The best "Classical NY Steakhouse" experience at Wolfgang's Steakhouse Singapore.

👍 Steak is amazing; "Classic NY steakhouse" experience without flying to the US.
👎 Upmarket ambience also means upmarket price; Side dishes are just par for the course.

Any steak lover worth his (or her) salt knows of Peter Luger Steakhouse: The iconic, legendary, New York steakhouse that opened more than 130 years ago. The story goes that after working there for 40 years, one of Peter Luger's head waiters - Wolfgang Zwiener - decided not to retire, but to instead open his own restaurant as a blatant copy of as an homage to his old employer's place.

What this means is that you get pretty much the same dry aged, USDA Prime porterhouse, blasted under a 400+°C broiler twice (the second time sliced, with melted butter), before being served sizzling at the table. You also get most of the iconic appetizers and sides - for example thick cut bacon, creamed spinach, and onion rings.


"With more than 4 decades of experience (at Peter Luger), Wolfgang Zwiener didn't duplicate an exceptional steakhouse, he improved on it to make Wolfgang's Steakhouse exceptional." (Wolfgang Steakhouse's Website)

The improvements to the original are a more upmarket positioning (thick, luxurious white tablecloths and far more comfortable chairs), slightly expanded menu offerings, and a greatly expanded wine and spirits list. Oh, and a free baguette and mini onion loaf.


We were really tempted to go for the thick cut sizzling bacon (s$12 per slice), but decided to save stomach room for the steak by ordering two lobster bisques (s$22 each) instead. The bisque/broth is extremely flavourful, with strong lobster flavours and just the right touch of salt.


After we're done with the soups, we didn't have to wait too long before the sound (and aroma) of sizzling butter heralded the arrival of our Porterhouse for Two (s$185) - Medium Rare. As is the case with good meat, no sauces or fancy seasonings needed: just salt and some clarified butter.

Oh, and having a steak served on a (really) hot plate is pretty awesome because the meat takes a while to cool down (even in the cold, air conditioned dining room)


The porterhouse, of course, is two steaks in one: An NY Strip (Striploin) and a smaller Filet (Filet Mignon / Tenderloin). In theory the NY Strip side is a little chewier and stringier (but with better flavour), whereas the tenderloin is tender but can lack flavour. No such flavour issues here, though - the dry aging process ensures that the tenderloin has plenty strong beefy notes while still maintaining an unbelievably tender texture.

Needless to say, the crust on the steak is terrific, and the meat's cut thick enough to still have a wonderful, juicy, pink, delicious centre. Sure, other cooking methods such as sous vide can get visually superior ("pink from edge to edge") results, but in my opinion, dry cooking methods still taste best. The only thing missing, perhaps, was a hint of smoke from a wood fire, which is of course unobtainable from gas flame or electric broilers.


For our sides - the Creamed Spinach (s$15) was pretty nice, especially since there isn't an overload of cream like how some other places do it. The lobster mac n' cheese (s$25), however, was a little underwhelming and not particularly worth the (carbohydrate) calories.


Overall, we really enjoyed our dinner, even if the price is quite a bit more upmarket than the original Peter Luger in New York. Do note that Wolfgang only stocks and serves one kind of meat (USDA Prime), so if you're looking to do a comparative tasting between Australian Grain Fed steers vs Japanese Wagyu vs English Grass Fed cows, you'd be better off in one of the more "modern" steakhouses like Cut or Sear @ 50RP.

Wolfgang Steakhouse is on the 2nd floor of Intercontinental Hotel, Robertson Quay. Reservations recommended; Non-halal.

Awesome Buffet Spread at Atrium, Intercontinental Perth Burswood

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Oh wow it's been almost three weeks since we posted our last food review. Three weeks! That's probably something like a full year in blog age. Better late than never though! During our trip to Perth we visited the Burswood Entertainment Complex, which has a casino, stadium, theatre, and almost a dozen restaurants, including an awesome buffet place named Atrium!


Atrium is located in the InterContinental Perth Burswood Hotel. The seating area is wide, spacious and airy, and the restaurant has got a very modern, chic decor.


For the kaki botol's among you, there's a fully loaded bar to satisfy all your alcohol needs. Naturally these drinks aren't included in the buffet price, though.


Onwards to the most important stuff, though - the food! There's a selection of smoked salmon and cod and some pre-mixed salad/pasta-type dishes, and you can also mix up your own caesar salad with as much cheese, bacon bits, and anchovies as your heart desires.


If you're more of a seafood lover, I imagine you'd head directly over to the seafood bar and help yourself to as much shrimp/prawns, oysters, and crabs as you can stomach.


There are two separate hot dishes spreads. The first 'Western'-style area has some pretty good Beef Stroganoff, among other dishes. There's also a pasta station (that we didn't try), and some roasted meats - pork, chicken and roast beef.


The 'Asian'-style spread mixes a few Indian curries and Chinese dishes - including Peking Duck!


Having eaten our quota of food, we turn our attention to the huge variety of delicious-looking desserts on offer!



My favorite was this ... cake. Mounds of ice cream loaded with tons of toppings like M&Ms, various nuts and berries, and finished off with a generous amount of chocolate sauce - yummy!


Overall we end up pretty satisfied! Dinner for AUD59 nett per person was, in our opinion, reasonable for a spread of this quality and quantity. Typical of most buffets the dishes are solid but not outstanding - perfect if you're in the mood for trying lots of variety.

