Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse is quite a household name among steak lovers, with over 130 restaurants worldwide. It’s rich history dates back to almost half a century ago, when a single mother mortgaged her home to buy a neighbourhood restaurant called Chris Steak House. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Fast forward 50 years, and Ruth’s Chris has managed to find its way onto our shores. The restaurant, like the rest of the Marina Mandarin Hotel, is dimly lit and cosy. There is no fancy tableware or glitzy décor to speak of and is reminiscent of an authentic American steakhouse.
If your partner loves steak, why not surprise him/her with a dinner here during Valentine’s Day?
We knew we were off to a good start when we caught a whiff of the Cajun Style Crab Cakes ($35), two generous hemispherical mounds that came sizzling in a fragrant herb butter, each packed firm with succulent crab meat tasting like they came fresh from the sea.
The sauce stole the limelight in our next appetiser of BBQ Shrimps in Creola Butter ($35). “You must have it with the bread,” our waiter told us, pointing to the pool of sauce of the BBQ shrimps. Good advice, as it would have been a sin not to mop up the lusciously creamy reduction, almost like a thicker version of good lobster bisque. If we were to nitpick, we didn’t exactly enjoy the alkaline shrimps, which were unremarkable.
For all the rave reviews, it’s inevitable that we had high expectations of the steaks which were fortunately met, if not surpassed. We had the Filet Mignon ($85) and the USDA Prime Ribeye ($85 for 340g) done medium rare, both of which were exceedingly tender, pink and fully packed with beefy juices. The former is slightly more forgiving on the conscience and would please those who appreciate a leaner cut. But go for the Ribeye; it is happiness on a plate as the beautifully marbled cut literally melts in your mouth.
The idea that good beef should only be seasoned with salt and pepper sits well with us; there’s no better way to fully savour what is said to be the top 2% of America’s beef than to have it unadulterated.
Unless you are one who needs the obligatory greens or carbohydrates, we’d advise passing on the sides. The Asparagus with Hollandaise ($25) and Steak Frites ($25) we had were unspectacular and boring. You’d be better off saving whatever precious stomach space you have left for something else.
To wrap up the meal, go for the Cheesecake ($25) and the Banana Cream Pie ($25). The banana cream pie was an absolutely stunning, with each slice of banana encased by a thin layer of crispy, caramelized sugar atop dense cold cream, and then a buttery tart that held everything together perfectly.
There is nothing fanciful about the Cheesecake, just an honest, no-nonsense version that is pretty much the epitome of this American classic. In other words, it was rich, it was creamy, and it was huge. So much so that we had to surrender a quarter of the way through.
There’s no shortage of steak restaurants in Singapore, and to make us excited over one takes more than just good food, yet Ruth’s Chris does just that. It impresses with authenticity and needless to say, the steaks are spectacular. The only downside is the rather steep pricing. But dining at Ruth’s Chris is more than just a meal; it’s the experience of dining in this widely acclaimed steakhouse that has served and impressed steak lovers worldwide.
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse
6 Raffles Boulevard
Level 4 Marina Mandarin Hotel
Tel: +65 6336 9093
Daily: 11.30am – 3pm, 5.30pm – 11pm
Note: This was an invited media tasting.
Words by Sarah Lim, photographs by ladyironchef