Chic Bites

Honestly, steaks are not my thing. I'm not a beef lover but I keep hearing about how good Morton's is, so my boyfriend and I just had to try it.

Entering through a modest, hidden wooden door, we were invited into a cosy alcove with friendly smiles and,

most importantly, an unpretentious atmosphere (unlike several un-nameable atas restaurants we've been to). I took instant liking to the place - no stress from fake accents or no need to be prim and proper. People actually take their kids here and don't really expect them to behave!

The hostess literally "showed" us the menu - she brought out a display of raw meats to illustrate the different cuts, potatoes and tomatoes. I even caught a peak of a raw lobster that I presume is used for lobster thermidor.

What was impressive was that she had memorized the whole menu and that there wasn't a single ounce of hesitation when we asked for recommendation.

Then came this evil thing - the bread! This huge onion bun, slightly smaller than a frisbee, came to our table looking unimpressive. Never judge a bun by its brown, boring appearance - beneath its crunchy exterior, a moist, subtly sweet and extremely fragrant dough awaits. I was tempted to buy one home for $12.

The bread alone was enough to make the trip worthwhile. But wait, what's this we hear about Morton's steak? My boyfriend ordered a medium rare Filet Mignon ($70+). Let me reiterate, I really don't like steak but this steak is utterly divine and requires no sauce or condiments. The steak was char-grilled to perfection, leaving a slight crusty exterior that's oh so delightful! The beef was moist, with its natural sweetness alluringly accentuated.

Morton's is definitely a steak lover's paradise!

I tried Lump Crab Cake ($70+). They were very generous with their crab meat but, perhaps biased by having a father who owns a seafood restaurant, it wasn't really worth the money. We also had a seafood starter - Colossal Shrimp Cocktail (about $34). As its name suggests, the prawns were bigggg... but again, the starter wasn't that persuasive either.

Overall, I have to applaud Morton's for being able to pull off such a spectacular service - everything from starter to dessert was pretty decent - and in Singapore, this is pretty rare for a restaurant. Everything was served quickly (even though the restaurant was quite full) but not too quickly that you don't have time to talk in between courses. So, it must be an art that restaurants have to master.

When I go back to Morton's the next time (and I would), I would definitely order beef ribs instead ($90+) and forget about the seafood. In total, we spent about $300+ but it was so worth it! If only I had more money.........