Dons de la Nature (Tokyo)

October 2017

104-0061 Tokyo, Chuo, Ginza, 1 Chome−7−6, Japan
Tel: +81 3 3563 4129
dons-nature.jp

Dons de la Nature is regarded as one of the top 3 steakhouses in Tokyo (the other 2, Karamura and Aragawa are practically impossible to get a seat in without insider help). From the crowd there on a Wednesday night (there was only one other table when we were there), it may be that it is still relatively unknown. Or it could be because a meal here is prohibitively expensive. Nonetheless, we were on a hunt for the best steak in Tokyo and this was apparently the place to get it.

Located in the basement of a building off the main street of Ginza, it was obvious that the chef-owner Yoshiji Otsuka is a francophile. Empty bottles of French wines littered the entrance of the restaurant and also inside, and even the wine list was predominantly French. We tried to order the Almaviva on the winelist and chef Otsuka wrinkled his nose at that choice, imploring me to choose the Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru he highly recommended instead. We usually dislike being made to take a bottle of wine over our own choice, but fortunately, the Burgundy did well for the meal and was a very good accompaniment for the steak.

Chef Otsuka was obviously very proud of his beef, and that was all he was interested in talking about. Less than 5 seconds after we got seated, he brought his prized beef selection to our table. There was the Hokkaido sirloin, the Matsusaka sirloin and the Omi tenderloin. He recommended the Matsusaka and Omi beef and we left him to prepare for us a portion each of those for us.

Almost as an afterthought, he served us some bread (the brioche was crispy, warm and sweet) and we ordered a shrimp cocktail and vegetable salad, which were decent.

In under 15 minutes, the steak was served. It was cooked over a special charcoal kiln and was nicely charred on the outside. Thought we were not asked what kind of doneness we wanted, the steaks came out medium rare / medium in doneness. These were probably the best Wagyu steaks we have ever tasted. The sirloin had more intense flavours but the tenderloin had the better texture. High quality wagyu steaks are generally expected to be so tender that you can cut them with a spoon, but in this case, the steaks weren't as fatty as many others yet still had such strong umami flavours. Moreover, the charred surface was done just nicely without being bitter.

Chef Otsuka came over to chat further about the steaks, being obviously very proud of his beef. He didn't even ask us about dessert and we were so full that it was probably a good idea to stop there. Nonetheless, dinner with a bottle of wine was over and done with within an hour.

This is definitely a destination restaurant just for the steaks.

Dinner by Heston (Melbourne)

December 2016

Crown Towers Melbourne, 130/8 Whiteman Street, Southbank VIC 3006, Melbourne, Australia
Tel: +61 3 8582 2061
www.dinnerbyheston.com.au

In 2015, Heston Blumenthal closed his Berkshire flagship, Fat Duck, for renovations, and duly moved his entire kitchen to Melbourne to keep his staff busy. The Crown Casino was probably the only place truly suitable to house his Fat Duck pop-up given its global appeal and profile, and apparently it was easier to get an audience with the Queen of England than a table at the Melbourne Fat Duck. Six months later, they returned to the UK, but not entirely, leaving behind Heston's newer incarnation, Dinner by Heston, which has garnered comparable following in the years it has been operating in London's Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

We are a fan of Dinner by Heston, having dined at his London restaurant several times (read about 2 of the meals: 2014 and 2015), and were curious to see if their new Melbourne outpost would match up to the same high standards. We were there for dinner, and the interior was vast and opulently adorned, much as would be expected for the premier restaurant in the city's glitziest casino. The large kitchen was visible though ceiling-high glass panels, and diners could watch the chefs meticulously prepare their meals while they quaffed their champagne.

We ordered some of the same dishes we so loved during our meals in London, and they didn't disappoint; the Meat Fruit (probably one of my favourite foie gras starters of all time) was exactly identical in looks and taste, and the ribeye steak had the same deep rich flavours. The tipsy cake was no different as well. The other dishes were also very good, with special mention to the sous vide chicken dish which was so tender and had a wonderful sauce. The Lemington Cake was a version of a local favourite so we have to try it, and we had the same chocolate ganache at the end of the meal which we felt was too rich and didn't really enjoy again.

Was Dinner by Heston Melbourne as good as the London one? Pretty much so, we thought.

Meat Fruit (c. 1500): Mandarin, chicken liver parfait & grilled bread

Chicken cooked with Lettuces (c. 1670): Grilled onion emulsion, oyster leaf and spiced parsnip sauce

Bone-in rib of Angus for 2 (c. 1830): mushroom ketchup & fries

Lamington Cake (c. 1900): raspberry jam, toasted coconut, run and vanilla ice cream

Tipsy Cake (c. 1810): spit-roast pineapple 

Chocolate Ganache

Peter Luger: revisited Sept 16 (New York)

September 2016

178 Broadway, Brooklyn, New York, NY 11211, USA
Tel: +1 718 387 7400
www.peterluger.com

The last time we were at Peter Luger, it was a cold and drizzly Monday noon. There never was much of a crowd on that day as a result. This time though, on a warm sunny Sunday lunch, there was a queue round the block already by the time we got there. Fortunately, the queue for those with reservations was quite short, and we were seated almost immediately once the doors opened. Having a steak lunch seems like a popular family affair over here, with most groups of people here with their families, though like the last time, there was a large number of Asian tourists as well (especially the Japanese, though I can never really understand their fascination with Peter Luger, given the abundance and quality of steakhouses in Japan with their super premium Wagyu beef).

