Le Steak Part II

**This visit was in April and some items may not be available anymore apparently**

The funny thing about my first visit to Le Steak was that I didn't have any steak!
I had the Braised Short Rib which was so-so and the Lemon Curd Tart which I really enjoyed.
But hey, when you go to a place called Le Steak, you gotta have steak am I right?

So I returned with the a whole gang of meat eaters (aka my family) for the 2nd round and to see if all the hype was well deserved or not.

Mushroom Soup ($4.00)

The Mushroom Soup was actually pretty good! Nice and hearty flavour. Definitely the type that you mushroom lovers will enjoy. You can see from the picture that it's nice and thick so none of that watery stuff here.

But after all, we are here for the meat so let's get it on!

So at Le Steak, the have 2 different categories of steak you can choose from.
One is the 'Le Steak Specialties' and the other is the 'Le Premium Cuts'. So what's the difference?
The 'Le Premium Cuts' the higher end premium grade cuts of meat which also means they're priced higher. It's not to say that 'Le Steak Specialties' cuts are not good cuts... But the reality is that they have different grade of meat.

Australian Wagyu Ribeye MS6 ($48.00)

Wagyu beef is undoubtedly the toppest of the tops when it comes to meat and one of the best premium cuts anywhere you go to have steak. Special attention to your cows = better meat and apparently there are none better than Wagyu.

What exactly is MS6 though?
MS stands for Marbling Score and 6 is the score this meat is graded on a scale of 1-12.
The higher the score, the better the meat.

This is actually the most expensive steak on the menu so we thought we'd give it a try!

Dad. Mein Bruder and Yana had the Wagyu and it was pretty okay. You can definitely tell it's a premium grade meat with a fair amount of fat in the meat. Seasoning was pretty okay too actually. The only gripe we has is that we though the steak would be a thicker cut.

They actually ordered their meat to be cooked 'Medium Rare' but as you can see, it was closer to 'Medium'. Hmmmmm....

PS Ribeyer ($28.90)

Mum had the PS Ribeye which is under the 'Le Steak Specialties' category.
Again, the seasoning of the steak was fine which gave it a nice flavour but you can still enjoy the flavour of the beef which we look for when we enjoy steak.

Mashed potatoes were a bit disappointing though.

Prime Tenderloin ($28.90)

I've always been very fussy about my steak (like pretty much all my food) and even though I may not be a purist or an expert when it comes to steak, I guess I at least know how to enjoy the food I like.

This was not the worst steak I've ever had (believe me I've had worse...) but I guess maybe I was expecting more? Or maybe I was disappointed because....

When you go to a place called Le Steak, I'm gonna assume they specialize in cooking steak.
And I know that the preferred for most steak purists is 'Medium Rare' or maybe even 'Medium Well' at most. Well, I'm a 'Well Done' kind of guy and when I ask for 'Well Done', I expect to be served meat that is cooked 'Well Done'.

Err.... that is not Well Done.

Dutch MilkFed Veal Rack ($35.90)

My Darling Wife made the genius decision of trying something new and ordered the veal!
And it was a good decision too because the veal was excellent! It was tender and succulent and juicy and definitely worth its price in the ''Le Premium Cuts' category.

She asked for a 'Medium Well' and it was cooked for the most part but not evenly.
But I agree with her that the veal was definitely better than the steaks (somehow).

Le Steak also has items like Burgers, Pasta, Chicken and Seafood dishes in case steak is not your thing. And don't forget the Braised Short Ribs like the one I had the last time.

Goody Waffle with Maple Syrup and 1 Scoop of Ice-Cream ($7.90)

So this was a crispy/crunchy waffle FYI. I actually find it very plain despite the ice-cream and the maple syrup. Maybe they might consider throwing some whipped cream on there and maybe a cherry on top to make it a little more... well... standard.

Chocolate Lava with Vanilla Ice-Cream ($10.90)

**This item no longer available**
You guys know what a Chocolate Lava Cake is right? The cake where they have molten chocolate in the middle so when they heat it up, it will flow out like molten lava when you dig into the moist chocolate cake.

Err..... where's the lava???
Definitely not what we were expecting. Unless we were expecting a big disappointment.
The Chocolate Cake (or more like muffin) was okay but hey where's the lava???

Creme Brulee ($6.90)

After what looked to be one of the more disappointing meals in quite awhile, thankfully we got some respite with the Creme Brulee.

It was just the right amount of sweet and creamy too.

There are even little bits of raspberries in there which give you a nice tart contrast to the sweet and creamy custard. Definitely the best thing we had that evening!

