STEAK HOUSE

There are steaks, and then there are steaks. The three restaurants here take the norm and elevate it to an art form, from using the highest grade wagyu to offering exotic meat.

THE ONE STEAK
L’Entrecote, 36 Duxton Hill, tel: 6238-5700 (for queries, not reservations)

When we say one steak, we really mean it. This traditional Parisian-like bistro only serves one kind of steak – and it’s the only item listed as a main course.
The point of being so single-minded? “We serve just one dish and do it well,” says French owner Olivier Bendel. “And this style is typical for a Parisian bistro.”
The steak star: the entrecote cut, similar to a lean striploin, which is pan-fried and melt-in-the-mouth tender. It’s served in two palm-size helpings (the picture here shows just one), with the second one kept warm while you eat the first – portions are so generous that it would take too long to get through even half the steak before it gets cold. And the monstrous dish is just $29.
It comes with a secret butter-based sauce (only five people in the world know the recipe), a pile of crisp thin-cut fries, and a salad with walnuts and mustard dressing, and a glass of kir (a French cocktail with blackcurrant liqueur).
The restaurant is based on the original Le Relais de Venise L’Entrecote in Paris, which opened in 1959 and still attracts queues till the wee hours. Open since October, the local version already attracts many French regulars.
The appetisers and desserts are also typically French: Starters ($12-$19) include unpretentious options like Oven-Baked Beef Marrow and Sardines in their Tin, and for afters ($4-$23), profiteroles, lemon tart and the highlight, a Truffled Brie.