Jake's Charbroil Steaks @ Starhill Gallery

When we think of the old steakhouses that have been around for 2 to 3 decades and are still popular among steak lovers...inevitably The Ship, Victoria Station and Jake's Charbroil Steaks are the three that would probably come to mind.

 

I've eaten at their Medan Damansara branch a few times (though the last time has been a while) but this is my first time trying Jake's Charbroil Steaks @ Starhill Gallery.  My friends and I decided to break with tradition this year and went with western food for our pre-Chinese New Year celebration meal together (before we all embark on our "balik kampong" ritual).  We didn't want the usual Chinese food we had the previous year here (as we knew we'd probably be partaking in a lot of Chinese food during the festive season).

I ordered a couple of starters to share, starting off with the Crispy Potato Skin @ RM15 (for 2 pcs) which is one of their signature starters.  The potato skin was fried till super crispy and it was filled with diced onions, capsicum, smoked beef and topped with melted cheese.  This we loved and it was as good as I remembered it to be.

Next up was an old classic that's still popular to this day...the Prawn & Mango Cocktail @ RM27.  This was served in a large glass with prawns, sliced mangoes, tomatoes, julienned lettuce at the bottom and a wedge of lime.  The cocktail sauce that dressed the prawns were insufficient (in my opinion) coz once the prawns were eaten, there was a mountain of shredded lettuce that was deprived of any sauce.  Although I was appreciative that the mangoes were sweet and plentiful, I think the price tag is too much for a dish that only had 6 prawns (RM18 would have been more tolerable).

Another super popular starter here is the Station Master's Choice (that's what stated in the menu) of Oxtail Soup @ RM22.  This thick robust flavoured soup, with falling off the bone meat, is indeed really good.  I would say it's as good as the one at Maria's SteakCafe, only thing is...it's a pretty small portion compared to Maria's.

For the kids to share, we ordered the Chicken Mushroom Soup @ RM16.

We were served some complimentary garlic bread (with the 2 soups ordered)...nothing quite like Victoria Station's garlic bread though. 

The kids also shared a main which was Jake's Charbroiled Chicken @ RM32.  It's just a deboned chicken thigh that's been grilled and served with fries and some sticks of raw carrot (don't ask me why they put raw carrots on the plate if it's not meant to be eaten...we're not rabbits)!  This chicken does not come with any sauce and, knowing that children would probably want sauce, I requested for some mushroom sauce on the side.  There's nothing much to complain about a simple grilled chicken except for the price which I felt was (again) too high (RM20 would have been more reasonable but, then again, this is Starhill).

My friend had the Black Angus Ribeye (200g) @ RM111 cooked to medium rare.  The meat was cooked perfectly and the meat was flavourful and tender.

Another had the Black Angus Sirloin (200g) @ RM99...again perfectly cooked to medium rare as requested.  The sirloin had a bit more fat (at the sides) than the ribeye, it was still tender but the meat was not as flavourful as the ribeye.

My friend and I decided to share the Australian Aged Tenderloin (200g) @ RM82 and asked for it to be cooked to medium rare doneness as well.  This was a thick cut of meat but it was tender.  My only complaint was the meat was not well rested as evidenced by the outflow of juices from the meat when I cut into it (sorry, no snapshot of the leaked juices).

All the steaks can be served with a choice of black pepper, garlic or mushroom sauce (upon request) but we like to eat our meat 'naked' in all its glory ;)  [#Note: For those on a budget, they do have cheaper cuts like the grain fed sirloin (@ RM63) or ribeye (@ RM73) or if you have money to splurge, go for the wagyu steaks (from RM208 to RM288).  If you're a big meat eater, there's the bone-in porterhouse steaks (min 400g, from RM106 - RM145) and T-Bone steaks (min 400g, from RM125 to RM172).]

We also shared the Angus Grain Fed Bone-In Beef Spare-Rib @ RM159 which is their house speciality.  These ribs have been marinated for over 24 hours with garlic and pepper and Jake's own BBQ sauce.  As this is a rib, the recommended doneness is medium well to well done (I asked for well done to ensure that it's well charred).  The meat is served filleted from the ribs, so eating it is made easier but don't forget to attack the bits left on the bone as well (that's the well charred and yummy part)!  The meat turned out a bit drier and chewier than I expected.  It was not as good (or as tender) as I had remembered...either the standard has dropped or my taste buds have been 'elevated' (from eating more steaks)! :D

All the main courses were served with corn on the cob, baked potato and boiled vegetables.  I only noticed the server (standing by the side) waiting to garnish our baked potatoes with beef bits and sour cream (after we've finished taking the pics).

My Personal Opinion

Overall, the steaks were decent....after all, Jake's is still on the list of many food websites' Top 10 Best Steakhouses.  The prices are a bit on the high side and, at these prices, I can certainly find similarly priced steakhouses like Maria's SteakCafe or Angus House that are more to my liking.

If I do come to Jake's again, I'll stick with the black angus ribeye or order the black angus tenderloin rather than the similarly priced spare rib...no siree, I won't be ordering that again, that's for sure!! :'( 

Jake's Charbroil Steaks
LG11 LG Floor Starhill Gallery
181 Jalan Bukit Bintang
55100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2148 1398