Words: James Lo

STYLE & AMBIENCE
This place is about steak. The name Steik World Meats makes that pretty clear, but the glass tank of dry-aging beef joints suspended in front of the open kitchen will probably hit that home to any doubting vegetarians. The big leather booths and crisp white linen give it the air of a gentleman’s club – a place where you can tuck into a serious hunk of meat. Outside, the clubby feel continues with the leather sofas of the lounge bar and an outdoor patio for smokers.

CUISINE
The restaurant sources beef from all over the world, Wagyu from Australia and Japan, grass-fed beef from Argentina and Scotland (from HM The Queen’s appointed supplier no less), as well as grain-fed beef from the US and Canada. The huge sides of beef are then specially aged in-house for an additional two to three weeks to really concentrate the flavour – and each day a small amount of each side is trimmed for the kitchen. The cuts on offer range from popular rib-eyes to hulking great big 35oz prime ribs and t-bones.

For those not too interested in red meat (although if that’s the case, why are you here?) they have a wide selection of seafood as well. So in anticipation of our main course, we chose the Thai style scallops as a little appetiser to share. The scallops came in their shell, baked to perfection with a light green curry and ginger sauce. Large and juicy, and were lifted by the piquancy of the spices.

For the main course, we opted for their showcase dish, the tasting platter – three 7oz steaks from Canada, Australia and Scotland. Our steaks came in on a heated skillet, just the right temperature to keep them warm but not to cook them any further. This was particularly important, since we wanted two of the steaks cooked rare (the Scottish grass-fed & the Canadian grain-fed) and one blue (the Australian wagyu). While they serve a range of sauces to go with the meat, we decided to sample them nude, as it were, to best appreciate their different flavours. If you think all steak tastes the same, think again – sampling them one against another really highlights how different feeds and rearing methods change the quality of the meat. While the grain-fed Canadian steak had a smoother flavour, the grass-fed Scottish beef was gamier and perhaps a little tougher. But the blue Australian wagyu was the star, so tender that it melted in the mouth. Its flavour was nicely balanced, the few seconds on the grill searing it just enough to add some complexity.

Finally, in the interest of giving Steik World Meats a full review, we sacrificed our already bulging waistlines and ordered a sticky date pudding and a lemon tart for dessert. They were superb. The sticky date pudding was rich and densely flavoured but surprisingly light, and the thick sweet curd of the lemon tart was nicely set off against the sharp citrus tang.

BOOZE
They stock a large range of reasonably priced (around $200 – $300) wines from all over the world, as well as some grands crus for show-offs.

PRICE
Very reasonably priced for steak in Hong Kong, although not cheap. The set lunch varies from $138 to $248 depending on your choice of main course. If ordering a la carte, expect to pay around $400-$500 a head without wine.

BEST DISH
Steak, of course. For our money, the Australian Wagyu Steak, served blue. But we’re definitely going back to try out the rest of the menu.

CONCLUSION
If you enjoy a good steak, you need to go to Steik World Meats. 5 stars.