Bedrock Bar & Grill
Several years ago, I was on this mac & cheese craze, and I'd heard about Bedrock's version being the best on the island. Naturally, I slotted Bedrock onto my to-eat list. Then, like so many of my other food obsessions, I went off the craze, and Bedrock got shunted to the bottom of said list.
So anyway, I finally checked out the bar & grill along the ground level food street of Somerset 313. We had 3 people in our group who love their red meat, and 1 Muslim who can't take pork, so a steakhouse like Bedrock was just about the most ideal compromise for dinner.
The portions were hearty at Bedrock - always a good thing, but its prices needed to be more competitive, especially since its USDA Prime/Australian meats are no better (but no worse) than the ones at Wooloomooloo (FYI, I now hold all steakhouses up against Wooloomooloo's value-for-money-ness and price points). I'm not entirely sure I would return if I was ever hankering steak; I can get the same quality for less at Wooloomooloo. Then again, I may return just for the mac & cheese.
A major gripe about Bedrock was its 2-seating policy from Friday to Sundays, one at 6pm and the second at 9pm. We made reservations for 7 pm and were told that we had to vacate by 8.30pm. My dinners with friends typically span 3 hours, and I like my meals languid, not on the clock. I can understand if the restaurant's teeny tiny like Buko Nero (but note that even the 20-seater Buko Nero doesn't have this standing policy), OR if it was an exceptional event like New Year's eve or Christmas eve or Chinese New Year's eve, but this was neither. To that end, Bedrock's management seem like such short-sighted scrooges.
Service was congenial though, the wait staff let us stay a further 10 minutes after our 8.30pm scheduled departure. That said, but for the policy, we would have ordered dessert here to share. Instead, we headed to another restaurant for dessert. Oh well, you snooze, you lose.
Bedrock offers USDA Prime or Australian grass-fed steaks, a decidedly limited trio of choices under each category. We all opted for the USDA Prime meats, its full-bodied flavour doesn't overwhelm like the Australian meats sometime do. The USDA Prime Tenderloin ($89 for 240 grm) is best for small(er)-eaters. Beautiful charring, a perfect medium so it's still incredibly juicy. This was paired with a generic red wine sauce that wouldn't have been missed, the steak was good on its own.
The Bedrock Pepper Steak ($79 for 300 grm), a massive cap of ribeye was absolutely luscious, with a good amount of fat weaved into the edges of the steak. The thick black peppercorn sauce was nice but also not needed.
The USDA Prime Dry Aged Ribeye ($96 for 300grm) was more intense in flavour, but also drier. We should have gotten this done to medium-rare, instead of our usual medium. Suffice to say, the red wine sauce was lapped up here.
Those not keen on red meats can opt for white meat or seafood instead, like the Barramundi ($36), a fleshy hunk of fillet grilled to a moist flaky finish, and served alongside potato confit, roasted tomatoes, and brightened with a drizzle of lemon vinaigrette.
A signature here, the Bedrock Mac n' Cheese ($20) was fantastic. It was rich without being cloying, creamy but layered. And yes, the best mac & cheese on the island.
The Truffle Mash Potatoes ($16), laced with chives for a fresh accent, was commendable. A good balance of truffle flavour and smooth creamy mash.
The complimentary Pita Bread, fresh out of the oven, was sided by freshly roasted garlic and butter. Of course, the Hubs finished the whole head by himself.
Bedrock Bar & Grill
96 Somerset Road
#01-05 Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Orchard
Tel: 6238 0054
Open daily from 12noon to 3pm for lunch; 6pm to 11pm for dinner
Website: bedrock.com.sg
So anyway, I finally checked out the bar & grill along the ground level food street of Somerset 313. We had 3 people in our group who love their red meat, and 1 Muslim who can't take pork, so a steakhouse like Bedrock was just about the most ideal compromise for dinner.
The portions were hearty at Bedrock - always a good thing, but its prices needed to be more competitive, especially since its USDA Prime/Australian meats are no better (but no worse) than the ones at Wooloomooloo (FYI, I now hold all steakhouses up against Wooloomooloo's value-for-money-ness and price points). I'm not entirely sure I would return if I was ever hankering steak; I can get the same quality for less at Wooloomooloo. Then again, I may return just for the mac & cheese.
A major gripe about Bedrock was its 2-seating policy from Friday to Sundays, one at 6pm and the second at 9pm. We made reservations for 7 pm and were told that we had to vacate by 8.30pm. My dinners with friends typically span 3 hours, and I like my meals languid, not on the clock. I can understand if the restaurant's teeny tiny like Buko Nero (but note that even the 20-seater Buko Nero doesn't have this standing policy), OR if it was an exceptional event like New Year's eve or Christmas eve or Chinese New Year's eve, but this was neither. To that end, Bedrock's management seem like such short-sighted scrooges.
Service was congenial though, the wait staff let us stay a further 10 minutes after our 8.30pm scheduled departure. That said, but for the policy, we would have ordered dessert here to share. Instead, we headed to another restaurant for dessert. Oh well, you snooze, you lose.
Bedrock offers USDA Prime or Australian grass-fed steaks, a decidedly limited trio of choices under each category. We all opted for the USDA Prime meats, its full-bodied flavour doesn't overwhelm like the Australian meats sometime do. The USDA Prime Tenderloin ($89 for 240 grm) is best for small(er)-eaters. Beautiful charring, a perfect medium so it's still incredibly juicy. This was paired with a generic red wine sauce that wouldn't have been missed, the steak was good on its own.
The Bedrock Pepper Steak ($79 for 300 grm), a massive cap of ribeye was absolutely luscious, with a good amount of fat weaved into the edges of the steak. The thick black peppercorn sauce was nice but also not needed.
The USDA Prime Dry Aged Ribeye ($96 for 300grm) was more intense in flavour, but also drier. We should have gotten this done to medium-rare, instead of our usual medium. Suffice to say, the red wine sauce was lapped up here.
Those not keen on red meats can opt for white meat or seafood instead, like the Barramundi ($36), a fleshy hunk of fillet grilled to a moist flaky finish, and served alongside potato confit, roasted tomatoes, and brightened with a drizzle of lemon vinaigrette.
A signature here, the Bedrock Mac n' Cheese ($20) was fantastic. It was rich without being cloying, creamy but layered. And yes, the best mac & cheese on the island.
The Truffle Mash Potatoes ($16), laced with chives for a fresh accent, was commendable. A good balance of truffle flavour and smooth creamy mash.
The complimentary Pita Bread, fresh out of the oven, was sided by freshly roasted garlic and butter. Of course, the Hubs finished the whole head by himself.
Bedrock Bar & Grill
96 Somerset Road
#01-05 Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Orchard
Tel: 6238 0054
Open daily from 12noon to 3pm for lunch; 6pm to 11pm for dinner
Website: bedrock.com.sg
Comments