Having a beast of a time.. at BEAST !

BEAST is so cool, I want to scream. It oozes sex appeal.. it should have been named, sexy beast instead, I reckon. It’s the kind of place that makes you feel like sucking the marrow out of life.

Roasted Bone Marrow, Caramelised Onions, Toasted Brioche

The restaurant itself has the sophistication of a place you would find in Manhattan. The dining space is casual, yet it has elegant lighting and a cool color palate. I even love the menu, that has printed on it tiny moustachios (no, no.. upon closer appraisal, they are cow’s horns!) with names of the beasts they belonged to, marked clearly on it. I use the word ‘belonged’, because surely, these poor beasts are now our dinner.. no?

swanky beast of a joint

Yes indeed, gazing upon the menu, it looks like it has been designed to provide some fine, delicious steaks at a modest portions. You don’t need to OD on meat, just make a few choiced selections and enjoy the best the kitchen has to offer. BEAST certainly exemplifies hospitality with great steaks, the freshest ingredients and above all efficient service.

 perfume to go with your bread? 

 Nah.. just olive oil served in a cologne bottle.. so cute! Great idea.. i guess it gets an even spray of olive oil on to the bread

 Hot Smoked Salmon – my favourite non steak dish of the night.. 

what a lovely smoky aroma .. conferred by Citrus woods – it had a moderate smoke that gave a light fruity flavor

and the best part lies at the heart of the salmon.. still pink and juicy – a must have at BEAST!

Vietnamese Inspired Salad & Candied Pecans – Sweet and tart fruit, bitter greens, tangy dressing and luscious candied pecans all come together in perfect harmony. A crowd-pleasing dish that’s great any time of the day…

BEAST does some fine cocktails as well – the classic martini is awesome 

Thanks to the revival of the cocktail culture and some very creative mixologists, our taste buds have been treated with some great flavors. Fruits, chocolate, what have you.. but I just like mine the classic way. Unfortunately they did not serve mine with olives that night, which is really the best part of the martini, isn’t it;)

Roasted Bone Marrow, Caramelised Onions, Toasted Brioche

Ah.. now we move closer to the cow. Beef marrowbone, sawn into sections and roasted until the marrow is wobbly, melting and unctuous (the correct, literal meaning of unctuous being greasy!) and served with hot toasted brioche and a simple topping of caramelized onions. To die for. Reminds of me dining at St Johns in the UK. This dish is a must order at BEAST.

Good Lord.. the only thing better than eating it with a long spoon, is sucking the fatty buggers out of the un-sawn bone, but that’s a little uncouth for this establishment, maybe.

 Live station  – salads made on the spot

 the long bar

 Confit Cod Fish, Thai Spiced Pumpkin Puree – tasty enough but not my favourite here tonight. It just lacked the punch the other dishes were packing.

Hugeass yorkshire pudding – heavens! This was the bomb. Drenching it in brown sauce and eating the soaked and soggy yorkshire is like nothing on earth. Too good for words. My husband does not understand my obsession with Yorkshire pudding but that’s OK. No need to understand – just feed me loads of it.

US Prime Striploin

Finally, what we came here for.. Meat.

The Steaks at BEAST turned out to be remarkably good.  It is always best and most flavourful, with some fat covering. This particular Striploin Steak cut had superb flavours texture and marbling. Paired with the Cote du Rhone, E. Guigal, this was really the perfect course of the night.

Choose from a trio of mustards & sauces of natural beef jus, truffle bearnaise & bone marrow gravy.. or have them all.

A good steak is, I think, one of the purest carnivorous pleasures available.. To die for

Crepe Suzette & All the Pretty Trimmings – not bad, but not the best I’d had. It needed more of a tang to it . This one was just sweet and fell short of a worthy Crepe Suzette.

 Apple Pie, Custard & Ice Cream – again, not the best I’ve had but passable.

Well I certainly enjoyed my steak at BEAST. A good steak is, definitely one of the purest carnivorous pleasures available. BEAST takes a fresh approach to traditional steakhouse recipes with a modern style, while paying reverence to tried and true cooking techniques. Because we sampled so many non steak dishes on the menu, we ended up only trying one cut of steak. We only had time (and space) to try the Striploin, but we will definitely be back to try the Ribeye (my favorite cut) as well as some other great bits we missed out.