Lawry's The Prime Rib Singapore @ Mandarin Gallery

The second part of the birthday meals was at Lawry's in Mandarin Gallery. There was a 1-for-1 main course weekday lunch promotion and it applied for main courses worth $100 or less. I opted for the Prime Rib Lunch (Specifically the $98++ Lawry's Cut -285g). I also ordered the Traditional Lump Crab Cake (2 pieces -70g each) which were on promotion at $19 instead of the usual $23. So here's what the Prime Rib Lunch included. 

Firstly, the

1) The Famous Original Spinning Bowl Salad

As the name implies, there's some spinning involved. The waitress seen on the left was starting to mix the salad, which was following by the spinning of the bowl on a bed of ice and a short performance whereby she assumed a ballerina pose to pour the dressing. Gotta give Lawry's the presentation points.





The salad was served on a chilled plate and an accompanying fork (which was chilled as well.) Now, as much as I enjoy meat, I do enjoy a good salad, especially one that is savory without an overly creamy dressing. The salad had a healthy variety of romaine and iceberg lettuce, baby spinach, shredded beets, chopped eggs and croutons. Portion size was pretty decent.

Rating: 8/10

2 pieces here

*Side-dish: Traditional Lump Crab Cake

On hindsight, ordering this was overkill but it still turned out to be really good. Now the promotion was basically $19 for these 2 crab cakes. It was well-fried with a healthy layer of crisp without making the crab filling overly dry. It was served with mayonnaise on the side which complimented this rather seemingly petite but filling dish. I would recommend this only if you're not going for the Prime Rib Lunch, simply because after eating this I was already starting to feel full. Would probably be good if you're eating this for tea and not ordering a main.

Rating: 8/10

2) Lawry's Cut (285g) served with Idaho Mashed Potatoes

Now, Lawry's should get an A for presentation. The first picture shows the grill that the chef and manager pushed to my table. The chef started to carve the meat and serve it fresh to me.

One portion

Another portion

As usual, I went for medium rare. This is technically not the steak that people are used to, rather this is meat at its "purest" form. There is very little seasoning (though you can always add the Lawry's signature pepper) which allows you to savor the meat. The meat itself is very tender and is easy cutting. While the meat doesn't pack that oomph that wagyu beef gives, the Lawry's Cut is probably many a meat lover's ideal cut. The mashed potato served is pretty good as well (better than the Bedrock one which I reviewed in an earlier post). Now serving-wise, it is definitely enough for a guy, especially if you also had ordered       the crab cake. 

    Rating: 8/10

3)Yorkshire Pudding
Sounds like a dessert but it's served together with the meat and is meant to be eaten with it. Now the best way to describe this is a cheesier but lighter French toast that is all savory. If the meat and mashed potatoes aren't enough, this is sure to fill your stomach.



Rating: 7.5/10

So to recap, the Prime Rib Lunch includes Items 1, 2 and 3 (Salad, Meat & Mashed Potato, Pudding). My choice of the Lawry's Cut was $98++ although there are cheaper and smaller cuts such as the English Cut (200g @ $83) and the California Cut (160g @ $73).

Overall, as a birthday meal, I enjoyed this meal was more than Bedrock Bar & Grill.  First of all, the one-for-one promotion was well-worth it and Lawry's is considered more high-end. Secondly, the ambiance in Lawry's is better, the place feels more open with a lot of sunlight and a window seat overlooking Orchard Road. Thirdly, the service is good, not to mention the "performances" of the waitresses decked out in the French Maid theme. Bedrock on the other hand seemed a bit more drab with its darker decor and less lively staff.

Food-wise, Lawry's is definitely more filling and you're getting a high grade steak.

Overall rating: 8.5/10 (boosted because of the ambiance, pretty good for lunch dates, and good value if you can use the one-for-one promotion.)

Forest @ Resort World Sentosa

Note: Apparently I had this draft written way in September 2014 but I'm publishing it now.

Set

1) Shrimp Ball Salad 

2) Beef tenderloin cube/fish fillet

3) Handmade ramen (braised with clams, pork belly and tientsin cabbage

Extra 

Lime Jello Sorbet - $13

Avocado Pudding

The 3 course set for Forest's Restaurant Week had the shrimp ball salad, the beef tenderloin cubes and the handmade ramen. The shrimp ball salad had the most unique synergy of the lot, contrasting the crispiness of the shrimp ball against the succulence of the fresh tomato. Despite the small portion, the shrimp ball salad with its spicy mayo and avocado "dressing" was a great start to whet my appetite. Although for the next dish I was expecting the beef tenderloin cubes to be more unique given Forest's fusion style, the cooking was well done. The black pepper sauce was enough to stimulate the taste buds, though it was the tenderness of the beef that sealed the deal, having tenderness that is comparable to wagyu beef. The handmade ramen (although seemed to be more of udon) came in a surprisingly big portion and was a nice way to end the 3 course meal. The lightly seasoned noodles with a broth gave it a comforting taste that is reminiscent of home cooking. The addition of the fried seaweed flakes complemented the more subtle texture of the noodles and the freshness of the clam meat.

