A High Steaks Game

The French know their way around a steak, and @langelus.sg are steak savants. They have three different cuts of steak, and my father couldn’t resist the allure of the 300 gram Black Angus Entrecôte (Ribeye, $60++). I mean, can you blame him after looking at this beautiful beef?⠀
⠀
The steak sports the aesthetically pleasing diamond grill marks on top of a satisfactory sear, and it was served medium rare, flirting dangerously close to rare territory. That was some masterful work from the chef, and the Black Angus steak certainly impressed. Seasoned superbly yet simply, the beef was tremendously tender and required minimal effort to cut & chew.⠀
⠀
The accoutrements were a fantastic fit for the steak. The sautéed mushrooms were outstanding with their salty, meaty chewiness, and were a capable complement to the stellar steak. The potato gratin was superbly seasoned, and it was soft and fluffy right down the middle of all those layers. Each layer is breathtakingly buttery too, so this little rectangle of potato is utterly piquant.⠀
⠀
Unfortunately, even though the French are renowned for their saucy sensibilities, the red wine sauce served along with the steak was a disappointment. It was too thin and was lacking in salt, and sure I fully understand that it’s no bordelaise sauce, I was expecting a bit more flair from the sauce.⠀
⠀
Even though the sauce was sadly subpar, the entrecôte was still exquisitely enchanting. Sixty bucks is quite pricey, but the unquestionable quality is most certainly worth the splurge for a special occasion, or as an extravagant indulgence.

And now at long last, we finally get stuck into some proper pub grub at @harryssingapore, starting with the Argentinian Ribeye ($29++). Now this is a proper steak dinner, as the sizeable steak is backed up by Harry’s indecently irresistible spiced fries and a salad dressed in a balsamic reduction because we’re going healthy. The ribeye steak is tastefully tender and well marbled with intramuscular fat, and it’s done the only way steaks should be done: a majestic medium rare. It’s sufficiently seasoned, but there’s a savoury steak sauce that’s been muddled with a little chimichurri on the side if you want that extra flavour fiesta. The vegetables are fresh with a pleasing crispness to them, and those fries are crispy and seasoned sensationally.⠀
⠀
Thank you for the invite, @harryssingapore & @burpple!

Hey look at us, dining at a halal steakhouse with nary a drop of alcohol. Who would’ve thought? Not me! @asapnco might just be the swankiest steakhouse that’s halal (or Muslim friendly at the very least), and they pride themselves on their choice cuts of cow from the most prized of bovine breeds.⠀
⠀
My order of the Southern Ranges Hereford breed mixed with Angus ribeye ($47++ for 300 grams) was flawless. It was perfectly medium rare as I ordered, and the juicy & tremendously tender steak was sublimely seasoned. The side of King Oyster mushrooms weren’t quite as stellar as the steak though. Don’t get me wrong the ‘shrooms were quite alright, it’s just that ASAP & Co forgot to sufficiently salt the ‘shooms. They did compensate for that when I mentioned the lack of seasoning on the ‘shrooms and served me another portion of king oyster mushrooms, liberally seasoned with a spice mix.⠀
⠀
Minor nitpick aside, I would certainly head down to @asapnco ASAP the next time a steak craving hits. These steaks do cost a pretty penny, but they are certainly worth every last penny.⠀

@pilot.sg Beef Short Ribs were long on flavour and tenderness, and was well worth the order despite the steep asking price of sixty eight bucks before taxes. Sixty eight. We were on the verge of greatness. We were this close. Besides being huge on flavour, the beef portion was pretty ponderous, ideal for sharing between four people or for sharing with you, yourself and thyself.⠀
⠀
The Black Angus short ribs were as tender as a quality ribeye, and the amount of effort put into making the short ribs this tremendously tender and perfectly medium rare is commendable. Each bite is blissfully beefy, the seasonings kept simple with a blend of salt, pepper and smoke from the grill allowing the superior quality of the beef to dazzle. ⠀
⠀
However, Pilot Kitchen serves the short ribs with a pinch of their own gunpowder spice mix, and a dollop of tzatziki. The beef didn’t require it, but firing a dash of that gunpowder spice on your beef resulting in an explosion of fantastic flavours. The spicy, salty and nutty qualities of the gunpowder spice blend made the beef even more exceptional, and I found myself sprinkling that gunpowder spice on everything. The tzatziki was nice and creamy, but felt out of place on the plate.⠀
⠀
Pilot’s main courses were magnificent, but their desserts are divine too.

