One for the Carnivores: Steak Frites by the Butchers Club
The Butchers Club is now firmly established as the place to go for some of the best dry aged beef available in Hong Kong. Following a hugely successful 2014 which saw the opening of the Deli at Editus and two burger joints, the latest addition to the stable, Steak Frites, brings the Butchers Club’s famous steak and chips to SoHo.
Situated in a first floor space on the corner of Staunton and Aberdeen Street, Steak Frites has a spot-on location in the heart of SoHo. The reasonably large restaurant is all bare concrete walls and columns, with a semi-open kitchen and ample space for large groups to get together. The night we visited was busy with three large parties, so the bare walls and floor made for some pretty poor acoustics, but otherwise, the relaxed space with red down-lighters, reminiscent of the wet markets, is well put together and inviting. The only slight downside to the red lighting was the effect on our food photography, so for this review, I’m relying on the Butchers Club own images to illustrate what you can expect.
As with most tasting events, we were fortunate to try a large number of items from the menu. First up came the wedge salad – half an iceberg lettuce served with delicious Butchers Club maple bacon, cherry tomatoes and blue cheese dressing. There’s nothing light about this dish – it’s all about starting off as you mean to go on – with big portions of hearty food. The highlight was definitely the bacon, but the crispy lettuce and rich dressing made for a very satisfying start to the meal.
The salad is available on both the lunch and dinner menus, and is typically followed by either an 8oz, 40 day, dry aged rib-eye with duck fat fries on the lunch menu, or the 12oz version on the dinner menu.
As is the case at the Butchers Club Burger outlets, Steak Frites has a secret menu in addition to the listed options. If you don’t have a QR code scanner on your phone, just ask your server to share the options with you.
The lobster roll from the secret lunch menu was a hit, and of particular note was the brioche bun that encapsulated the tender morsels of lobster. Non-meat lovers will also be delighted with the Surf ‘n’ Surf dish from the secret dinner menu. A delicate butter-poached lobster tail served alongside line caught Australian coral trout, accompanied by a lemon and caper relish and triple cooked fries.
It was then time for the meat-feast. Our table groaned under the weight of a 14oz rib-eye (from the standard set dinner menu), a double chop Australian rib-eye to share between two (not on the menu, but the staff will always present it to the table as an option), and a 1kg Nebraska prime porterhouse (from the dinner secret menu).
Our impressive hunks of steak were presented simply on a wooden board with a side of the famous duck fat chips and a selection of sauces. The steak can be cooked to your liking, although the chef recommends medium to appreciate the full flavour of the meat. The eye-wateringly large Australian rib-eye double chop is ample for two people, and the 14oz is definitely enough for even the most ravenous of meat eaters.
With a deliciously charred flavour, both the porterhouse and the rib-eyes were full of flavour as well as tender and succulent. The fries were crispy on the outside and light and fluffy inside, and despite the vast quantities of food that went before them, proved utterly moorish.
The menu was completed by a dark chocolate cheese cake (available on both the lunch and dinner menus) and a cheeseboard (on the lunch and dinner secret menus). By this point, the waistbands were straining but somehow we all managed to find just a little bit of extra space to enjoy some of the rich and velvety chocolate cheesecake and a few slivers of some excellent French cheeses (selection varies daily).
Verdict
The team behind the Butchers Club have done it again by creating yet another on-point restaurant that showcases not only their signature dry aged beef, but also offers something different to the strictly steak and fries concepts that are seen throughout Hong Kong. The focus on quality ingredients and excellent service that is evident at their existing outlets has been carried through to Steak Frites and it will undoubtedly become another firm favourite for steak lovers in Hong Kong.
Address: UG/F, 52-56 Staunton Street, Central. T: 2915 8988
Price: Set Lunch HK$350, Set Dinner HK$550.
Secret lunch menu sets range from HK$160-HK$200 and dinner menu sets from HK$550 to HK$1650 (for two)
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