The Steakhouse
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MEAT lovers are spoilt for choice these days.
Called simply The Steakhouse, it specialises in Black Angus Beef from Australia. Black Angus is a breed of cow that originated from Scotland and is known for its tenderness and flavour.
The meat at The Steakhouse is certainly good. I would rate it above that at The Prime Society, but not as great as what you get at Morton's of Chicago, which uses USDA Prime from America.
But to be fair, average prices are lower than Morton's, as well as Prime Society's.
Steakhouse's fillet mignon ($44 for 300g), which apparently comes from a 200-day grain-fed cow, is appropriately tender and juicy.
If you prefer a fatter cut like the New York striploin ($48 for 300g), as the well-distributed fat releases bursts of flavour when you chew on the meat.
The only downside is that the cut sometimes comes with a fatty rind attached to a sinewy stub that can be pretty tough on the jaws.
All the steaks come with a choice of sauce, with flavours such as pepper, mushroom, mustard or herb butter.
These are served on the side, so by all means pick one. But my advice is to try your steak without the sauce. That way, you really get to savour the beef.
A unique design concept for the restaurant is that the steaks are grilled in the middle of the dimmed dining room. The grill is set in a round stone island underneath a huge hood to suck up the smells.
Your steak goes straight from the grill to the table once it is done, staying nice and warm on the plate.
Steaks may be the focus here but non-beef eaters need not fight shy of the place. There are other meats on the menu that are just as good, such as the pan-roasted Australian pork chop ($26). It is a chunky piece of meat that is delightfully tender. The marinade, with its herb and honey flavours, gives it an aromatic top note, but it is the flavourful juices of the pork that linger on the palate.
The meat is served with brandy Pommery mustard cream sauce, but as with the steaks, I like it better on its own.
The oven roasted lamb rack ($42) is nicely tender but I would prefer it more seared. Sizzled fat always tastes good, and cooking the meat a wee bit longer would, perhaps, have rid it of its somewhat strong smell.
Among the non-meat offerings, I would suggest the watermelon salad ($12) as a starter.
It is a pretty dish with cubes of lightly pan-grilled watermelon topped with a herb-tomato concasse. The sweet-savoury flavours are interesting, and the dish makes a good precursor to the meats.
Or, if you have less adventurous tastebuds, go for a more traditional warm baby spinach salad ($16). The chef is a tad over-generous with the olive oil, but the combination of greens, sliced mushrooms and bacon bits is classic.
You can give the crab cakes ($22) a miss though, until the chef finds a better recipe. What you get now are four small lumps composed of dry flakes of crab with little flavour.
A good crab cake needs to be crisp on the outside and moist inside, with the shellfish supported by a delicate blend of herbs and seasonings as well as, perhaps, some chopped vegetables and a dollop of mayonnaise.
Desserts here include perennial favourites such as tiramisu and bread and butter pudding. But if you are feeling the weight of the steaks after your main course, the prune sorbet ($12) is just the thing to end the meal with.
It's only slightly sweetened and the tinge of tartness, coupled with the icy sensation, are perfect for a clean finish.
The Steakhouse
3B River Valley Road, 01-14 Clarke Quay, Tel: 6332-1010
Open: 6 to 11pm Sundays to Wednesdays,
6pm to midnight Thursdays to Saturdays.
Price: Budget from $70 per person for a three-course dinner without drinks -
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i tot at Millenia Walk oso have?