Wooloomooloo Steakhouse
Although a relative newbie on the steakhouse circuit, Wooloomooloo Steakhouse, an Australian-inspired, but Hongkong-based chain, has steadily become one of the premier steakhouses in Singapore. Squared away in a corner of Swissotel The Stamford, hidden from the shopping crowd at Raffles City, the restaurant is easy to locate. Simply follow your nose; the tantalising scent of the char permeates through to the hotel's first floor lobby. The bad: you'll inevitably walk out smelling like dinner.
The mouth-watering perfume of the grill heralded a delicious meal. And one that was surprisingly kind to the wallet. A 12-ounce steak is priced very reasonably at about $70, making Wooloomooloo one of the most, if not the most, value-for-money, high-end steakhouses around.
Service was as expected of a fine-dining establishment. Slick, knowledgeable, efficient and warm. Food arrived quickly, despite the full-house, and our water glasses were kept full.
Dinner was kicked off with an impossibly aromatic Rosemary Onion Loaf, piping hot fresh from the oven and so good on its own it rendered the sea-salted butter redundant. This was finished in seconds.
A must-try, the Sautéed Garlic Prawns ($32) was a duo of gargantuan tiger prawns finished with Gewürztraminer, sofrito & golden garlic flakes served in a pool of velvety lobster bisque. My take is to order this instead of the typical lobster bisque. They'd thoughtfully split up the appetizer for us when they noted that we were sharing our starters.
I'm a fan of ribeyes, and much as I'd like the grass-fed ones, the only ribeyes available were the grain-fed ones. The Australian Black Angus, 150-day grain fed, 4 weeks wet aged, Beef City Farms, Toowoomba, Queensland 12-ounce Rib Eye ($68) seared on a 1800°F broiler to a perfect medium, was succulent, full-bodied and sumptuous.
For those who prefer their steaks flavoured, I'd recommend the Wooloomooloo 12-ounce Ribeye Steak, 12-ounce ($70) marinated with Cajun spice for a subtle but layered heat.
Every order of steak is accompanied with a quartet of sauces; from right to left: Mushroom; Red Wine Madeira; Peppercorn; Au Jus. They were all perfectly lovely, but personally, I found the red wine married the plain steaks best, while the beefy au jus was the most complementary to the cajun-spiced steak.
We opted for a couple of sides, the Creamy Corn ($16) was sweet and luscious without being cloying.
Always a safe bet, the Sauteed Spinach with Mushrooms ($14) was sweetened by caramelised onions.
No visit to a steakhouse is complete without their chocolate lava cake, and the Wooloomooloo Hot Chocolate Cake ($28) was a slamdunk. This was rich but never saccharine, and the molten centre to chocolate crust ratio was surprisingly high. This was classically paired with a scoop of creamy vanilla gelato for a hot-and-cold juxtaposition.
I also got a Catalan Rose, originating from the winery of Franck Massard & Christophe Brunet, the Mas Amor 2012, derived from the Carignan and Grenache grape varietals ($16), a crisp and light with lively citrusy acidity that highlighted the robust meats. Very drinkable. Especially for a wine noob like me.
Wooloomooloo Steakhouse
Swissotel the Stamford Level 3
2 Stamford Road
Tel: 6338 0261
Open weekdays from 12noon to 2.30pm for lunch; 6.30pm to 11pm for dinner;
weekends from 11.30am to 2.30pm for lunch; 6.30pm to 11pm for dinner
Website: www.wooloo-mooloo.com
The mouth-watering perfume of the grill heralded a delicious meal. And one that was surprisingly kind to the wallet. A 12-ounce steak is priced very reasonably at about $70, making Wooloomooloo one of the most, if not the most, value-for-money, high-end steakhouses around.
Service was as expected of a fine-dining establishment. Slick, knowledgeable, efficient and warm. Food arrived quickly, despite the full-house, and our water glasses were kept full.
Dinner was kicked off with an impossibly aromatic Rosemary Onion Loaf, piping hot fresh from the oven and so good on its own it rendered the sea-salted butter redundant. This was finished in seconds.
A must-try, the Sautéed Garlic Prawns ($32) was a duo of gargantuan tiger prawns finished with Gewürztraminer, sofrito & golden garlic flakes served in a pool of velvety lobster bisque. My take is to order this instead of the typical lobster bisque. They'd thoughtfully split up the appetizer for us when they noted that we were sharing our starters.
I'm a fan of ribeyes, and much as I'd like the grass-fed ones, the only ribeyes available were the grain-fed ones. The Australian Black Angus, 150-day grain fed, 4 weeks wet aged, Beef City Farms, Toowoomba, Queensland 12-ounce Rib Eye ($68) seared on a 1800°F broiler to a perfect medium, was succulent, full-bodied and sumptuous.
For those who prefer their steaks flavoured, I'd recommend the Wooloomooloo 12-ounce Ribeye Steak, 12-ounce ($70) marinated with Cajun spice for a subtle but layered heat.
Every order of steak is accompanied with a quartet of sauces; from right to left: Mushroom; Red Wine Madeira; Peppercorn; Au Jus. They were all perfectly lovely, but personally, I found the red wine married the plain steaks best, while the beefy au jus was the most complementary to the cajun-spiced steak.
We opted for a couple of sides, the Creamy Corn ($16) was sweet and luscious without being cloying.
Always a safe bet, the Sauteed Spinach with Mushrooms ($14) was sweetened by caramelised onions.
No visit to a steakhouse is complete without their chocolate lava cake, and the Wooloomooloo Hot Chocolate Cake ($28) was a slamdunk. This was rich but never saccharine, and the molten centre to chocolate crust ratio was surprisingly high. This was classically paired with a scoop of creamy vanilla gelato for a hot-and-cold juxtaposition.
I also got a Catalan Rose, originating from the winery of Franck Massard & Christophe Brunet, the Mas Amor 2012, derived from the Carignan and Grenache grape varietals ($16), a crisp and light with lively citrusy acidity that highlighted the robust meats. Very drinkable. Especially for a wine noob like me.
Wooloomooloo Steakhouse
Swissotel the Stamford Level 3
2 Stamford Road
Tel: 6338 0261
Open weekdays from 12noon to 2.30pm for lunch; 6.30pm to 11pm for dinner;
weekends from 11.30am to 2.30pm for lunch; 6.30pm to 11pm for dinner
Website: www.wooloo-mooloo.com
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