Jakarta has plenty of steak houses scattered all across the city, but so far there are only a few that labels itself as an upscale fine dining restaurant. Wait...but steak is just grilling meat, what's sophisticated or 'fine' about it? Let's have a look at what this new restaurant has to offer to avid & deep-pocketed gourmands in Jakarta...
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| The main dining area |
So on one fine afternoon, I was driving past Kuningan's acutely jammed stretch and I saw this catchy sign being put up outside an upscale apartment building in the area. I thought I saw wrongly because the name's quite a mouthful, even to pronounce: Ruth's Chris. It turns out that the name is actually referring to Chris Steak House, which was acquired by an acute businesswoman named Ruth Fertel back in 1965. Hence the name Ruth's Chris Steakhouse (for the sake of typing efficiency, I'll shorten it as RCS henceforth).
The whole history and milestones of RC are available on the website. Since its humble beginning 50 years ago, it has come a long way, with more than 145 Ruth’s Chris Steak Houses, including 20 international franchisee-owned restaurants in Mexico, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tokyo, Aruba, Canada and Dubai, and the latest in Jakarta.
As you enter the restaurant, the staff will walk you past the bar, through a short corridor with a wine storage on one of the walls, towards the main dining area. The crescent shaped area gives an illusion of an intimate space, but actually there are doors which leads to 3 different private rooms. The interior is an elegant play of dark wood and gold colours, which are further accentuated by the warm-hued modern lightings. I find the interior to be reminiscent of Gatsby era, don't you? Let's take a virtual tour around the venue:
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| Catchy golden chandeliers exudes the luxurious & modern feel |
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| Look up to the ceiling and be treated to quirky artful lightings |
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| One of the 3 private rooms |
Ruth's Chris Steakhouse serves US prime beef, which, fyi, is highly prized, because it amounts to only 2% of the total cattle slaughtered in the USA. RCS also takes pride in its signature way of serving steak to the guests: on a hot plate, so it comes to the guest's table still sizzling. Au contraire to other steak houses, RCS doesn't serve steak with any sauces, instead, they only season the steak with salt & pepper, butter and chopped parsley. So don't come asking for mushroom or blackpepper sauce please!
Having its roots from New Orleans, RCS' menu has influences from Europe to Creole (a culture that develops in colonized settlements, as a result of assimilation and marriage, that's quite distinct from the original culture). As a steakhouse, RCS offers non-steak Mains, such as seafood, lamb, chicken, even mushrooms (if you're a vegetarian). But first, let's start with the complimentary bread & butter, shall we?
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| The complimentary bread & butter |
Appetizers
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| Sizzlin' Blue Crab Cakes IDR 230,000 (normal serving 2 pieces - the above was a tasting portion) |
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| One word for this: amazing! Seasoned with only herbs and lemon butter, it brings out the sweetness of the meaty crab chunks. |
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| Barbecued Shrimp with Creole Butter IDR 190,000 |
Large shrimps, sauteed New Orleans-style in reduced white wine, butter, garlic & spices. The sauce was just too good, I happily had it with the bread and almost licked it clean. It's a tie between the Crab Cakes and the Barbecued Shrimp, don't ask me to choose please.
Salads & Soups
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| Ruth's Chop Salad IDR 140,000 |
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| A Ruth's Chris original, iceberg lettuce, baby spinach & radicchio tossed with red onions, mushrooms, green olives, beef bacon, eggs, hearts of palm, croutons, blue cheese, lemon basil dressing & topped with crispy onions |
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| Lobster Bisque IDR 160,000 |
The lobster bisque was quite thick and meaty, definitely a yes for a person who love creamy and rich food. I didn't try the Chopped Salad, but my friends who had it, gave their approval, so it must be good too.
Entrées
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| Petite Filet (230grams) IDR 570,000 |
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| The staff will recommend 'Medium' to guests, because the steak will be served on a hot plate, which will continue to cook right until the moment the steak reaches your mouth. |
So I listened to their suggestion and opted for Medium steak, instead of Medium Well. It's something I rarely do, because I dislike steak that's still dripping red juice at the centre. But I decided to give it a shot anyway, so 'medium' it was. The sizzling steak was a beautiful lump of meat with pink centre. It was so tender and literally juicy, that I even forgot to sip my wine in between, because my mouth was never dry from chewing the steak, at all! Without any sauces to distract, I could truly taste the real flavours of the meat, a feat that's only possible with supreme meat quality.
Personally, I would have loved the centre to be a bit more cooked, but it was not a problem anyway, because we could simply ask for a new hot plate to cook our steak on. I didn't finish my steak, just because I've indulged in the Appetizers and wanted to save room for dessert. I'm really glad I did, because the dessert that was about to come, was totally worth it.
Sides: Vegetables & Potatoes
The vegetables & potatoes come in large servings, so it would be wise to share. Of the side dishes that I tried, my favourite is the Mashed Potato, which is so incredibly creamy smooth with a just right level hint of garlic.
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| French Fried Onion Rings IDR 120,000 Fresh Asparagus with Hollandaise IDR 140,000 |
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| Mashed Potatoes with a hint of roasted garlic IDR 120,000 |
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| Right: Sauteed Mushrooms IDR 120,000 |
Dessert
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| Cheesecake IDR 150,000 (good enough for 2 - 4 persons) |
After having RCS' creamy homemade cheesecake, there's no going back for me. This is so far, my favourite version of cheesecake ever. It's just perfect for me, the buttery and lightly salted crust combines well with the soft cheese core and moist sour cream topping. We were told that there have been people coming to RCS just for this cheesecake. I was skeptical at first, but now I believe that claim, I might perhaps even do that one of these days!
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It has been a privilege for me, to be one of the few to be the earlier ones to visit & dine at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Jakarta, before it was open for public. Ruth's Chris Steakhouse may be a fancy-schmancy fine dining restaurant, but it's actually not that formal and you are absolutely allowed to enjoy the finger-licking creole butter gravy to the very last drop (like I did, but who cares, it's too good to go to waste!).
Open Hours:
Lunch : 12 - 3 PM
Dinner : 5.30 - 11 PM
*) Prices are subject to 11% Government Tax & 10% Service Charge
**) Reservation is highly recommended
Ruth's Chris Steakhouse
Somerset Grand Citra Apartment (Ciputra World complex)
Ground Floor
Jl. Prof. DR. Satrio Kav. 1
Kuningan - South Jakarta 12940
Ph: +6221 5221178
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