Showing posts with label steak. Show all posts
Showing posts with label steak. Show all posts

Sunday, May 9, 2021

Rubato - Italian Kitchen & Bar @ 12 Greenwood Ave

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I remembered being here before, and I was right! But that was a long time ago with Cherlyn. Back then, she was my wine buddy. Now 2021, am here again with the wine gang on a Friday night.

back here, after 7 years


In 2021, still seated at alfresco area. Deja-vu. Reservation was definitely necessary on Friday evenings. The place was a tad chaotic, with a few people waiting at its door, for the hostess to be avail. Staff are friendly but they have pre-assigned tasks.

It was a short 15 minutes wait, before we were assigned a table. This is a place with sparkling or still, so sparkling it shall be.

Ferrarelle 750ml @$3.90++

World's US Finest Oysters @$57.60++


Let's start with fresh oysters, and can't say no to that! We got a dozen to share amongst the 5 of us. That worked out to be $4.80++ per piece. Plump, briny and creamy.

closer look

Terre Gaie Prosecco DOC @$66++

We had Prosecco with the fresh oysters. The house curated Prosecco bottle price is reasonable.

cheers!

Lovely start. Ivan recommended the "Gift from the Angels" (cold angel hair pasta with scallops and truffle oil) and when asked if would like to top it with uni (sea urchin), the answer was yes. We do atas that night.


Cold Angel Hair Pasta @$88++

It was really good. Perfect harmony and so tasty. Would we care for more? Why, yes! And, we ordered one more when Bernice arrived. Am opined to think that this is one of those things to eat before we die, if one could afford it.

Come to think of it, we started with seafood so let's move on to meat. We gonna have chicken and tenderloin to satisfy the meatatarian in us.

The chicken was nice and pleasant, and the sauce was a tad spicy. Not sure what's in there, but pretty good combo with the cauliflower.

Chicken alla Diavola @$28.60++

Tenderloin @$44.60++


The doneness of the steak was incorrect initially, and we informed the staff. Service recovery was fast, and a new plate was brought for us without a fuss.

Tenderloin - medium rare

Time flies when you're having fun, and soon, it was time for dessert. "How about some gelato or sorbet?"

chocolate and pistachio gelato, mango sorbet


My favourite was the pistachio gelato. But it melted too fast! Keke, no worries 'coz am gonna have an affagato all by myself. Yay!

Affogato with vanilla ice-cream @$9.90++

But that's not all, there's more! The chocolate fondant took quite a while to arrive, and we got a complimentary pistachio gelato. Wow, that's a nice gesture. It warmed our hearts.

Chocolate Fondant @$14.90++

"Do you think it'd flow?"



Lovely meet up with Elle, Hoong Ann, B and Ivan. Thank you Ivan for arranging the dinner! 


RUBATO - Italian Kitchen & Bar

Address: 12 Greenwood Ave, Singapore 289204

Websitehttps://www.rubato.com.sg/

Contact: 6252 3200

Business Hours:

Daily: 10am–2am

Sunday, May 12, 2019

[Tasting] Discover the Joys of Dry-Aged Beef @ Ginett Restaurant & Wine Bar

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If you've been to Ginett recently, you may have noticed the Dry-Ager fridge taking up residence in the dining area. As a meat-atarian, I am excited as this new addition by Executive Chef Sylvain Royer is bound to raise the flavour of the steak up multiple notches! And, there is no better way than to experience it, ourselves.

Dry-Ager fridge

Googled and in accordance to Wiki, that aging of the meat is the process of utilizing the beef's natural enzymes in breaking down its connective tissues, with the aim of tenderizing the meat.

Then, there's dry aging and wet aging. In dry-aging, the primal and sub-primal cuts of the meat; typically strip loins, rib eyes, and sirloin, are placed in a refrigerator unit. The key effect of dry aging is the concentration and saturation of the natural flavour, as well as the tenderization of the meat texture. Sounds good. However, dry-aging is a more expensive endeavor and takes a longer time when compared to its wet-aging counterpart.

beautiful aging

All these talks about the sciences makes one hungry! Let's eat! Coincidentally, we were there on an Oysters Frenzy night, which happens on every Thursday. How does $1 per piece for Fine de Claire, sounds? Yes, please!


Oysters Fine de Claire 12 pcs

let's enjoy
Domaine Raimbault Sancerre, Loire Valley (Sauvignon Blanc) @$14

I asked Ginett's resident sommelier, Ms Justine Le Merle for wine recommendations with the oysters and was happy with the Sauvignon Blanc from Loire Valley, with its gorgeous yellow hue, moderate flavours of a balanced mineral and citrussy notes. Said to be ideal to be paired with starters and seafood and I do agree. Thank you Justine!

