschy, and reinforces that the years of the quirky steak house (or café or anything) chain are over.
Overall, Hog’s Breath is a miss. The meat is incorrectly cooked, and given the pricing you’d be better off buying a nicer cut of steak and cooking it at home. If you want a steak or ribs, go to one of the many better options.