“Welcome to the Steak Show”
Lawry’s the Prime Rib is an American chain established since 1938. A well-known fine-dining restaurant in Singapore that is European inspired, Lawry’s sits up to 170 people with a panoramic view over Orchard road.
With shades of brown, gold and champagne, there is a classy and posh atmosphere inspired from the founder’s travels around Europe, where he was amazed by the showmanship and theatrics and decide to build the concept into his own restaurant.
Expect to see French maid costumes and the famous ‘Silver Cart’ to add to the magnificent visual as well as gastronomical experience. Cosplay in a fine-dining restaurant? Yes please.
Private rooms are also available for more intimate settings and corporate requirements. Comes with aristocratic portraits that look like they’re staring at you while you dine.
Singapore Sling. Lawry’s version of the famed cocktail originally from Long Bar, a smoother drink with less punch from the Cherry brandy.
Fresh Shucked Canadian Oysters (half dozen $33). Huge no. 1 sized oysters to open the palate with slight oceanic taste, but not too complex to enjoy.
Traditional Lump Crab Cake ($23). Generous portions of sweet crab meat and edible flowers to go with the crusty finish. I like it big.
Pan-seared Hungarian Goose Foie Gras ($35). Somehow a bit lighter on the palate and not the usual umami bomb, this goes well with the sweet balsamic vinegar sauce. Not overly fatty, but I think I prefer the usual heavier French fat variety.
The Famous Original Spinning Bowl Salad. A whole cart is brought out and the show begins with the waitress combining all the ingredients, then spinning and mixing the salad to the amazement of guests on top of ice to keep it cold.
A chilled fork is also given to further enhance the cold, crisp taste. Comes with croutons, boiled egg, beet root, lettuce and baby spinach. I like that it’s not overly sour and almost savoury with the sweetness of the beetroot. I don’t usually like salads, but this was one good salad along with the presentation.
Atlantic Lobster Dinner ($99). A trio of broiled lobster tails with melted butter. Sweet and succulent, this actually compliments the beef later on with a strikingly different contrast in taste profile for more dimension.
You know things are getting serious when the famous ‘Silver Cart’ station is rolled out, and roast beef from within is carved in front of you by the gold medal chefs (who go through a grilling training to wear their medallion).
The Lawry’s Cut ($93). The classic 285g prime rib roast beef cut. Very evenly done throughout as you can see from the pinkness. Soft and soaking in beef jus, this is quite different from the usual charred grill steakhouses and individual preference is advised.
Try it with the whipped cream horse radish for more varying levels of taste, as it can get a bit monotonous. Comes with a serving of fluffy, chunky Idaho mashed potatoes as well.
Yorkshire Pudding. To keep things more interesting and making sure you walk out looking like Santa Claus, get some puffy yorkshire pudding to dip in the beef jus and eat with mashed potatoes.
Single Cut Fillet Mignon 200g ($73). A good cut of meat, but I’m afraid it was a bit overdone, and doesn’t have the charred finish I love.
English Trifle. A tad moist for me but has very balanced sweetness and sourness.
Flaming Crepe Suzette. To finish off the night with another grand spectacle is this flaming crepe suzette, made with brandy and grand marnier reduction for a fiery show. Fresh oranges are also used to give a further citrus taste to the crepes, as well as ice cream and bananas for a cold contrast and savory touch. A wonderful dessert to end the night.
Lawry’s also has their own vineyard and produce their own red and white wines, which are overall pretty fruity and easy to drink.
The roast beef comes as The Lawry’s Prime Rib dinner, which includes Spinning Bowl Salad, Idaho Mash Potatoes, Yorkshire Pudding and choice size of prime rib steak cut (price depends on size, from 130g for $63 to 450g for $123). This is already a whole meal on its own.
If you enjoy theatrics and having an overall more visual and interesting dining experience, no one does it like Lawry’s the Prime Rib. Contrasting from the usual steak grills, texture and taste wise for the roast beef is quite subjective, but the experience is truly unique.
Judging from the local response for lawry’s style of roast prime rib beef, you either love it or hate it.
Expected Damage: $180 – $250/pax
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