Ministry of Steak

we first went there due to this website : http://www.bistro.com.sg
we couldnt located the bistro and tried calling up, it was here. gave it a try anyway.

the ambiance was good, with bright lightnings and clean settings. it was crowded though its a Thursday night. orders and starters were served quickly and it was good. it gave us a good impression, thinking what's coming up would be able to make our night but hell NO.

2 of us have char grilled chicken, which was ok, nothing fantastic to brag about. the main point is my friend's ribeye x-cut and my bf's ministry hamburger. both of them wanted it medium, but it came out RAW. there was blood oozing out of the ribeye and the burger patty seems like loose mincemeat. do they even know the definition of medium? it wasn't even medium-raw, just raw.

we first made a comment to a staff bout the burger and he asked if we would like to get a new plate. what's the point, he had eaten up the veg, bread and 1/4 of the patty which hardly considered "medium raw". my friend finished up the ribeye with a look of sickness on her face, i applauded for her courage. after the staff had left, a friend took a photo of it while a well-dressed man behind counter, which we assumed it's the manager, looked on.

after we called for the bill, I went up to the 'manager' to let him know bout our food. here's our conversation.

me "just to let you know, our medium steak was rather raw."
him "you should have come and changed it"
me "no point, we have eaten 1/4 of it already"
him "just come and change it, you should be happy bout it"
me "i just want to let you know"
him "ok"

what is there to be HAPPY bout? you think we would have the appetite for your next burger/steak when your BLOOD MINCED MEAT is on our mind? just because you want to change it, you think we would eat it?
this is a customer feedback, just accept it and change. you mean you don't even know how to run a business?

PATHETIC

A new steak house has set up shop around my neighbourhood recently in an attempt to loosen Aston's stranglehold on the steak market for low to mid tier pricing steaks. Named Ministry of Steak (MOS), the name sounds like a rip off of the now defunct Ministry of Sound (also MOS for short) in Singapore.

Tucked away along the row of shophouses at Serangoon Gardens where the new NTUC is and just a stones throw away from Astons, MOS suffers from low visibility as the entire row of shops face away from the central bus stop. This particular unit has changed hands quite a few times due to low human traffic so it remains to be seen if MOS can thrive in such an obscure location.

Mushroom Soup - You have the option of adding $3 and getting a calamansi drink + a soup, which happened to be mushroom soup. The soup was rather watered down but at least it was decently creamy and had bits of mushroom in it. Not too bad for the price.

Pork Chops - With a name like Ministry of Steak, pork chops probably aren't their forte but this dish didn't turn out half as bad as I expected it to be. Sure, the meat was a little too chewy in certain areas and the garlic sauce a little too runny, but portions were generous and it beats eating tough pork chops served at some places.

Prime Sirloin - Cheapo me chose the cheapest steak on the menu - the prime sirloin. I must say that I was quite impressed by the handling and preparation of the meat. Beautifully grilled to medium rare as per my request and harbouring a moderate hint of salt, the steak was succulent and boasted natural beefy sweetness. You get 2 sides with every main course and my coleslaw and fries tasted decently fresh. Nothing to holler about though.

Black Pepper Steak - This was essentially the same cut as the prime sirloin, except that it came with black pepper instead of garlic sauce. And if it looks darker, yes it is, due to the fact that it was done medium well. A little drier and tougher, but still good for those who can't stand really stand the sight of blood.

The emergence of MOS in the area is sure to give Astons a terrific run for its money, given its quality and competitive pricing (3 of us spent $35). Throw in air conditioning and decent service and I know where I'll be satisfying my steak cravings again. This time I might just be tempted to try out the grade 5 wagyu for $30.

See all my pictures here.