Steak and Cocktail Night

Last week I was treated to a steak dinner with cocktail pairings at Morton's at Sheraton in TST. I know, steakhouses sounded like something of an item only in yester-year, where my parents' generation would go for a big celebration of some sort, but to me, there is still this special charm about dining in a classic, American-style steakhouse, completed with clubby decor, leather booths, slow, jazzy music in the background, generous portion of food, and gracious service.

View from the private room inside Morton's

It's been a while since I last set foot at Morton's, but things didn't seem to change much from my vague memory with that upscale setting inside the Sheraton hotel on Kowloon's harborfront. This time we were seated at the private corner room next to the bar, with the clear harbor and city view from both side of the windows.

The menu for the evening was a customized menu based on some signature items from the a la carte menu along with several specially made cocktails to go with each of the dishes served. After the loaf of warm onion bread served with whipped butter, we began our meal with the sumptuous chilled seafood platter. The portion for 3-4 persons included a whole Boston lobster, jumbo shrimp cocktails, lump crab meat, king crab legs and Irish rock oysters and served with the usual condiments. It's exactly what you would expect from a top steakhouse, and among all choices my favorite was the medium-sized rock oysters which was great with just a dash of cocktail sauce.

Chilean Sea Bass Fillet a la Nage

We continued with another seafood course of Chilean sea bass - cooked a la nage. Wow, haven't heard anyone using this cooking term for a while. It's a decent-sized sea bass fillet slow-poached with aromatic broth and served with lump crab meat, diced tomatoes and asparagus on the side, then finished with a lemon-caper-butter sauce. I love the firm yet almost creamy texture of the fish fillet and overall the dish was rich but well-balanced.

16oz Cajun Ribeye (with jumbo asparagus in the background)

We had a rather big group so we managed to try two steak courses as our main, starting with the 20-oz Prime New York Strip, each sliced and shared among the 4 of us. I took the piece from the side and it was delicious. However, the second steak dish, the Cajun Ribeye was by consensus the best dish of the evening. The 16-oz steak was cooked to perfect medium-rare on the grill, and added to it the bold flavor of the cajun seasonings giving the steak a tasty, zesty crust without overpowering the original meat flavors. I also enjoyed the side dish of grilled asparagus with that fresh, crunchy texture.

Asarita cocktail - with silver tequila, triple sec, syrup, cucumber, coriander, lime juice and jalapeno

Cocktail pairings with meal sounded like a new concept but as cocktail bar has always been part of the classic steakhouse culture, it just seemed natural to me. The drinks tonight were a series of cocktails new on the menu (designed by Simon the GM of the restaurant) and clearly catered to local taste preferences with somewhat mixed results. While I liked both the Pineapple Zinger - with pineapple-infused vodka, ginger liqueur and fresh grated ginger giving it a refreshing kick - and Asarita - a twist to margarita with tequila and triple sec mixed with cilantro, cucumber and jalapeno, paired with seafood and cajun ribeye respectively, I thought the Pink Tonic and Orange Old Fashioned - both variations from classic recipes, were too much toned down from the original versions and reminded me more of a beach-side resort drink rather than from a serious steakhouse bar. In both cases, I would definitely prefer more alcohol and less syrup.

Double chcolate mousse and Raspberry sidecar

Dessert was never the main feature of a steakhouse menu, but I thought the double chocolate mousse tonight was decent, along with the raspberry sidecar drink served in the same type of tall martini glass. Again, the drink was toned down from the classic sidecar with cognac and all, but this time I felt the sweet drink worked well with the chocolate dessert and as a smooth digestif to end the meal with.

Overall it was a comforting, pampering dining experience with satisfying food, something you would only get in a classic steakhouse which to me, will never go out of fashion.

(The meal was hosted and paid for by the restaurant)

When? May 12 2015
Where? Morton's of Chicago, 4th Level, The Sheraton Hotel and Towers, 20 Nathan Road, Tsimshatsui, Kowloon
Menu Highlights? Chilean Sea Bass a la nage, 16oz Cajun Ribeye
Web: www.mortons.com/hongkong/