Here at @truecostsingapore, it’s a tale of two steaks. For the special occasion enjoyer or the baller, True Cost offers a Wagyu Tenderloin A5 for $45.90++. If you’re looking for a more modest but no less beefy steak, they have you covered with a two hundred & fifty gram cut of Grass-fed Ribeye for $32++. Although the tenderloin is much more luxe than the ribeye, both steaks are pretty MOOvelous in their own right.⠀

As for the Grass-fed Ribeye of undisclosed origin, it was quite under-seasoned for our tastes. Just a little more salt, and this felicitously fatty and truly tender steak would’ve been world class, but felicitously fatty & truly tender is a compromise we were more than willing to take that evening. However, the demi-glacé that was served with both steaks was certainly the most lacklustre component of both steaks. It was banally bland, and urgently requires serious beefing up.⠀
⠀
Still, at under fifty bucks for a cut of Wagyu A5 tenderloin and thirty five for a sizeable slab of ribeye, True Cost is truly MOOving to give consumers a cut of the good life for less cost.

Here at @truecostsingapore, it’s a tale of two steaks. For the special occasion enjoyer or the baller, True Cost offers a Wagyu Tenderloin A5 for $45.90++. If you’re looking for a more modest but no less beefy steak, they have you covered with a two hundred & fifty gram cut of Grass-fed Ribeye for $32++. Although the tenderloin is much more luxe than the ribeye, both steaks are pretty MOOvelous in their own right.⠀
⠀
True Cost’s Wagyu Tenderloin A5 does not suffer from the problem of lacking intramuscular fat that most tenderloins do, as this Wagyu A5 cow is PHAT and has incredible intramuscular fat running through the steak. Fat is flavour, and this tenderloin was fabulously flavourful and tremendously tender. All that was needed to fully flesh out the breathtaking beefiness was salt and pepper, and this A5 Wagyu tenderloin will get your loins quaking. The roasted potatoes were equally exquisite, with moist and fluffy potato innards that were adequately herbed & seasoned. The baba ganoush, while tasty, was a little out of place on this plate.⠀

Still, at under fifty bucks for a cut of Wagyu A5 tenderloin and thirty five for a sizeable slab of ribeye, True Cost is truly MOOving to give consumers a cut of the good life for less cost.

@charliesgrill.com.sg evokes some long buried memories of old steakhouses of yesteryear like Ponderosa & Sizzler, and that’s mainly due to the gargantuan portions of food. For the rather reasonable price of $28.90++, you can order a protein party in the form of Charlie’s Steak & Chick’n. A humongous Angus ribeye steak is grilled to your desired doneness, and partnered with an equally sizeable slab of chicken.⠀
⠀
As expected of any decent Angus steak, the ribeye was tastefully tender and decently marbled with fat. It was simply but splendidly seasoned with salt & freshly ground black pepper, and that all any stellar steak needs to shine. The humongous hunk of chicken was perfectly grilled, retaining all of its juices & moisture while being evenly cooked all throughout. The black pepper sauce inundating the meats wasn’t strictly necessary, but it’s peppery, rich & savoury qualities were definitely beneficial to both majestic meats.⠀
⠀
Each massive main comes with a choice of two sides, and you can pick from eight different options. As you can clearly see, Charlie’s is equally generous with the sides as they are with the meats. The mashed potatoes were buttery, smooth and a delightful way to load up on carbs. The steamed seasonal veggies needed some loving care, like a herb butter or something, but there was a whole garden full of them on the plate.⠀
⠀
Truth be told, Charlie’s Steak & Chick’n is large enough for two grown adults to share, and even big eaters will find this to be a mammoth undertaking. Thanks again for the invite, @charliesgrill.com.sg & @eatwithkeat!

