My first Wagyu steak

OK, so I've read about Wagyu steaks but not tasted one until last night.

J had expressed a wish to experience a Singapore Sling so last night I took her to the Long Bar at Raffles (as you do) and we dined at the Long Bar Steakhouse first as they recommended that the Sling would be better afterwards.

I chose a TASTING OF FILET MIGNON, which consisted of
Australian Angus
200 days grain-fed
Victoria State
(80 gram)

US Prime Grade
Greater Omaha
(80 gram)

Australian
Full Blood Wagyu
Mayura Station
(60 gram)

I ordered medium rare.

Cut slice off all three and ate from top.
Oz Angus was good, would be perfectly happy with that
Omaha was better, but differently textured
Wagyu was different again, soft and sweet.

longbar steaks-small.jpg

Of the three I preferred the Omaha. It was dryer, a bit firmer, tasted meatier.

The Wagyu was very soft, wetter, slightly wobbled when you put your knife on it, and very tender and it tasted sweet. I can see why its popular.

Would I order Wagyu again? Depends on what else is available, this one taste hasn't convinced me that it is the best steak. We are returning tonight and we're going to share an Omaha Chateaubriand.

Wine chosen was Ch Montelena Estate Zinfandel 2011. Seemed a lot older than its vintage, like it had aged years. Quite pale, restrained and elegant and gave impression of being lightbodied, yet 14.4%abv. Very enjoyable.

The menu can currently be seen at http://www.raffles.com/uploadedfiles/si ... b-2014.pdf

Long Bar Steakhouse has an open kitchen with six toque wearing male cooks and one female assistant. They didn't appear overworked and there were a lot of smiles and joking among them. No Gordon Ramseys....

long-bar-kitchen.jpg

When Maitre d'Hotel came afterwards to ask if we'd enjoyed the meal I took the opportunity to be un-British and told them off for using frozen chips.I said something on the lines of with an establishment like theirs* and their large corps of chefs they should be able to slice some potatoes and make proper chips. he countered with the consistency argument but I countered that with consistency on the jacket potatoes they used. I suggested that when I dined tonight theycould perhaps take one of those jacket potatoes when cooked, slice it longways into 6 wedges and deep-fry. He went off to huddhe with the chef. We'll see

(I'm wondering now whether the dire frozen chips were oven baked

*unsaid was the price they charge...

Bravo. They shouldn't dare to use frozen potatoes.

We returned last night.

It was Monday and busier and there was a different brigade of chefs, a different sommelier and different maitre d'.

The Omaha Chateaubriand was superb, J chose Dominique Portet 'Fontaine', 2011 a Shiraz/Cab/Merlot Asutralian blend from a French owned winery. Nice wine but I thought the shiraz dominated the blend to its detriment.

On request they cooked a real potato for me.

They offered me thin fries but I asked for wedges and I got a pile of the, and they were excellent.

long-bar-wedges.jpg

Afterwards I spoke to the chef who'd prepared and cooked it for me,Chef de Cuisine Kenny Chung.

Kenny said they did use frozen chips, not McCains but better quality ones. He siad the brand but I didn't catch it, and said in Singapore they had very variable imports of potatoes. He said often they were too floury to make good chips. (I didn't say, but believe they couldn't be worse than the frozen crinkle cut things they were using)

What I hadn't realised the previous evening is that the kitchen also cooks pub snacks for the adjacent Long Bar -- fish'nchips, burgers'n'chips etc etc and I guess people don't find frozen chips unacceptable there.

I think they expect the Steakhouse clientele to order more classy sides, and those wanting potatoes they'll pick either the jacket or various mash combinations..

very enjoyable two evenings but expensive.

(We take it in turns to pay for meals and Monday was J's: it was a real chore to get them to treat her as the host. She's ask for the wine list, and they'd present it to me, she chose and ordered the wine and they showed it to me,.

She asked for the bill and they presented it to me....

Way to go

Thanks for the rest of the tale. That resto just has foot-in-mouth disease and they're determined to do something -- anything -- to offend their guests!

They do seem to have some "areas for improvement", but those potato wedges look great!