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Tuesday 8 October 2019

Emily's Steakhouse @ Jalan Sultan Ismail

I had already bookmarked Emily's Steakhouse @ Jalan Sultan Ismail even before it opened its doors for business.  Emily have been serving fine steaks in Derby, UK since 2007.  She grew up in Penang and worked in numerous restaurants in London before opening her own steakhouse with her husband/chef.

Emily's steakhouse in KL (opened in June this year) is her second branch after her first Penang outlet (which was opened earlier in March with her younger brother).  My visit here was a little over two months after they opened and we managed to get a table on a weekend without any prior reservations.

The decor is typical of a steakhouse with its warm tones of exposed brick walls, timber flooring, dark brown tables & leather sofas and soft lighting, there's even a fireplace.

For starters and side orders, they have a small selection for you to pick from that includes soups, mushrooms, salmon parcels, grilled king prawns, crab pot, lobster tail salad, onion rings and honey chicken wings.

We ordered the Homemade Onion Rings @ RM12 for sharing.  The onion ring tower ended up to be the last dish to be served.  The onions were sweet and the batter relatively crispy but the oil seems to have been absorbed by the onion rings.

Emily's Steakhouse is, of course, well-known for their steaks....and that was precisely what we came for. They have a cut to suit every taste bud (ribeye, fillet, sirloin & rump)...a size to suit every stomach (from as low as 140g to a substantial 454g)...and a price to suit every budget (starting from an affordable RM58 to as high as RM268 for wagyu).

I chose Angus Ribeye @ RM88 for a sizeable piece at 340g with a generous serving of hand-cut chips (they don't serve fries here, only chips), green peas and a side salad made up of mixed salad leaves, cucumber and tomatoes.  It was rather obvious that the chips were hand-cut seeing that they were all of different sizes...and let me tell you they were plentiful on the plate and delicious too, crisp on the outside, soft and fluffy inside.

Here, you can request for your steaks to be done from the not commonly offered 'blue' all the way to 'well done'.  Rare is already too rare for me let alone blue! O_o  I had mine cooked to medium rare as usual and it was beautifully executed to such.  It was lusciously tender and had that nice charred flavour from being grilled over a charcoal stove though I can't really say the meat itself was brimming with flavour but certainly decently flavoured for the price paid. ^.^

I read somewhere that their steaks are not seasoned before cooking but in a recent article in the Star papers, Emily states that they're lightly seasoned (and I can confirm that I did see some light specks of black pepper).  I suppose that's why you find shakers of sea salt and black pepper on the table for diners to season their steaks to their liking.  For those who like more robust flavours, it'll come off quite bland, so do take note of that and make sure you season your steaks before eating.  There's also vinegar on the table to go with your chips (apparently some people like it that way).  Well, it's a common condiment in the UK when it comes to fish and chips.

You can choose to eat your steak naked just as it is to get that lovely smoky flavour but, because it's so lightly seasoned, it's great to have some sauce with it.  You have a choice between their homemade black pepper sauce, rich creamy pepper sauce or creamy mushroom sauce.  The really surprising thing for me though was that we had to pay for the sauce separately (I think a choice of sauce should be given for free!).

I went with the rich creamy pepper sauce (RM5) which turned out to be an excellent choice.  It had the taste of black pepper (but not as peppery hot) with a much creamier consistency.  The sauce only arrived when I reminded them about it.  So, when it came, I dived straight in as I was staring at my steak for a while (so, that's the reason why there is no photo of the sauce in the pitcher).  I loved the sauce so much that I dipped the fries into what was left of the sauce.  What's shown above is only half a steak (coz I shared it with my spouse). ^_*

That way I can also partake in half of my spouse's order of Emily's Black Pepper Steak Pot @ RM38, a dish made up of beef sliced cooked with onions, fresh button mushrooms and peas doused in their signature homemade black pepper sauce.

This turned out better than I expected with tender beef slices, soft onions, some chunks of mushrooms and a bit of peas.  The black pepper sauce was very good, not overly peppery hot like some I've had.  There's a reason why their signature sauce is such a popular choice with diners.  But for me, I prefer the creamy pepper sauce over the black pepper sauce.

Our final main was the Grilled Salmon with Gratin Potato @ RM68 featuring a piece of grilled salmon sitting on a bed of thinly sliced potatoes with cheese and cream.

The salmon stayed moist and was well grilled with a crispy skin.  This was a rather hearty dish because of the potatoes, cream and cheese.  Order this only if you enjoy something creamy and cheesy.

Besides bovine pleasures, the restaurant also offers lamb, fish and prawn dishes in case there are non-beef enthusiasts.

My Fresh Watermelon Juice @ RM8.  Complimentary water is also served.  If there was one very mini complaint, it'd be the plastic table doilies used as table mats as I could see that some of them were stained. That reminded me of some of my past experiences of being confronted with soiled paper mats which some restaurants try to reuse and it's rather off-putting.  If you don't intend to dispose of them after each use, then it'd be better to not have it at all.  I'll be more than happy if you just serve me my food on a clean table.