Oh, speaking of wine, how could one not think about the cheese? Ginett has increased its range of  French imported AOC cheese such as the creamy and nutty Saint-Félicien from Rhône-Alpes, the pyramid-shaped Pouligny-Saint-Pierre made exclusively using unpasteurised whole goat's milk from the Loire Valley in central France, or the earthy Tomme de Savoie, the oldest of all Savoie cheese. Hmm, so many types, which ones to try first? I think I need a cheese sommelier!

cheese cabinet

As our party of 4 has limited stomach space, we decided to forgo the cheese for this round. Nevertheless, here's the link to previous visit and the cheeses that we had tried. My favourite was the Brillat Savarin.

while waiting for the mains...

For main course, we'd be focusing on the tasting platter of Angus ribeyes; consisting of the natural Australian 30-36 months Pasture Fed Angus Beef and the 270 days Grain Fed Australian Black Angus MB3+ Rib Eye that had underwent a 3-weeks and a 6-weeks dry-aging process.

Black Angus steaks (top left to right): Australian 30-36 months Pasture Fed Angus Beef Rib Eye, Dry aged 3 weeks and 6 weeks were both Australian Black Angus MB3+ Rib Eye
Currently, the menu states that the Australian 30-36 months Pasture Fed Angus Beef Rib Eye is priced at $36++ for 250g and the Australian Black Angus MB3+ goes for $48++ for 250g.

For each order of the steak, diners would get a choice of one side and one sauce: Sauce: Béarnaise, pepper, blue cheese. Since we are having 3, we got to try all the sauces. I was wondering about the pepper sauce though, as pepper sauce is less common in restaurants serving steaks? Might be wrong but that was the impression when it first arrived.

Let's talk a bit about the sides. One could choose creamy spinach, mesclun salad, mashed potatoes, ratatouille, mushroom fricassée, and potato wedges. We chose creamy spinach, ratatouille and mushroom fricassée. Creamy spinach has become the defacto choice (along the lines of creamy kale), ratatouille because we need to fulfill the vegetable quotient and mushrooms because one can't go wrong with mushrooms!

creamy spinach
ratatouille
mushrooms fricassée

All sides were good but all of us loved the creamy spinach!

Australian 30-36 months Pasture Fed Angus Beef  

We tasted the steaks starting from the natural free range, antibiotic & hormone free Australian Angus ribeye and it has a good mild beefy flavour, firm chewy texture yet still tender. It felt like the meat was rather lean.

Next, the 3-weeks Dry Aged Australian Black Angus MB3+ Rib Eye which had a more tender texture as compared to the non-aged beef. Its flavour was more apparent when compared to the non-aged version. I loved the char on the 3-weeks and the 6-weeks dry aged ribeye and, it gave the meat an elevated smokey flavour.

Dry aged 3 weeks Australian Black Angus MB3+ Rib Eye

However, I felt that the difference between the 6-weeks and the 3-weeks was more in the flavour compartment. The 6-weeks aged meat was tastier but I could not tell if there was any differences in texture between the 3-weeks version.

Dry aged 6 weeks Australian Black Angus MB3+ Rib Eye

For the 3-weeks and 6-weeks aged beef, there was no funky smell whatsoever and it was an overall pleasant experience with an enhanced and pronounced flavour in comparison to its non-aged counterpart.

Our host, Jasmine shared that her favourite main would be the Scottish Salmon, so we gave that a try as well. A beautiful slab of salmon with skin-on, served ontop a bed of creamy spinach. Double yums.

Scottish Salmon @$32++


For dessert, we ordered three out of the nine stated in the menu. Had always wanted to try the traditional dessert, Baba au Rhum so that made it into our list. Next, we had Jasmine's favourite which was the Chocolate Tart and finally, for our finale, we selected Paris Brest.

Baba au Rhum @$14++


So what is Baba au Rhum?  According to Wiki, it is a small yeast cake saturated in syrup made with typically, rum and served with cream. Orhhhh. The version here is soaked in vanilla infused rum syrup and the yeast cake tasted like a fluffy bread. Overall, the dessert was light and refreshing. So interesting.

Chocolate Tart @$12++

The 70% cacao chocolate tart shall satisfy any chocolate cravings that one might have. Rich, creamy, just the right amount of bitter and sweetness, that's best paired with a cup of coffee/tea. The pecan ice-cream was so good and it took its time to melt even in our sweltering heat. Bravo!

For me, the best dessert would be the Paris Brest. A mega choux filled with creamy, luxurious hazelnut praline cream. Absolutely, heavenly.

Paris Brest @$18++
hazelnut praline cream (cross-section view of Paris Brest)

Having dined at Ginett on a couple of occasions, it is advisable to make your reservations to avoid disappointment as the place is usually crowded after 6.45pm, even on a weekday.