I enjoyed @thekongsee.sg Charcoal Grilled Beef ($42++) despite it being the one thing that stuck out like a sore thumb on the otherwise well curated Mod-Sin menu. What can I say, I’m an average steak enjoyer. A hefty hunk of ribeye from the USA is grilled over charcoal to medium rare perfection, and is served with grilled button mushrooms, wakame (kelp) and a roasted garlic dip. The steak itself was perfect, with a felicitous fattiness marbling it, and the meat was tremendously tender. ⠀
⠀
The extra richness of the garlic dip wasn’t strictly necessary, but the extra creamy smoothness & garlic flavours it added to the beef were undeniably delicious. The grilled shrooms were quite pleasant, but the wakame was hopelessly out of place on this plate. Instead, it would’ve been better replaced by something more uniquely Singaporean such as achar (Nyonya spicy pickled mixed fruits & vegetables), or perhaps something more daring such as a cold cubed cucumber salad tossed in a garlicky & gingery chili sauce to mimic the cucumbers you’d get with chicken rice.⠀
⠀
Just to hammer home the Mod-Sin theme of The Kongsee with this succulent steak, perhaps a rendang or a spicy sauce of some kind could be whipped up to be spooned over the steak. I really, really relished this stellar steak, and I hope it stays on the menu albeit in a more refined form.⠀
⠀
Thank you for inviting us to sample your delectable fare, @kevin._.ngan & @thekongsee.sg, and thanks for the invite @wobblethebui!

Fortunately for us, the final entrée in @newubinseafood wine paring session was decent enough to erase the memory of the lacklustre chicken. The Sous Vide Brazilian Zebu Cattle Hump was yet another interesting dish on the menu, and we learned that there’s a breed of cattle called Zebu, and they have a distinctive fatty hump on their necks.⠀
⠀
Said hump stores fat, much like a camel, so it’s no surprise that the meat is well marbled with fat. However, it is still a cut that needs to be cooked low and slow for optimal tenderness, so it was never going to be done medium rare. I do feel that New Ubin scuffed a golden opportunity to make this Zebu hump meat a star, as the meat is just begging to be cooked in a redolent rendang or perhaps even a thick curry. The roasted vegetables that accompanied the Zebu meat were surprisingly sublime, and I found myself eagerly polishing them off.⠀
⠀
While they missed the chance to put the Zebu hump meat into a sauce or stew of some kind, they didn’t miss when pairing it with this bottle of Brigaldara Amarone della Valpolicella Riserva 2012. This is probably the biggest and boldest wine I’ve ever sipped on in recent memory, surpassing even most Syrahs & Shiraz. The extremely heavy body was perfect with the light tannin here, and the bouquet was utterly sensational.⠀
⠀
Scents of raisins, dark chocolates, blackberry & cherry preserves, oak and tobacco all coexisted in harmony on the nose. Taste wise, I got a lot of sweet, dried fruits like dried blackberries & raisins on my palate, and the aftertaste was definitely reminiscent of a rapturous port wine. Oddly enough, it’s noticeably sweet despite its whopping alcohol content of 16.5%, and it was the perfect pair with the Zebu hump meat.⠀
⠀
Thank you for the cordial hospitality, @newubinseafood!

