The Loft Bar and Grill at the Duxton

It's a bit of a thing for an Australian man to announce that he's had a really, really good steak. But there it is. "I think this might be the best steak I've been served in Canberra," my partner says, taking another bite of his Angus rump at The Loft.

It's a pretty impressive looking steak. The crust is big, rich and brown with plenty of charry flavour. Inside it's full of beefy tenderness, juicy and soft. Help it along with that dark gravy. Top it all off with a scoop of wobbly marrow straight from the bone served alongside the meat. He's right. It's a very good steak. It's delightful.

The Loft started out as a pop-up restaurant at the Duxton, O'Connor's perenially popular local. It was officially only slated to run for three months but has now been turned into a permanent fixture in the upstairs area next to the Duxton's cocktail bar, which on this occasion is playing host to a lively group of twenty and thirty-somethings enjoying post-work drink celebrations.

The restaurant itself is a lot quieter, sparsely filled tonight, and we've got a table by the window, overlooking the street. Instagrammers be warned – it's fairly dark in here, as though the lighting isn't designed so much to be softly romantic as to add a certain noir mystique. Is that a femme fatale seated by herself at a table for three, gazing out the window by the glow of a street lamp? Of course not, it's our friend, in a glamorous cinched dress straight from her public service job and bundled against the inner north chill in a smart coat. Tables are white clad, simple, and there's a set of banquettes down one side and a couple of potted plants for greenery.

A chickpea crepe ($12) is more like a waffle, crisp on the outside and doughy inside with some rather bland chickpeas and a tangle of caramelised onion. A handful of thin fried sage leaves on top doesn't add much other than a slight bitterness and some crunch. Grilled baby squid ($16) are a touch overdone. But the plate of arancini ($14) are perfect. One bite and you meet proper mushroom risotto, well cooked inside that burnished deep-fried shell, and then you're contending with long golden strands of melting cheese, as though the arancini just can't let you go. What else to do but pop the whole thing in your mouth and go back for more?

That Angus rump steak ($28) is clearly the star here tonight for dinner. Other mains include a dish of grilled prawns ($28) which are a generous serve but again a little overcooked. Risotto with fennel and lobster looks pretty, served with a big lotus flower-like arrangement of crisp fennel on top. The chunks of lobster are okay, not amazing, sweet but briny, and the risotto underneath is fairly plain despite being suffused with saffron.

There's a limited selection by the glass in the wine department but plenty of satisfying cocktails from a good list. But we get good service, with knowledgeable recommendations from the waitress who performs an act of kindness bringing our friend a taste of wine that's not strictly on the menu any more.

Desserts are pretty well brilliant. There might be only three dishes on the dessert list but they hit plenty of on-trend notes without becoming overly hipster or, worse, being boring. Deep-fried apple pie ($16) is chunky, crisp, full of hot spicy apple and good for mopping up cinnamon whisky sauce and a ball of creamy vanilla ice-cream. A chilli chocolate ice-cream sandwich ($16) isn't afraid to get you with chilli heat and follow up with a wave of dark chocolate. Brown sugar pavlova manages to be super chewy and light and fluffy at the same time, a really satisfying sugar hit with a crisp bottom and a pleasing scattering of tart rhubarb and strawberry slices across the top.

The Loft gives the Duxton an extra element – an excellent option for a fancy meal with all the convenience of your inner north local pub. Or if you just feel like a great steak and a couple of satisfying desserts and the chance to kick on later.