Thank you Natasha, Jasmine and Ginett for having us. Justine, it was nice meeting you and thank you to you and team for taking care of us that night.

Dinner with Hence, Alvin and Melissa.

Ginett Restaurant & Wine Bar 

Address: 200 Middle Rd, Singapore 188980
Websitehttps://www.randblab.com/ginett-sg
Contact: 6809 7989
Business Hours:
Daily 7.00am to 11.30pm

Saturday, April 28, 2018

[Tasting] Fat Belly x Sugarhaus @ Serene Centre Shopping Centre

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Ok, call me suaku. Might have passed by this building a couple of times when travelling via bus 67 but, I don't believe if I've ever alighted at this place! Goodness. Took a cab to Serene Centre from workplace and luckily, the signage for the building name is pretty prominent. Here's a link to Serene Centre's website if you're interested to know more about this building that's been around since the 80's?

Enough of the prelude and let's get into the main. Fat Belly is a speakeasy-style steakhouse that focuses on alternative, less well-known cuts of the beef. But first and foremost, I need to Google-up "speakeasy".  This term referred to an illicit establishment that sells alcoholic beverages, where such establishments came into prominence in the United States during the Prohibition era (1920–1933). Okay, but nowadays, this term is usually associated with a cool, hip establishment (usually with a bar, or the bar itself) that's somewhat 'hidden' and awaiting for discovery.


Steak and Wine

Interestingly, when one do locate Fat Belly when walking in from the inside of Serene Centre, there's no door for one to enter. Fat Belly is accessible via Sugarhaus entrance. The steakhouse comes alive after 6pm daily.

Fat Belly offers counter-seats with high chairs where one could watch the flames (ideally), but usually, it would be the back view of the hardworking young Chefs prepping the order. Steaks are flash-grilled and then sliced right in-front of your eyes while you and your dining companion enjoys a quiet catch up while sipping on a glass of wine.

Cheers!

There are three steak-cuts available on its current menu. The flat iron, the onglet and the short rib. Each of these are served with a side of housemade chimichurri verde sauce and a small serving of salad. But, the sides are to be recommended as well. Choose from sauteed thyme mushrooms, or the crowd favourite creamed kale, or the newly rotated-in spiced roasted sweet potato.

Sauteed Thyme Mushrooms and Creamed Kale @$5 each

Loved the well seasoned juicy mushrooms. Creamed kale was good too (and much raved about) but I liked the sauteed mushrooms more! One bowl of these sides is easily shared amongst 2 pax.

Let's get back to our main focus area, which is on its alternative cuts of beef and we started with the Flat Iron Steak as it is the leanest amongst the lot, at the moment. The notion of tougher meat when the fat is minimal, was not applicable here. Flat Iron Steak had a more pronounced beefy-grassy flavour when in comparison with the other two cuts.

USDA 150day Grain Fed Angus Flat Iron Steak @$22
Next, let's take a look at the Short Rib. The strip had slightly more fat and its ratio is somewhat in-between of the Flat Iron and Onglet. Its meat was bouncy and one need to work the jaw a bit more for this one. This one is definitely for the guys.

USDA Grain Fed Angus Short Rib Steak @$25
Next up, the Wagyu Marble Score 4.5 Onglet Steak is more premium with the best mouthfeel and visuals. Meat that glistened, beckoning to be eaten. A genteel piece of gorgeous looking steak that was a joy to savour. My favourite piece out of the three.

Wagyu Marble Score 4.5 Onglet Steak @$38 (in photo: Alamos Malbec @$12 by the glass and creamed kale @$5)

The end? Nonsense! There's still dessert to try. When in Sugarhaus, one needs to get some sugar into the system to complete the experience. 

Like its meaty and side dishes counterparts, there are three options for plated dessert. The Foie Gras Chocolate Bar that makes one curious about its taste, the safe-sounding Sticky Date Pudding and the Drunk Pear.

Foie Gras Chocolate Bar is basically foie gras ice-cream (did not such a flavour exists!) encased in chocolate shell, decorated with caramel sauce ontop and adorned with a touch of gold. Plate has apple jelly and raspberry sauce.

Foie Gras Chocolate Bar @$12

Curious about foie gras ice-cream? We sliced up the chocolate bar to find out more. Just kidding. Was sharing this with Sihan and Ivan, so needed to cut it to three. Would you be sharing yours?

foie gras ice-cream revealed!

Also tried the Sticky Date Pudding. It was somewhat therapeutic, watching the dessert plate being assembled. The bonus of counter seats. The pudding was smallish, but I was smiling when slicing it to be distributed. It was a ふわふわ (fuwa fuwa) moment. Sooo fluffy!

Sticky Date Pudding @$10

The pudding was served with salted caramel ice-cream ontop of a bed of crushed feuilletine. This french sounding item is a crispy confection made from thin, sweetened crêpes. The next surprise was that the salted caramel ice-cream had a familiar buttery taste to it. It tasted so much like Werther's Original caramel candy! Wow.