There’s been a whole lot of attention on @blackgoatburgers lately, so I simply had to go and see what all the fuss was about. They started out selling briyani in the daytime, and swopped to Western grilled meats & burgers in the evening. As expected, this proved a bit of a bridge too far, and the chef & proprietor of BlackGoat has decided to focus on burgers & grilled meats.⠀
⠀
I was tempted by their breathtaking burgers, but when I got there, the allure of the Australian Grassfed Sirloin proved to be irresistible. At an astonishingly affordable $15.50 flat, the sirloin steak weighs approximately a hundred & ninety grams before grilling, and is served with shoestring fries, a simple shredded lettuce & spring onion salad and a dollop of housemade garlic aioli.⠀
⠀
The sirloin was tremendously tender, with only a couple of chews required per slice to fully break it down. It’s seasoned simply but sufficiently with salt & pepper, amplifying the strong, satisfying natural beefy flavours of the steak. There isn’t a crust or prominent grill marks on this steak though, and the owner/head chef explained that he intended for his patrons to partake in a supremely soft & succulent steak. Also, the ridiculously rich garlic aioli is absolutely GOATed. Creamy, gloriously garlicky & fabulously flavourful, this garlic aioli is the GOAT of garlic aiolis. Put it in a bottle and sell it. Just shut up and take my damn money, man.⠀
⠀
BlackGoat didn’t neglect the sides, as the crispy, superbly salted fries were a joy to devour, and the shredded lettuce & spring onion salad brightened up the palate between bites of the rich, salty steak & fries. Dressed simply in what appears to be olive oil and a little balsamic vinegar, the slightly acidic fresh, vegetal notes were perfect to rebalance the heavy flavours of steak & fries.⠀
⠀
Getting a restaurant quality steak dinner at under fifteen bucks? That’s why BlackGoat is the GOAT. THE GOAT

Besides chirashi dons & sashimi, @kazoku_japanese_cuisine has quite the selection of beef dishes. They offer a half dozen beef with rice options, alongside a beef udon. The one we got here is the standalone option, the Sirloin Steak with five pieces of complimentary salmon sashimi for $19.90 flat.⠀
⠀
The beef is probably not wagyu, but it is most definitely delicious, juicy and tremendously tender. It’s marvellously marbled with fat, and each slice of the medium rare steak required minimal mastication to fall apart. Have a slice of beef with a fried garlic chip to really accentuate the delightful beefy qualities of the steak, and to add to the sparse amount of soy sauce seasoning the meat. While I do wish that the steak was more strongly seasoned and that it had a more pronounced sear, it’s still darn decent for the price of admission.

Thanks for inviting us, @burpple & @kazoku_japanese_cuisine!

@blackcherrysg doesn’t just whip up piquant pizzas, redolent risottos and tantalising tapas, they’ve got options to satisfy the carnivorous caveman in you. Enter the Steak Florentine, or Bistecca alla Fiorentina as it is called in its native Italian, and is one of Tuscany’s most prominent culinary specialties. For $118++ at Black Cherry, you get a full kilo (before grilling) of prime T-bone steak done to your liking. Complemented by baked potato wedges, onion marmalade, pickled red cabbage, and carrot purée on the side, it’s a gargantuan meal.
⠀
While this is definitely a T-bone steak, I reckon it could qualify as a porterhouse steak due to the girth of the filet (the right side of the steak). What I can certify is that this is a stellar steak. We ordered it medium due to fears that it would be raw closer to the bone, but those fears were unfounded as the Florentine was mostly evenly cooked. We found out later that the steak is sous vide before getting a scorching sear, which explains the edge to edge consistency. The beef is tender & well marbled with fat, yes, even the filet. Most crucially of all, it’s simply but sensationally seasoned.⠀
⠀
The sides were decent enough, but should’ve been larger in serving considering that this steak could feed a party of four. The onion marmalade thrilled with its sweet & slightly sour flavours, the carrot purée pleased with its smoothness & sweetness, and the pickled cabbage was the ideal palate cleanser to curb the lavishness of the steak. However, the potato wedges were a bit of a dealbreaker, as they were dry, limp and bland. The wedges could & should be tossed in light olive oil, salt and herbs before baking one more time for a crispy crust, but oh well.⠀
⠀
Still, for mammoth meats to feed you & your fellow savages, Black Cherry’s Steak Florentine is a sterling selection. Thank you for your generosity, @blackcherrysg!