My Personal Opinion

As they choose not to season or lightly season their meat, it didn't appeal as much to my spouse (as it did me) since he's someone who likes the robust flavour of a well-seasoned steak (he gave the salt grinder a good workout).  Luckily, they had good sauces to make you not notice (as much) the under-seasoned meat.  I think you can only get away with not seasoning your meat if it's of exceptional quality (like wagyu) where you can really taste the flavour in the meat itself.  But then a good seasoning on a steak do tend to give it that crusty, savoury layer on the outside of the meat that I truly adore.

That said, the dishes we had were definitely hearty and good value.  For a RM88 piece of ribeye, there are certainly no complaints from me about the taste and value.  I would return for the steaks. ^o^

If you're after a family-friendly steakhouse in the heart of town, Emily's might just be the place you're looking for.

Update: Emily's Steakhouse has since relocated to 8 Jalan Inai, Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur

Emily's Steakhouse KL
GF Sheraton Imperial Hotel
Jalan Sultan Ismail
50250 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 013-210 6884

10 comments:

  1. Ah! Another steakhouse to add to my list of steakhouses to visit. Sometimes when I order medium rare, I find that it is too rare for my liking. I read an article that some restaurants purposely undercook because there are instances when customers complain that the medium rare is more towards medium well. So if you undercook it then it could be sent back to the kitchen for be rectified. That way, the steak won't be wasted it seems.

    So anyway, I would love to try the Black Pepper Steak Pot since it would be a nice change from the usual steak but I don't think I would try the Grilled Salmon with Gratin Potato because it is too creamy and cheesy for me.

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    1. I tend not to send my steaks back to the kitchen even if the cook is slightly under or overdone. From my past experiences, I get more instances of nearer to medium when I ask for medium rare and not the other way round. Since I'm fine with that doneness, as long as it's not beyond medium, I eat with no complaints...hehe! ;)

      Yes, if you're a fan of black pepper sauce, you can give this place a try as they're done very well here...especially the creamy pepper sauce. ^.^

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  2. ooo, that looks like the perfect medium-rare - sometimes i order rare cos some restaurants tend to cook medium-rare closer to medium :) kinda-fun fact: i used to work for more than 10 years on the eighth floor of the office building that houses emily's steakhouse - too bad the steakhouse wasn't there before i left in 2013! :)

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    1. Yes, I agree with you...the chances of them getting it closer to medium than medium-rare is much higher. But since I can accept between medium-rare and medium, I won't ask for rare in case they get it right and it ends up too rare for me...haha! ;)

      Ahh, so you quit your job and went full-time 4 years into your blogging (the returns must have been substantial enough for you decide to quit your full-time job at Associated Press?...hehe!). Ya, too bad the steakhouse wasn't there then, otherwise you'll be repeatedly there :)

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  3. It has been years since I last stepped foot inside Sheraton Imperial. I remembered their good buffets and best services. My Japanese friend & wife loved their SPA and services which is well known in Japan. Surprised?

    I could see the dishes you had were definitely hearty and good value! It was so well and meticulously written that I could imagine the taste and juice of the meat in my mouth. A 5 Star KK writing always!
    I can never eat rare meat as I have psychological phobia of the blood. I often asked for well done just to be safe. I will try medium rare next time so that it will not be too hard. I am so tempted to try this Grilled Salmon with Gratin Potato because of the crispy skin and creamy cheesy taste. Shiok lah.

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    1. As usual, TM, thanks for your 5-star KK rating...you're too kind! ;) Yes, yes, please try medium rare especially for wagyu (or at least medium) if you're convinced the steakhouse serves good quality meat. You'll realise is so much more tender that even grandma with no teeth can devour...kekeke! ;)

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  4. I like it that they don't over seasoned the steak so you can have it whichever way you want when you eat them. Salt & pepper should come back to the table instead of being in the kitchen only!

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    1. Ah, if you like under seasoned steaks, this is the place for you then. I just miss that bit of crust the seasoning of salt & black pepper will create on the steak. Nowadays, you can find salt & pepper grinders on the tables of most western-type cafes.

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  5. I always have my steak medium, I'm not fond of anything rarer than that doneness. I can remember that my ex-boy friend (now hubby :P) brought me the a restaurant in Sunway Hotel for Valentine's dinner (approximately than 20 years ago LOL) and the steak served to me medium rare, at the end I left the 3/4 of the steak unfinished >_<

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    1. Your ex-boyfriend/now-husband must have thought that he had taken you to a place you don't like (since you left most of the food unfinished)...haha! :D I used to take my steaks medium too (a long time ago) before finally realising that medium rare was better especially if it's wagyu (I've also introduced medium rare to my friends & family and they've liked it since). I think that's because the steaks offered these days is a better produce and are of a better quality than before, more so if we choose the right quality restaurant. ^_~

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