25 Mohamed Sultan Road
Singapore 238969
http://www.bistecca.com.sg (Reservations can be done online)
Dress code from what I can see: smart casual
I like steaks. I've lived in the UK for a long time and really appreciate the high quality steaks the country produces. I heard about this restaurant from several blogs and from a friend. The menu looks fairly simple (which I think is a good sign for a steakhouse as steaks should be done simply, lightly seasoned to bring out the flavours of the meat) The restaurant has 2 sittings for dinner, 6-8pm and 8.30pm to 10.30pm. I made the reservations online, and it was confirmed by an email which gently suggested that we vacated the place by 8.30pm.
My friends and I decided to skip the starts and go straight to the main course (why distract my stomach?). We ordered the 1kg Costata (Wagyu F1 bone-in rib eye, MBS 6+ ) on the recommendation of the waiter. Ribeye cuts are marbled with fat, usually full of flavour and its an easier steak to cook as its less likely to be tough. We ordered it to be done Medium as I like my steaks to not bleed too much. but yet not too tough.
The costata arrived after 30 mins, cooked over a wood fired grill (you can see the cooking in the open kitchen), with an appropriate chargrilled crust. see pic below. It was pre sliced and it was more rare to medium rare than medium. It was a disappointing start. We clearly ordered medium, and the chef obviously knew it was medium rare (as he sliced it!), and still served it. Not a good sign for quality in the kitchen. The steak was also under seasoned and we had to add more salt and pepper to it. I understand that its a big chunk of meat and difficult to cook as its quite thick, but for a restaurant that routinely serves steaks that are 1-2 kg, that is just not forgivable. The wagyu itself was juicy and tender, but I've had much better for a cheaper price. The grilling just did not enhance the flavour of the meat. I really think I could do a better job with a grill pan at home. On the positive side, the steak was well rested though, as there was very little meat juice on the plate and was served warm, rather than hot. It came with some grilled red onions a sprig of chive, which was pretty good, and the only fibre I had for that night! 8P
On a side note, I've found a great recipe for tuscan-style steaks from the Culinary Institute of America http://enthusiasts.ciachef.edu/grilled-steak-tuscan-style/. It works very very well.
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| The Costata |
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| Tuscan Fries |
The front of house was slick and professional. Despite being late, they got me to my table quickly and welcomed me warmly. Our waiter was excellent and service was pretty good. He was attentive and constantly refilled our drinks and water. However, overall, the food experience was disappointing. I really expected the steaks to be better considering that we were paying over $170 (or $85 per person) just for the steak alone and the speciality of the restaurant. I've noted some very good online reviews on Bistecca, but most appear to be sponsored or invited.
If you are wondering where is the best steak I have ever had in the world, it is in an argentinian restaurant in London called Gaucho (£35 for a ribeye). If you are wondering where is the best value steak house I've ever been to so far, it was in a columbian restaurant in London (£12 for a delicious hugh ribeye steak). I'm still convinced it a front for something more sinister. More on that another time.
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