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.)