A Meaty Indulgence
Sitting on the Upper Ground floor of City Plaza in the Gatot Subroto area – one of the busiest business districts in Jakarta – Prime Cuts is decked out in a 1920s New York theme, with dimmed lighting, wooden ornaments and oversized paintings. Surrounded by glass walls, the venue consists of two dining areas, one lavish bar and one VIP room that can comfortably accommodate 10 people.
The main idea for Prime Cuts is to focus on the American ‘steak on a plate’ concept where an extensive list of steaks gives five options of premium beef types; Kobe, Wagyu, Australian Organic Natural Grass Fed, Argentina Grass Fed and Aberdeen Angus, which are renowned for their fine marbling texture and superlative eating quality.
With such a meaty lineup on the cards, we decide to start with something light, so we order the Jumbo Prawn Cocktail. The best steakhouses in town are known for the dense, firm shrimps in their cocktails, and the ones at Prime Cuts go beyond that. The jumbo prawn is perfectly poached and served on top of a lettuce and tomato salad, with a sweet and tangy homemade cocktail sauce. If you don’t fancy seafood as an appetiser, you can go straight for the meat with the Beef Carpaccio made with either Australian Organic Natural Grass Fed beef, Wagyu grade 8/9 or Kobe grade A4. Another meaty option under the appetiser list is the signature Steak Tartare with the same three options of beef.
Putting the main courses to the test, we expect something more than just a good steak on our plates, and the Surf ‘n Turf steps up to our challenge very well. The 150g Aberdeen Angus tenderloin comes alongside grilled asparagus and roasted potatoes and two different sauces, homemade BBQ and wild mushroom sauce, while a grilled-to-perfection prawn is paired with Cafe de Paris Butter. You can never go wrong with homemade butter, but we prefer to have the prawn gently dipped in the butter instead of poured all over, to retain its natural flavours.
To conclude the meal, we order the New York Strawberry Cheese Cake. We can tell by its rich and smooth consistency that the cheesecake is purely homemade and baked very carefully. The biscuit crumb beneath the cake has a dense and perfect butteriness, without being overly done.
To accompany this last dish, we ordered the Hendrick’s Gin and Tonic with a garnish of sliced cucumber and a delicate rose petal. It is the signature cocktail of both Prime Cuts and Espiga, a modern European restaurant under the same management of Prime Cuts located in The CEO Building, South Jakarta. We’ll be trying there next…