Adam's Verdict:
Prime Tenderloin 1.5/5 -- Goody Waffle 1.5/5 -- Chocolate Lava with Vanilla Ice-Cream 0.5/5
Creme Brulee 4/5
Maryah's Verdict:
Dutch MilkFed Veal Rack 4/5 -- Goody Waffle 3/5
Chocolate Lava with Vanilla Ice-Cream 2.5/5

Azlan's Verdict:
Australian Wagyu Ribeye MS6 2/5 -- Chocolate Lava with Vanilla Ice-Cream 1/5
Creme Brulee 3/5

Yana's Verdict:
Australian Wagyu Ribeye MS6 2/5 -- Goody Waffle 2/5 -- Creme Brulee 3/5

Dad's Verdict:
Australian Wagyu Ribeye MS6 3/5

Mum's Verdict:
Australian Wagyu Ribeye MS6 2.5/5

I have read many reviews about Le Steak. Some good and some not so good. But that's pretty usual I guess with any eating establishment. I did however agree with some of the reviews I read about the staff at Le Steak.

No, we didn't get any rude or snide remarks like other diners apparently encountered but it was pretty obvious that they were not trained very well and lacked initiative. I wouldn't say it was a very busy night at Le Steak but the wait staff not only seemed to be taking their time but also at least they can take notice and speed it up when someone calls you for assistance right?

Oh well, can't really blame them because they look like they are part-timers anyways but it really is a big turn off when you meal is not up to your expectations and the staff there make the experience all the more dreadful.

I know there's more on the menu but I'm not sure if we will ever got back to Le Steak again.

image from http://steakandco.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/degrees2.jpg

And just so you know why we were unhappy with the done-ness of our steak, check out the shart above and tell me if you think we got what we ordered.

Maybe next time we should request for Chef Amri to cook our steak. LOL just kidding.

Le Steak

248 Jalan Kayu

Tel: 65563588
www.lesteak.com.sg

Operating Hours:
3.00pm til 11.00pm (Mondays to Fridays)
12.00pm til Midnight (Saturdays & PH Eve)
12.00pm til 11.00pm (Sundays and PH)

J's

When we first started the blog not too long ago (like 2 years ago lah!), we received a message inviting us to a newly Halal-certified restaurant located at Purvis Street. And that place was J's.

We were so busy with work and one thing always leads to another and we never did get to visit J's.
Every now and then we'd hear someone mention J's or we'd read about it somewhere online and we were sure we'd eventually be lucky enough to visit. And finally the day had come. And we didn't come down as invited guests mind you. We visited a normal diners to see if we would have the experience we had been hoping for almost 2 years in the making.

Boy oh boy did I hope this was a good meal!

Poppers ($17.00)

So we started off with something to whet our appetites and what better than some Jalapeño Poppers!
This is a classic appetizer and a great snack on its own actually. Jalapeño peppers are stuffed with mozzarella cheese, breaded and deep fried!

Served with a small salad and also some salsa and guacamole to go along.
And how does the inside look like?

Chef's Salad ($18.00)

Something else to start with is the Chef's Salad.
This is definitely one to share with a group because as you can see it's pretty.. errr... vast!

It has the usual mix of green leaves, tomatoes, onions, baby radishes (which were a nice touch), avocado and some pretty nice roasted chicken. Also coming along is a sesame dressing which you can choose to drizzle over or just simply leave it out depending on your tastes.

Have I mentioned this one is definitely for sharing?

Beef Fajitas ($33.00)

Mein Brudder went for the Beef Fajitas (you could also choose the chicken if you'd like) which is served up with onions, peppers on a sizzling hot plate.

The only other place we've had Fajitas is at Hard Rock Cafe when we visit across the Causeway and we hold that as the standard because, well, we don't have anything else to compare with. Well both are served on a hot plate and even though it comes with some peppers, I'd say that the Fajitas here look kinda messy to be honest.

 

The Fajitas of course some with some accompanying tortillas, guacamole, salsa, sour cream and cheese to tuck in and pack up before you gobble down.

But if you're a meat lover than this is it! Wish they'd have an option to have a mix of meats though.

Sirloin of Beef ($32.00)

Another choice for all you meat lovers is the Sirloin of Beef. 180gms of pure meat for you served with some garlic mashed potatoes and accompanying veggies.

The feedback on this is that it's pretty standard but a real pity that again we don't get the correct doneness that we asked for. Does the picture above look like medium-well to you? Quite disappointing considering the price you pay.

Catch of the Day ($27.00)

A departure from all the meat perhaps? Then you might want to try the Catch of the Day!
When we visited, it happened to be the seabass which was cooked perfectly.

My mum really seemed to enjoy this (and she's REALLY picky about her fish) so that means it must have been good right? They even try to dress up the plate quite creatively but I guess in the end the fish had better be nice and thankfully this time it seems like it was.

Braised Lamb Shank ($33.00)

I could have gone for the Adobo Chicken or the Paella but hey I'm the meat guy o I went for the Braised Lamb Shank because I have a soft spot for slow-cooked meats.

Pretty generous lamb shank rests on a bed of parmesan mashed potatoes and dressed up with some simple garnishes so you can enjoy the meat and the braised flavour that comes along. And as you can see the meat is pretty tender.

And there was absolutely no gamey 'lamby' taste. How can I confirm that? Mein Bruder hates lamb and mutton because of the smell/taste but even he took a few bites of this dish!

