The restaurant has relocated! It’s no longer a “hole-in-the-wall”!
You don’t need fancy white tablecloths and a big hole in the pocket in order to experience a seriously good steak (at least not a BIG hole). In fact, some of the best steaks I ever had where at a friend’s BBQ or even in my own home! All you need is to get your hands on a great piece of meat and know how to cook it properly!
But here’s the rub. Some of you might not have the necessary equipment to sear your own steaks and perhaps you feel a bit paiseh invite yourself to that friend’s place where you had that best ever steak experience! If this is you, then I want to introduce you a guy with a good supply of beef and a 1000 degree broiler whose backyard is opened to anyone who wants to sink their teeth into a beautifully charred and juicy hunk of meat!
Keith, going by the moniker “Keef the Beef” really did start his business from his own backyard. At first, it was just cooking for his friends and family, then due to many requests from friends, he started to sell his steaks from home. He built up quite a following in a relatively short time which is when he decided to move his equipment to this dingy little hole-in-the-wall along Arcadia Road where he can start serving dine-in customers.
Making a great beef steak is relatively straightforward. More than half the battle is won when you get your hands on a really good piece of meat. All you need then is to cook it so that it is perfectly charred on the outside while it is still pink and juicy on the inside. Keith does this by pre-cooking the steaks to 53 degreees using a immersion circulator and then charring it with a 1000 degree broiler similar to the ones they use at US steakhouses like Ruth Chris and Wolfgang’s. The results can be seen clearly in the photos — a steak which is evenly cooked medium rare in the centre while the outside is gloriously charred!
He carries a range of steaks ranging from a 400g New Zealand grassfed ribeye ($45) to the top of the line Australian F1 Wagyu Op Rib 1.6kg ($20/100g). The F1 Wagyu is a cross between a purebreed Japanese Wagyu bull and an angus cow which usually means you get a good balance between excellent marbling and a nice beefy flavour. His F1 Wagyu comes from Australia and the flavour is top notch. It was the most impressive steak I have had in recent memory. 4.5/5
He also carries USDA Prime beef which you can have done “Peter Luger” style. Peter Luger, as you well know, is the iconic NY steakhouse where he beef is broiled, sliced, and then broiled again in a deluge of melted butter!
Personally, I feel that the butter was a little too indulgent as the beef is already very rich. However, if you have had this style of steak at the original Peter Luger’s and want to relive the memory, then this is certainly one place where you can find it! I have never been to Peter Luger’s so I can’t tell you how close the taste is, but for a steak, it is as good as USDA Prime gets. My personal preference is still for the F1 Wagyu cross.
Aside from the steaks, they do have a few starters and sides which you can order. The bone marrow is very good and is served with nicely toasted sour dough bread. It is a little overindulgent if you are going to eat it all yourself and follow it with a big beef steak. However, if you have a few friends, then it makes a really nice appetizer before the main meal.
Keith also does his own handcut fries which is very commendable. The flavour and texture of house-made fries is always superior to the commercially available ones which can be quite generic in taste. Once you have tasted hand cut fries, it is hard to go back to the commerical ones. 4.25/5
Conclusion
Excellent high end steaks at mid range prices in someone’s backyard! Compelling enough?
Disclosure
Keith is a personal friend, and this was a media tasting
Address updated 7 Dec 2020
