Not that the aesthetic value stops at what you can see in the distance from your table once you’re seated though; the restaurant itself is a gorgeous 1839 heritage building constructed from charming chiselled sandstone and timber and lovingly preserved in the history-rich area of The Rocks.
The industrial chic steak and seafood restaurant is situated in a stunning pocket of the Rocks (though, it also has a venue in Perth for the Western Australia dwellers among us). The spot is close enough to the harbour’s edge to boast a killer view but far enough away from the main tourist thoroughfare to avoid the hustle and bustle without being too inaccessible or inconvenient.
Diners can choose to sit either inside or outside and we opted for the terrace. On a balmy night and with dinner views so mesmerising, who could blame us? Certainly not the other patrons, who made the same choice. Clearly an outside spot was the premium choice, making for a buzzing ambience yet it was still intimate enough for the perfect date night.
It’s not long before the affable and attentive servers take our drink orders and we settle on refreshing cocktails to get us started as we sit back to savour the last remnants of sunlight as dusk creeps upon us.
The food on offer at 6head is a steak-lover’s dream, with plenty to get the stomach grumbling within seconds of reaching for the menu.
While the Signature “Tomahawk” steak (at $370 a kg) and Caviar Bar (prices starting at $90) were among the tempting options to catch our eye, we decide to get an array of dishes from the à la carte menu to share.
You can also opt for one of the set menus, to deliver the same experience of tasting a variety of plates (these packages start at $142 per person for “The Charlotte” option) or bag a bargain with a RedBalloon voucher; a six-course tasting menu for two people and wine can be purchased for $249.
Appetisers are a hit, with the smoked Wagyu butter accompanying the artisan bread still haunting my dreams for weeks after devouring it. Meanwhile, the Mayura rump tartare and burrata served with confit peach purée, charred peach and harissa are just as delectable.
But the pièce de résistance was the main course, the steak itself. This is, of course, unsurprising given 6head’s reputation as a premium steakhouse.
We share an “Eye of Rump”, which the menu details as 300g Mayura Platinum Wagyu, grain-fed for 450 days, and a MB9+ cut. Real world translation: it was just as tender and tasty as you’d hope for, with the resident meat lover in tow (aka my +1) giving it an enthusiastic stamp of approval.
To round things out, dessert consisted of a deconstructed chocolate brownie, paired with peanut butter caramel and chocolate mousse and ice cream. Fittingly, given 6head’s steak expertise, Wagyu fat and chocolate ganache is also incorporated into the dish, adding a subtle but not overbearing hit of flavour.
And the attentive service from the restaurant employees does not go unnoticed. Having quizzed us on entry on whether we were visiting for a special occasion and us informing them that it was a birthday celebration, the team sneakily were able to write a birthday message in chocolate as they plated up and served the dessert. A special end to a special date night out.