And since it was a celebration, we decided to finish off with some desserts because there some pretty interesting ones on the menu that we wouldn't mind trying.

Bocas Negras ($12.00)

This was a warm chocolate lava cake with "edible soil" (yes the menu actually says that), citrus espuma and  chocolate ice-cream. I guess this is one of those desserts where you get a little of everything. You get your dose of chocolate with some citrus tang and even the chance to try something innovative.

So what exactly is the "edible soil"?

"Edible Soil"

We were son intrigued that we literally asked the staff whether this was really soil?
Well, sorry to burst your bubble kiddos - it's a peanut-based crush mixture. Oh well. It's innovative I'll definitely give it that much!

And how was the lava cake?

Churros with Bananas & Mangoes ($12.00)

Well we saw Churros and you know we simply can't resist right?
And what's more - it's paired with Mascarpone!!

Okay so it's actually a Mascarpone sabayon mixture that's infused with a little coconut flavour (that we actually couldn't detect). Inside the jar, you'll find a delicious mix of salted caramel bananas and sweet fresh mangoes while some berries line the top of the mixture.

This was really the highlight of the dish to us. Maybe we love cheese and all the more when it's used in a dessert but this was simply a delight and (believe it or not) the best thing I had that evening.

Unfortunately the Churros themselves didn't fare so well...
I'm not sure if maybe it's because they were too thick or something but the insides were not really cooked through properly... Check out the picture below... That's just dough...

We also had some of the specialty drinks aka J's Signature Drinks that evening to wash our meal down. You could choose from their Sodas or even some soft drink but if a place has 'Siganture' drinks then you know you have to try them right?

Salty Lime ($8.00)

I was the hero and went for the Salty Lime which is fashioned like a margarita-styled beverage complete with salt around the rim so you get the 'salty' part whenever you take a sip. And boy oh boy was this drink living up to its name because the 'lime' was really sour too!

I guess this was something refreshing and helped to awaken my tastebuds but I'd recommend this only if you love sour things.

Lychee Cooler ($8.00)

My Darling Wife went with the safe choice known as the Lychee Cooler. Quite a safe bet.
Fruit punch gone fizzy and you have some lychees in there too.

It's so nice that Mein Bruder is already having a go in the picture LOL

Cuban Mint ($8.00)

And last but definitely not least was the Cuban Mint which turned out to be pretty much everyone's favourite that evening.

This one is style after the Mojito and has a fresh flavour with lime and some mint. It's not as sour as the Salty Lime so it's nice and easy on the palate but you'll have to accept the fact that it comes in a pretty small glass.

Adam's Verdict:
Poppers 3.5/5 -- Chef's Salad 3/5 -- Beef Fajitas 3/5 -- Catch of the Day 2.5/5
Braised Lamb Shank 3.5/5 -- Bocas Negras 2.5/5 -- Churros with Bananas & Mangoes 3.5/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Poppers 2.5/5 -- Chef's Salad 3/5 -- Sirloin of Beef 2/5 -- Bocas Negras 3/5
Churros with Bananas & Mangoes 2.5/5

Azlan's Verdict:
Poppers 2.5/5 -- Chef's Salad 4/5 -- Beef Fajitas 4/5 -- Sirloin of Beef 3/5 
Catch of the Day 4/5 -- Braised Lamb Shank 4/5 -- Bocas Negras 4/5
Churros with Bananas & Mangoes 2/5

Dad's Verdict:
Poppers 3/5 -- Chef's Salad 3.5/5 -- Sirloin of Beef 3/5 -- Catch of the Day 3/5
Braised Lamb Shank 4/5 -- Churros with Bananas & Mangoes 1/5

Mum's Verdict:
Poppers 3/5 -- Chef's Salad 4/5 -- Sirloin of Beef 3.5/5 -- Catch of the Day 4/5
Braised Lamb Shank 3.5/5 -- Churros with Bananas & Mangoes 2/5

Leslie's Verdict:
Chef's Salad 3.5/5 -- Beef Fajitas 3.5/5 -- Sirloin of Beef 2/5 -- Catch of the Day 4/5
Braised Lamb Shank 2/5 -- Bocas Negras 3.5/5 -- Churros with Bananas & Mangoes 3/5

One thing I notice about J's Restaurant is that it does not have a very wide selection of food. you could probably go through the whole menu in 2-3 visits but that is not necessarily a bad thing. Perhaps J's is taking the stance that they serve only a limited selection but these are dishes that they do extremely well.

And so they should especially since the dishes are priced on the higher side than most.
But you do get quality ingredients for the most part. Now, if only they could cook the steak the wat we asked... Hmmmm.... Well at least the staff were very nice.

J's Restaurant

7 Purvis Street #01-01

Tel: +65 6887 4787
www.dineatjs.com

Operating Hours:
Lunch
12.00pm to 2.00pm Mondays-Friday, Sundays
(No Lunch on Saturdays)

Dinner
6.30pm to 10.00pm Mondays - Thursdays
6.30pm to 10.30pm Fridays - Saturdays
6.30pm to 10.30pm Sundays