Went to try other flavours of the ice-cream and they do have some interesting ones like Hibiscus Yoghurt (but me not a fan of yoghurt though), Gula Melaka Pecan and found my favourite, in the for of Coconut Sorbet. The Honey and Milk was good too!

ice-cream selection
enter through this door

Thank you Sihan for the invite and Fat Belly for hosting the tasting. Special thanks to Stanley and his cheerful crew @fatbellysg and @sugarhaus. An evening with Sihan ((@fundamentally_flawed)) and Ivan (@ivan_teh_runningman).

Fat Belly x Sugarhaus

Address: 10 Jalan Serene #01-04
Singapore
Contact: 6314 2247
Email: hello.sugarhaus@gmail.com
Business hours:
Sundays to Thursdays: 6pm to 10pm (Last order 9.30pm)
Fridays & Saturdays: 6pm to 11pm (Last order 10pm)

Sunday, September 11, 2016

[Media Invite] Outback Steakhouse @ Millenia Walk

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Outback Steakhouse is not a stranger to the steak scene in Singapore. Outback is an American outfit which started in Tampa, Florida and its restaurant has an Australian theme. Just a month ago, it has launched some new items in its menu. Was invited to try the new additions along with fellow bloggers. Dinner with the blokes.

featured menu
interior
The place gets rather busy after 7pm on weekdays. The favourite orders would include the classics such as Typhoon Bloom as appetiser and rib-eye steak served with two sides of your choice as mains.

Upon placing your orders, diners would be served with complimentary bread. Two small loaves bushmen bread served with butter cream spread. Rather enjoyable soft mini-loaves. Its slight sweetness came from honey and cocoa powder. Yummy.

Honey Wheat Bushmen Bread (complimentary)

For drinks, we had the refreshing non-alcoholic Barrier Reef Punch. Basically a fruit punch made of mango, pineapple and orange juices blended with pureed strawberries. A cooling thirst-quencher!

Barrier Reef Punch @$5.90++

Tried the Tomato and Mozzarella Bruschetta. Was impressed by the thick cut mozzarella on the grilled baguette. Crunchy toast with thick soft slice of mozzarella topped with cherry tomatoes and greens. Liked the sweet dressing of basil pesto and balsamic vinaigrette. Good for sharing amongst 3-4 pax. It was quite hard to stop eating the breads. Enjoyed both the bruschetta and bushmen bread.

Tomato and Mozzarella Bruschetta @$14.90++
One of the crowd favourite thus far at Outback Steakhouse in terms of appetisers, would be its 'Typhoon Bloom'. A huge mound of onion rings, stacked like a flower and deep fried till golden brown. Dusted with Outback's seasoning, it was rather sweet on its own. But having it with the dip added to the enjoyment.

Typhoon Bloom @$14.90++
I think it would be rather daunting for two pax to devour that huge plate of onion rings as appetiser!

As part of The Great Aussie Eats menu, Outback is introducing its Crab Topped Sirloin. Chunks of lump crab meat sitting ontop of a 6-oz seasoned and seared sirloin. Served with two sides of your choice and hollandaise sauce.

Crab Topped Sirloin with two sides (baked potato and seasonal vege) @$37.90++
 As usual, we ordered our meat medium rare. The baked potato was really good with its salt crusted skin.

Loaded Baked Potato @$6.90++

Crab Topped Sirloin, medium rare
While we were there, most diners would opt for the USDA ribeye steak as their choice of mains. Got ourselves a chargrilled ribeye with peppercorn sauce to try. For the sides, we tried corn-on-cob and sweet potato fries. Was rather disappointed with the bland corn. The sweet potato fries (@$5.90++) on the other hand was good. Well fried and great seasoning. The ribeye was rather thin but its marbling was good. Can be eaten without sauce as it was adequately seasoned with Outback's secret blend of 17 herbs and spices.

10 oz. Chargrilled Ribeye @$39.90++

For non-beef option, you may want to try the Sweet Chili Chicken and Shrimp combo, served with one choice of freshly made sides. For the sides, we had Rice Pilaf and Fresh Seasonal Veges. Thought the rice pilaf was rather good. Moist and soft.

Sweet Chili Chicken and Shrimp @$23.90++

Ended with a new dessert of Key Lime Pie. Soft fragrance of lime and the sweet creamy curd encasted on slightly spiced pecan graham cracker crumbs base. Not too heavy and probably can do with a cup of coffee with this.

Key Lime Pie @$6.90++

Special thanks to Meghana and Outback Steakhouse for hosting the dinner, and Hence for the invite.

Outback Steakhouse

Websitehttp://www.outback-sea.com/




 
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