Overall, I think the 3 course meal hits the mark, representing fusion style cooking quite well. The presentation of the dishes was excellent and the taste was refreshing. Although not necessarily a flaw per se, I feel that the beef tenderloin could have used a more unique seasoning as black pepper sauce is quite generic and stifles the flavor of beef itself. I've a pretty good impression of Forest and I see myself coming back to Forest again, perhaps to try the $68++ set meal.

Bedrock Bar & Grill @ Somerset

Wow, a one year break of not writing. Guess I'm back?


Bedrock Bar & Grill (Somerset)

As part of my birthday meals, I went for Bedrock's 3 course lunch set (starter, main, and dessert), as seen below

With a party of 4, we went for 2 steaks and 2 seafood/poultry mains.

 Let's begin with the Starters:

 House Cured Salmon

Quite "pretty" for a starter. It's basically smoked salmon, which turned out pretty good. The portion size is about 3 fairly large slices, embellished with pickled radish and caperberries. The sharpness of the pickles helped to balance out the slightly over-salted salmon. Overall, a decent starter.


Rating: 7.5/10

 Char-grilled Baby Gem
Basically a garden salad, and I would consider it the most "normal" but satisfying of the three starters. I liked this dish because it didn't have the "generic" thick cream salad dressings. But of course, that's a personal preference.




Rating: 8/10

 Classic Lobster Bisque
Perhaps the dish that a lot of people may opt for because of the lobster tag in the name. But being bisque, it's more suitable for people who prefer a "soupier" starter. I found this dish slightly overwhelming especially with the sour cream mixed with the bisque. I would recommend it if you are fond of the lobster taste. Not so much for me though.



Rating: 7/10


Moving on to the Mains:

Woodfire-grilled Sirloin

 Perhaps this was what I was most hyped up about. As usual, I had my steak cooked medium rare. The portion size was decent, especially with a serving of mashed potato (not pictured). Taste was average, while the steak was moderately tender. The steak came with bernaise sauce. I felt that the sharpness of the vinegar complimented the somewhat "conservatively" seasoned grilled steak. However, others felt that the sauce ruined the purity of the steak. The mashed potato was average at best, particular because of the Worcestershire Sauce. Overall this steak was decent, but nothing to write home about.

Rating: 7.5/10

Confit Cornfed Chicken 

An overall good choice for non-beef eaters. The roasted chicken was rather tender and respectfully salted and was well-accompanied by a sausage and egg. I didn't particular find the chicken appealing to me because I prefer beef and I'm still having bad memories of an overdose of cafeteria roasted chicken when travelling in Spain. However, this chicken is definitely more tender than a cafeteria's standard.

Rating: 7.5/10 (if I didn't have bad memories of roasted chicken), otherwise 7/10 due to personal experiences.

 Baked Baramundi Fillet

Another good alternative for non-beef eaters. This dish's presentation is pretty good. Portion size is also good. I've no real criticisms of this dish. The fish was succulent and the salt seasoning was just right. But then again, I'm a fish lover who doesn't enjoy food that is overly seasoned.

Rating: 7.5/10

Wood-grilled Veal Chop
Texture-wise, veal is naturally more tender than normal steak. This was the same case, when compared with the steak mentioned earlier. I felt this veal chop was more appetising as well. However, the actual meat portion was smaller than the steak above but was well-complimented by the big tomatos and fries. However, I must point out that the veal was served to me rare when I asked for medium rare, and as a result the fries turned cold.

Rating: 8/10





Finally, the Desserts:

Toffee Pudding (with Gingernut Icecream), White Chocolate Eclair and Chocolate Tart (from left, clockwise)

The Toffee Pudding was quite well-done and the gingernut icecream complimented the taste and texture of the pudding. The Chocolate Eclair was frozen and was reminiscent of an ice cream cake. Pretty good when it melts in your mouth. The Chocolate Tart was more subtle (and less frozen), but was overall quite good.

Rating: 7.5 for all 3. Basically down to personal preference.

Overall, although Bedrock Bar & Grill didn't impress me with their service (the veal was supposed to be cooked medium rare but it turned out rare; and the waitress looked depressed half the time), the experience was still quite good. Don't get me wrong, the service is still considered average by Singapore standards. Food-wise is average as well, and the pricing is on the high side ($58++ for the steak and $38++ for the seafood and poultry). But I felt the meal overall met my expectations, partially because the 3 courses made the experience last longer. (it was my birthday meal so I wanted a longer meal). 

Overall rating: 7.5/10, 7/10 because the higher price should warrant better than average food.