Monday, August 29, 2005

Morton's - the Steakhouse

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Ahh yes, Morton's of Chicago: evidence that God truly exists, and that He's gracious enough to keep one open for us in Singapore, of all places. I have a ritual there now - start with the beefsteak tomatoes with blue cheese, move to the "bone-in" ribeye, maybe add some sauteed wild mushrooms on the side, and finish it with the Godiva chocolate cake. Everything else on the menu looks so good too, but I never seem to find the ability to break away and try something new.

The food tonight was actually a bit substandard compared to other nights: the beefsteak tomato wasn't as firm as it had been in the past, the ribeye was a bit dry (and it's still Australian beef due to the Singapore ban on US mad-cow-scare beef), and the Godiva chocolate cake has actually recently been renamed the "World Famous Chocolate Cake" as they stopped using Godiva (globally).

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But in the end, it's still nothing to complain about. Morton's is Morton's, bar none. The blue cheese still had all the requisite stank, the ribeye still had all the aged goodness, and the chocolate cake was still oozing in pleasure. The mushrooms were still drenched in butter (with the huge crouton sucking it all up), and the service was also impeccable, which is definitely refreshing to find in Singapore. Don't forget of course the piping hot onion loaf at the beginning of the meal too.

It's interesting though - I've found Morton's to be a bit inconsistent from location to location. I had a fantastic meal at the Las Vegas location, but the San Francisco one always disappointed. The Singapore one had always been consistent in the past (even when they had to switch to Australian beef), but they seem to have lowered the bar a bit tonight. It doesn't matter though. I'm still coming back. This is a nice little pocket of American excess and extravagance in this little island on the equator. Now I'm ready to collapse.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Does the choc cake taste as good now that they don't use Godiva anymore?

bma said...

I couldn't tell the difference. Then again, I'm not a big chocolate fan. It still had the great baked exterior & gooey interior texture though.

Anonymous said...

If you love steak, you might wanna try "George's Steak & Ribs" at Holland Village. Best steak in Singapore (in my opinion).Go for the Rib-eye, medium rare.

Anonymous said...

you can also try the Tavern restaurant for great steaks

Anonymous said...

where is it?

Anonymous said...

MY Beef with Morton's in Singapore

By Dr. Michael Lim The Travelling Gourmet

Morton's was really good in 1998 Morton's was really good in 1998 when my very good friend, Michael Donlon was the GM. Michael is one of the nicest and kindest people I have ever met and a true blue straight American like his uncle. Standards have dropped alas,and what displeased me a lot awhile back, and I have a memory like an elephant, is the waiter whose name always reminds me of Hi-Lo milk who demands tips when he dose not get a big fat tip on top of the 10% service charge. C'mon, this is SINGAPORE, NOT New York so there is already a 10% service charge, capische! Also as you pointed out correctly: no more Godiva chocolate so what is the deal, cost cutting to make more profit or what??? And last but definitely not least, NO USDA beef, their unique selling point. Yes, you are right, Aussie grass fed beef is drier and not so nice as USDA corn fed beef. Scientific studies document this fact. So, make my steak Lawry's, OK Jose!
By the famous world renowned The Travelling Gourmet Dr. Michael Lim
Bty, I think foul mouthed Anthony Bourdain sucks. If you want a Chef hero to emulate, try Heinz Beck, Michel Roux or Philippe Legendre, all Masterchefs and great gentlemen who I am honoured to call my friends. {:-)

Anonymous said...

... submitted as a review on hereing.com