Morton's: All Hail The Steak!

When my parents and I were younger(sounds odd but true), we used to celebrate occasions by whacking buffet lines. Those were the days when we all had bottomless appetite! These days, they tend to go relatively easier on the stomach, but that didn't stop us from celebrating dad's birthday with our second love, steak!




Located in an unassuming corner of Mandarin Oriental, the legendary Morton's had long been on my must-try list. Since dad wanted to see if the standard here is on par with the ones he had in US and HK, I almost nodded my head off when he suggested the place!

Our reservation was originally scheduled to be at 9:30pm on a weekend night, but we decided to try our luck for walk-in at about 7pm and managed to get a table! Decor wasn't extravagantly posh, but emitted more of an old-school, less-formal vibe. We were seated just beside the open kitchen and managed to steal glimpses and smells of all the goodness rolling out!

Yet again, apologies for the grainy shots. My hands just ain't that stable for long exposure!



Complimentary Bread, Menu Introduction

Bigger than two fists combined together, the giant onion loaf had a fantastic aroma, slightly crisp coating and soft, chewy interior that was blended with onion bits. I would have asked for another one if not for the huge portion of mains that followed!

The well-trained Morton's staff led us through the customary menu introduction, but that really served as an experience more than any practical purpose. I didn't catch some of things he said and he would probably curse me if I asked to repeat it all over again. Like I told Phoebe, the poor Maine Lobster probably went from scared to zonked out after being carried up and down for the whole night!


Ocean Platter for Two, Baked ($82.50)

Looking for something to share, we chose the baked variant over the chilled one, served with 3 dips that I only roughly remembered one of them to be Mayonnaise.




Battered Jumbo Prawns - Huge and crunchy. Not too much surprises.
Bacon-wrapped Scallops - Pretty normal again, scallops were expectably good.




Jumbo Lump Crabmeat - Fresh and chunky. For the lazy me!
Oyster Rockefeller - Baked with cheese and spinach. Yum!



New York Strip, "slightly smaller cut" ($108.00), Prime Ribeye ($90.00)

Boy these were giants! Even mom's supposedly smaller cut was way larger than usual steaks. My jaw dangled for a moment when I saw the size of these perfectly grilled beauties, marvelling at the perfect grill lines before finally carving a slice!

And carve is an overstatement. With my ribeye cooked to medium doneness, I barely need much effort in cutting the thick, tender meat. Taste-wise? Juicy, well-marbled, full of natural goodness and robust flavour, I could go on and on to tell you how heavenly that steak was but simply: Best one I ever had!


Grilled Asparagus ($25.00)

Attempting to balance out the meat intake, we had one green side for sharing! (Not too much balancing really) Thick, crunchy stems that was well-paired with vinegar.


Complimentary Legendary Hot Chocolate Cake

I guess many people like to celebrate birthdays at Morton's, as we heard the song being sang out at least 6 times by the staff that night and with chocolate cakes being sent out as fast as the steaks. Hot molten center with Haagen Daz Vanilla ice cream. Not as legendary as the steak, but still a sweet gesture to end the meal!

Bill for 3 was 624.40 after taxes, inclusive of a bottle of red ($135.00). Costly? Definitely. Memorable? No doubt. Will I be back? Resounding yes, but not before its my turn to bring the parents with my first paycheck!

Morton's Steakhouse
Fourth Storey, Mandarin Oriental Singapore
Tel: 6339 3740

Taken with Nikon D70