The decor is classic American steakhouse - with heavy chairs, low light levels and wood panelling everywhere. Service is above average; our waitress was cheerful and courteous if not particularly friendly. After taking our orders we're presented with one of Morton's signatures - their onion loaf. It's delicious and fluffy on the inside with a nice crust, and comes with some pretty delicious butter. We didn't finish the loaf, though; didn't want to stuff our stomachs and have no room for the main courses and dessert :)
We start off with the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake with Mustard Mayonnaise (SGD40). This is a crab lovers dream - consisting of huge lumps of crab meat packed together and lightly fried. It's like eating an entire crab without the hassle of breaking shells and digging claws for meat.
For mains, we make a huge mental maths error and order two huge steaks - the first of which being the Center Cut Prime Rib Eye (SGD99.50 for 16oz / 454gm), medium rare of course. Morton's serves wet aged USDA Prime meat, and cooks it in an almost-1000deg Celcius broiler. This results in a simply sublime steak - with a "crispy" (for lack of a better word), seared/charred crust enveloping a juicy, delicious interior. No sauces needed, just some freshly ground black pepper and it's steak heaven!
The Signature Cut New York Strip (SGD120 for 14oz / 397gm) is a leaner cut of beef with a typically stronger flavour. I've always been a big rib eye fan, but have lately been digging the extra flavour and texture of the NY Strip. This steak wasn't as perfectly cooked, though - there was a small part at the end which was excessively charred and gave a strong burnt taste (as if chewing on charcoal). Definite minus points there.
We accompany the steaks with Sauteed Spinach & Button Mushrooms (SGD22) which are well cooked but aren't particularly special.
Despite over 800gm of steak between the both of us, we still have room for Morton's Legendary Hot Chocolate Cake (SGD30). Do note that there's a 20-plus minute waiting time for this cake, so do remember to order it earlier if your waiter/waitress (like ours) neglects to inform. The cake's hot, melted chocolate centre goes wonderfully with the scoop of ice cream - a definite must try!
We finish our dinner extremely satisfied. Other than the one mouthful of burnt steak, the rest of the meal was exemplary. At close to SGD200 per person without wine, it isn't exactly cheap though. If you're not a particularly big eater it would probably be good to share a steak to bring down the price a little (and to avoid that "too much of a good thing" feeling).
Morton's The Steakhouse is located on the 4th floor of the Mandarin Oriental hotel, Singapore, and is open for Dinner (only) seven days a week. Reservations recommended! +65 6339 3740, and you can check out their full menu here: Morton's Singapore Menu with Prices.
