Darren and Sarn Rudd bought Hide Steak & Bar 18 months ago and plan to open another restaurant. Photo: Erin Hee.
It’s been 18 months since Hide Steak & Bar changed hands, when it was sold by prolific restaurateur Jamie Shepley to Riverina husband-and-wife duo Darren and Sarn Rudd.
Aside from good food and drinks, the Rudds want everyone to have a good time, inspired by the couple’s overseas travels.
The chemistry between the couple is evident and together they create a dynamic that has produced some of the best grilled-meat dishes in the Riverina.
While 47-year-old Darren is a Wagga local, they fell in love in 50-year-old Sarn’s home town in Adelaide.
She moved here at Christmas 24 years ago, a fact she remembers vividly as she was pregnant with her youngest son.
“I’m a Wagga person now,” she joked.
The couple believes hospitality in Australia lags behind what they experienced in other countries. As such, they encourage their staff to make conversation and be a part of the dine-in experience, something they said was lacking in most other eateries.
“Our favourite place to go is Thailand or Bali, because of the service,” Sarn said. “They’re always smiling and will bend over backwards to give you a good experience.
“Like they’re career hospitality people. People think it’s just a stepping stone to another job, but it’s so relatable to everything you do.”
Region caught up with the duo to discuss everything hospitality, culinary influences and their plans to open a second restaurant that’s not steakhouse-related.
Best recent dining experience: Pota Pasta, just before Gabriele Rota closed his storefront. He has a food truck now.
Weirdest thing you’ve eaten: “I’m pretty conservative,” Darren said. “But I have tried sheep’s brains once. I wasn’t a fan.”
Sarn said: “Oh, century egg.”
Most embarrassing pantry item: “Maggi Gravy,” Sarn said, with a pointed look at her husband.
“Sarn gets quite offended by it,” Darren joked. “For me, it’s probably three-year-old Ferrero Rocher.”
What ingredients can you not live without: Sarn can’t live without the kitchen staples — salt, butter and olive oil.
But for Darren, it’s lime.
“You can use that in cocktails,” he said.
Best coffee spot in Wagga: Meccanico.
Next big thing in the Wagga food scene: The steakhouse duo plan to open “something different” next, which they hope will be the next big thing in Wagga’s food scene.
Hide Steak & Bar also does desserts in addition to steak and drinks. Photo: Hide Steak & Bar/Facebook.
A must-try on your Hide Steak & Bar menu: Bone-in rib eye with the bone marrow burnt butter.
A change you made at your steakhouse: Their wine selection is “forever improving”, and Darren said they were in the process of revamping their cocktail menu with some “leading-edge” and clarified fare.
They’ve also started using a charcoal grill, with sustainable charcoal from Wattle & Flame.
Biggest culinary influences: For Darren, it’s Sarn’s mind. But for the long-time chef, it’s the women in her family who taught her things she grew up thinking were common knowledge.
Sarn’s mum and nan were professional cooks under a French chef in Adelaide.
“But they weren’t trained,” she said. “They were just cooks, because they were women.
“Don’t even get me started on that.”
They taught her to make a lot of homey things, such as kangaroo tail soup, and to cook tripe. Since her nan’s passing, she has turned to her mum.
“That’s what I grew up eating,” she said.
“I still want you to look and go, ‘That’s a potato.’ We do some fancy stuff, but when it comes to the roots of everything, we want simple, honest food.”
Favourite cookbook: They don’t have a favourite cookbook, but Sarn has a favourite bookcase filled with cookbooks from the pair’s travels.
“You can’t have too many,” Sarn said. “You need inspiration.”
Death-row meal: Espresso martini, lamb roast, tiramisu (made by Sarn). In that order.
Our top-three cooking tips:
1. Taste your food.
2. Don’t always follow the recipe.
3. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.
Hide Steak & Bar is located in The Club Motel and Apartments. They are open Tuesdays to Saturdays, 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm. Follow Hide Steak & Bar on Facebook, and reservations can be made through their website.