Veda - Indian Fine Dining at InterContinental Mauritius Resort Balaclava Fort

Today we travel back to Mauritius! Had this meal a month ago, so I'd better blog about it before I forget how everything tastes like. Anyways we travel back to the InterContinental Mauritius Resort Balaclava Fort, and to its' Indian restaurant named Veda.

Initial reservations are that it's a bit oddly located, being "away" from the rest of the resort, and that there is an irritating mosquito presence (maybe due to the thick surrounding foliage). Perhaps the restaurant could do with some discreetly placed mosquito repellent devices, although I don't know how effective those are in an outdoor environment.


Some of the tables are absolutely gorgeous, but unfortunately for us, these are for the honeymoon-ing couples in the resort. A quick word with the waiter and he tells me that he can set it up for anyone who asks in advance, too.


As a starter - papadums with onions, some sort of curry, and a third dip which I've forgotten, haha. These are THE BEST papadums I've ever eaten. Thin, crispy, fragrant and not a single hint of oiliness.


The amuse-bouche however is a bit ... disappointing. Wikipedia tells me that the amuse-bouche is supposed to be "a showcase for the artistry and showmanship of the chef as well as one-upmanship among restaurants," for which this particular dish has failed miserably. I can only describe this as a bite-sized plain roti prata with some mixed greens. And yes, it tasted as plain as it sounds.


No matter - the appetizers quickly restore our faith in the restaurant. We're on the set dinner - for which I choose the Chicken Tikka. Tender and moist and cooked to perfection with delicious Indian spices. I wouldn't mind eating multiple servings of this appetizer as a main course.


The darling goes for the Fish Mahi Tikka. It's similarly deliciously spiced - but a bit of an oddity we noticed was that one of the fish fillets was nice and tender, but the other was a bit tough and firm. Two fillets from two different fish?


The appetizers are followed by a cold soup. Don't remember what soup this was (the menu only says Chef's Specialty of the day). I do remember that it was spicy and tangy and had a hint of mango and banana, but overall I guess I greatly prefer my soups hot, and not cold.


On to the mains, then! This is the Khaibri Gosht (Lamb Shank Cooked in Milk). Delicious. The cooking style is aromatic and decidedly Indian, without overpowering the taste of the meat. Which, incidentally, was nice and tender.


These are eaten with a selection of chapatis and naans, which were a bit crispier and less thick than the naans that you normally get in KL.


Being quite stuffed, we still have to make room for dessert - Shahi Tukra (bread with condensed milk and nuts), served with Pistachio ice cream. I like the dessert, other than the fact that it's very sweet (as are practically all indian desserts and sweets).


Oh, there's also live entertainment in the form of a Sitar group. I can't comment about how authentic or good the group was, of course, but the music was nice and not intrusive.


Overall, it was a wonderful dinner, with delicious food, great ambience and good service. No prices available as the set dinner was part of our room package.

Segala - Intercontinental Resort, Balaclava Fort, Mauritius

Lots of the higher-end resorts here in Mauritius are of the 'do everything and eat everything here,' Club Med-style variety - you pay for the room, and (depending on how much you want to pay of course), all the food and water-sports and other activities are "free." So it's perhaps not very meaningful to provide a food review of these restaurants, because the only people who dine here are guests of the hotel.

But anyway, the InterContinental Mauritius Resort Balaclava Fort is one such resort. And the Segala is one of the restaurants at the resort - if memory serves me right, it's the 'mediterranean seafood and grill' restaurant. Unfortunately I didn't take a photo when there was actual light in the sky, but it's located right next to the sea, and on the beach.


Practically all restaurants here are open air and non air-conditioned. Which is fine because the weather at night is cool, even during the summer. Here we dine with the waves as the background music, accompanied by a lone singer/guitarist, so it's mucho relaxing.


Selection of breads to start the night. Interestingly, instead of butter we're served with a trio of spreads which are (from front to back) Goat Cheese, Eggplant Caviar and Pumpkin Cream. Pretty funky stuff. I like the Cheese and the Pumpkin, but since I don't like Eggplant the middle spread was a bust for me.


We go for the set menu dinner, which has two choices for Starters. This is the Smoked chicken breast with pears and walnut vinaigrette. I don't know what the chefs marinate the chicken in, but it's delicious, so I can forgive the simplicity of the dish.


I don't enjoy the Grilled vegetables Terrine with roasted peppers salsa and creamy cheese sauce as much. It's a bit plain, and has too much eggplant (which I don't eat), and bell peppers (which I don't like).


For the main course, we have the Grilled Marlin Steak. It's seasoned and cooked deliciously, but the fish itself is pretty tough (for fish standards, of course). I don't have any real reference point though, as I've never really eaten Marlin before. Could be that these big game fish tend to have much tougher meat than other fish.


The darling's Marinated beef filet with black peppercorn was ordered medium but came closer to medium well, so a tad bit on the dry side, but otherwise the beef was pretty tasty, and the black pepper sauce wasn't overpoweringly peppery.


For dessert, there's only one choice: Fresh Coconut Tart with Coconut Ice Cream. A bit of cheating going on in the kitchen here: The Tart is just a generic base tart with some coconut shavings, and the ice cream isn't really coconut - it's milk flavoured with coconut shavings to make it taste coconut-ty.


No prices available because this set dinner is part of our room package, but if we didn't choose the set dinner we'd have been given 600 Rs (RM 61.20) credit to ordering ala carte from the menu, so I guess that would be as good an estimation as any.

Overall, the restaurant was above average, and if we were staying long we'd have no hesitation going back for repeat visits - but again, I doubt anyone from outside the resort would drive all the way out here just for a dinner.