Audrey Lee

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Wooloomooloo Steakhouse

(From left to right)
Alexis Magazine, Audrey Lee (that’s me!); Wooloomooloo’s General Manager, Noel Emmanuel; Sixth Sense’s Director, Veronica J. Zuzarte; Journey Promotions Pte Ltd and 90.5FM DJ, Hamish Brown; Lifestyle Editor of The Peak, Jennifer Chen

It’s no big secret that Hong Kong’s established line of Wooloomooloo Steakhouses has taken a distinct turn towards our Little Red Dot. Since its inaugural opening over at Raffles City Shopping Centre, fervent meat lovers, such as myself, have spoken of little else. Their promise: a new dining hub that serves “sizzling premium steaks and time-honoured grilled favourites with the freshest ingredients and passion since 2004”. A rare find amidst a sea of steakhouses in Singapore, I have my sights set on this one.

A stunning window display of the restaurant’s prized beef cuts greeted us as we entered the impressive room of hardwood floorboards and full-length windows. As with the rest of Wooloomooloo, the gently lit room combines comfort and elegance, with an aboriginal Australian slant to its décor – the perfect setting for an intimate food experience.

General Manager, Noel Emmanuel

Spectacular views from where we were seated.

But it’s what on the menu that has put Wooloomooloo back in the spotlight. We started the evening with a delectable selection of Spanish Ham cuts, moving onto the Tuna & Spanner Crab Tartare, which much to my delight came on a bed of bursting flavours: avocado, orange, shallot and coriander. Coming up trumps was another ideal starter, the Jumbo Prawn Cocktail, which was easy on the eyes as it was on the tastebuds. For refreshments, we were treated to a house special, the Wooloomooloo Signature Martini, that was fresh and zesty. We were off to a good start and I knew that instant, my tummy was in for an appetizing ride.

Spanish Ham Selection (S$38): Served with sun dried tomatoes, olives, artichokes, piquillo peppers with Feta cheese & focaccia crackers

Jumbo Prawn Cocktail (S$29): Served with cocktail sauce & lime

Tuna & Spanner Crab Tartare (S$29): A base of avocado, orange, shallot & coriander topped with sweet spanner crab & sashimi-grade tuna. Finished with sour cream & salmon roe

Wooloomooloo Signature Martini (S$19): VOX vodka, apple schnapps, fresh mint, grapefruit & apple juice

The mains are where the restaurant really comes into its own. Turns out, the Australian Black Angus Tomahawk was really the star of the show. Specially prepared for two (or more), it would probably require you to bring your brand of culinary theatrics to this massive steak-eating ritual. For a more “civilised” approach, simply request for the chef to slice it down for you. Don’t let its humongous portion deceive you, the meat was served with the bone in and broiled to absolute medium-rare perfection that would please any meat-loving meal goer at the table. The USDA 12-ounce Prime Rib Eye and Beef Wellington were two other specials on the board, with the latter being my ultimate favourite. Albeit the layers of mushroom duxelle, Parma ham, Foie Gras and a delightfully crisp puff pastry wrapped over a succulent Australian filet mignon made it a little unwieldy to eat, but ooh – the flavours were spot on! The three handsome dishes were expertly paired off with Lyonnaise Potatoes, Mashed Potato, and Creamy Spinach as sides.

Tomahawk - Suitable for 2, Whole rib with steak (S$125): 70-day grain fed young Black Angus beef, 2-3 weeks wet aged Stockyard Farms, Hendra, Queensland

USDA Prime Beef Selection Rib Eye, 12-ounce (S$74): 150-day grain fed, 2-3 weeks wet aged Stock Yards & Greater Omaha Packing Co., Nebraska, USA

Beef Wellington, 8-ounce (S$66): Australian filet mignon with mushroom duxelle, wrapped in Parma ham, topped with Foie Gras & wrapped with puff pastry. Served with red wine Madeira sauce

It’s hard to put a finger on a dessert when everything on the menu looks like a winning proposition. But we finally concluded the night with the sweet notes of their Bread & Butter Pudding and Apple Crumble. In the end, it was the Pavlova, served with Chantilly cream fresh fruits and passion fruit coulis that got it over the line.

Bread & Butter Pudding (S$16): Freshly baked vanilla bread pudding, pastry cream, homemade praline & classic vanilla gelato

Apple Crumble (S$18): Served with vanilla gelato & custard sauce

Pavlova (S$18): Served with Chantilly cream, fresh fruits & passion fruit coulis

Wooloomooloo Steakhouse is at 2 Stamford Road, Level 3, Swissotel the Stamford, Singapore 178882