This time we didn't fail to order the famous bacon. This was a long and thick strip of charred bacon which was incredibly tasty with a unforgettable smoky flavour. We would have ordered more of it if we weren't rationing our stomach space for the humongous steak which was to be served.

Another favourite of ours here was the creamed spinach. Arguably more special than the steak itself, this is probably the best creamed spinach we have ever eaten. It was smooth and creamy without the bitterness usually found in similar spinach dishes.

The porterhouse steak was as good as we remembered it, and it was served the same way: the porterhouse was sliced up in the kitchen and when brought to our table, the plate was propped up on an inverted saucer at an angle to collect the jus from the fat at one end of the dish. The waiter would then pick two pieces of beef to put on our plate, use a spoon to scoop up some of the jus and lather the beef with it. The beef used at Peter Luger is top grade USDA short loin which they age for around a month. The result was a quintessentially New York steak flavoured by its own melted fat and some salt.

We still had a bit of space for dessert so we ordered the popular pecan pie as well. It was an traditional and familiar comfort dessert which was excellent.

Like the last time, we had excellent service, in contrast to the reputation this place has for curt and rude service. Our waiter was friendly and gracious throughout, and it was an enjoyable lunch that day.

Jacobs & Co Steakhouse (Toronto)

June 2014

12 Brant Street, Toronto, Canada
Tel: +416 366 0200
www.jacobssteakhouse.com

I was visiting Canada for the first time, and finding myself in Toronto for a few days, I was looking forward to having a couple of good meals there to get a sense of the Canadian food culture. Problem was, I had difficulty in my research on fine dining in Toronto; it didn't seem like a widely discussed topic online. Even my friends and colleagues living in Toronto struggled to suggest dining options outside of cafes and Asian restaurants. In the end, my best source of ideas was still chowhound.com, and from the discussions on the topic in the forums, I picked a few places to try.

One of which was Jacobs & Co Steakhouse. I reckoned that when in North America, one should try to have a steak dinner, and this I read was probably one of the best in the city. Located along the fashionable Kings Street West (the 'Fashion District' in fact), Jacobs takes up a standalone two storey building which houses a large bar and pre-dinner drinks area, and an equally spacious dining room. I deliberately booked an early dinner reservation (6pm to be exact; I was afraid my jet lag would kick in if I ate later and affect the enjoyment of my dinner), and was surprised to find that the restaurant was already half-full by then (maybe in the summer, Canadians have dinner really early).  The restaurant was very well staffed and I was very warmly welcomed and shown to my seat.

I was dining alone, and conscious of that, my server spent a lot of time at my table throughout the night making conversation and generally keeping me entertained. The service that night was excellent. That might have influenced me somewhat to ambitiously order an entire bottle of wine being fully aware that there was no way I was going to finish it. However, I was looking forward to a nice juicy steak and wanted some good Californian Cabernet Sauvignon to go with it (the wines by the glass were not inspiring and they didn't have any half-bottles). At the recommendation of my server, I picked a 2009 Napa red from Othello which was relatively affordable and very enjoyable. This was accompanied by a warm onion loaf with herb butter.

As a starter, I had a selection of Daisy Bay, Shigoku and Kusshi oysters, which were very fresh. I needed to keep the early part of my meal light so as to make space for the beef, which was the main reason I was here.

Jacobs had a very good selection of beef. They had different types of Canadian beef of different cuts, USDA prime, Snake River Farms Wagyu and Australian Wagyu. On recommendation (after a lengthy discussion with my server on the different types of beef from the various Canadian farms), I opted for the Prime Angus - P.E.I. (i.e. Prince Edwards Islands, a region in Canada renowned for hormone and antibiotic free beef from cattle responsibly and sustainably reared) 16oz striploin.

It was served just the way I like it, medium rare on a sizzling pan with no sauce or condiments except for some salt. It was as good as a steak should be; flavourful without being too fatty; firm without being too chewy. With my Napa red wine and my perfect striploin, this was truly a memorable steak dining experience. It helped that Jacobs had a very civilised ambience and the lack of the noise and boisterousness customary in other steakhouses we've been to allowed me to truly savour the meal.

As much as I had enjoyed the dinner, I could only possibly handle a fraction of the mash potatoes (this was just a half portion). I skipped dessert as the 16oz steak, a bottle of wine and jet lag conspired to end my dinner early. This was one of the best steak meals I have had in a while and the experience was made even better by the superlative service and attention I got that night.