How to get a good steak in Bangalore
July 14, 2004
Getting a decent steak in this country isn't easy. In the north, the taboo against beef restricts serving of beef to only the five-star hotels. Thankfully, in the south, we're not so conservative and in Bangalore especially, there are plenty of restaurants serving beef.
But while there are plenty of restaurants serving steak, there aren't too many that serve good steak. In India, you don't get a choice between different cuts of meat like you do in the West. If you want a porterhouse or a t-bone, good luck. The beef you get in India comes in two basic forms: a) the stuff that takes 2 hours to cook and b) the stuff that cooks in 3 minutes. There's nothing in between.
Moreover, most of the mid-range restaurants in town don't know the first thing about cooking the steak right. Some typical abuses are:
a) Not cooking at a high enough temperature because of which the meat "leaks" and gets very dry
b) Overcooking it to death - giving you extra well done and turning it into leather in the process
c) Liberally slathering it with some gooey sauce so you can't taste any of the meat flavour
d) Totally disregarding your instructions on the doneness of the meat - giving you well done when you ask for medium
So, dear reader, given that you cannot go into a restaurant kitchen and make the steak yourself (or call me to do it), here are some tips for you to get the best out of your steak dining experience in Bangalore:
- Do not get it on a damn sizzler. It splatters shit all over your clothes and makes a mockery of cooking time. Anything you get on a sizzler is always extra well-done. You want the steak, not the sizzle!
- Ask for a medium or medium-well steak and tell the waiter you want it cooked for exactly 3 minutes on each side.
- If the steak is flavoured, ask for the sauce on the side and not spread like mayonnaise all over your steak or else there goes the meat flavour. :(
- When it arrives all hot, don't cut it open immediately. Let it sit for about a minute. This gives it the "resting" period that the kitchen hasn't given it. You'll have a better steak after that because it allows the juices to be distributed properly.
- Don't let it go cold.
Bon appetit!
PS: If you want to try something different from steak, try Shiok Far-eastern Cuisine, my restaurant on CMH Road, Indiranagar, Bangalore. We serve food from Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore.
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MadMan,
I refuse to even call it a steak unless it has those wonderful cross patterns on it.
Posted by Nitin at July 14, 2004 1:02 PMInteresting pointers.. I loved the Steaks at The Only Place.. the old one.. After that.. the goodness of tender steak I remember was in Kobe's in Mumbai. :)
Here in Bangalore.. I am yet to find a place who serves good steaks..
tried Lazzio's, Charoals, etc etc but yet to sample a good one.
Here its enough if you get a tender steak. Forget about asking for well done and medium well done..
Posted by Pallavi at July 14, 2004 1:52 PMInteresting pointers.. I loved the Steaks at The Only Place.. the old one.. After that.. the goodness of tender steak I remember was in Kobe's in Mumbai. :)
Here in Bangalore.. I am yet to find a place who serves good steaks..
tried Lazzio's, Charoals, etc etc but yet to sample a good one.
Here its enough if you get a tender steak. Forget about asking for well done and medium well done..
Posted by Pallavi at July 14, 2004 1:53 PMUhh this has nothing to do with the B'lore steaks.
Just wanted to say that I really like your blog, your style is simple and flowing and free from all the sarcasm n self opinionated stuff going around. (Sadly I m one of them at times.)
Nice...
Posted by Jhanvi at July 14, 2004 3:17 PMthats some... tell me.. what do you mean "Not cooking at a high enough temperature" my steaks/sausages always always leak and does get dirty.. at home.. do i do a 3 min on each side on full heat?
Posted by arun at July 14, 2004 4:05 PMJhanvi, thanks.
I have tons of sarcasm still left in me, however. :)
Arun, a steak should be "seared" so that the juices are trapped inside. This means that the moment it hits the hot pan, it should be sealed. Otherwise, the juices escape and evaporate, giving you a chewy steak. Then it won't be grilled, it will be stewed.
I guess I'll have to write an entry on how to cook a proper steak now.
Posted by MadMan at July 14, 2004 7:22 PMThe Only Place still exists, but in a different location. It's moved to Museum Road, I think. I thought the steak there was just ok, nothing great.
Posted by Madhav at July 14, 2004 8:20 PMThe Only Place - there used to be a place by that name in Upper Coonoor, near Ooty.
Posted by Nitin at July 15, 2004 1:35 PMI love a good steak, and I have never had one in India. The best ones are the "Argentian steaks" I've had in Cologne.
Here, if I get something that's not stringy, I think I'd be happy. I soothe myself with some mashed potatoes most of the time.
I like sizzlers, not for the meat, but the sauce, veggies and the sizzling hiss.
Posted by Yazad at July 15, 2004 2:36 PMHi MadMan,
The Only Place on Museum Road has some real good steaks. One more place for decent steaks is Juke Box in Koramangala I guess. :)
Posted by Harry at July 15, 2004 3:01 PMYou know, you should seriously consider moving to a better blogging system -- one that offers threaded comments.
Oh, and if you want beef, Kerala is the place to be!
Posted by Premshree at July 15, 2004 3:44 PMMadman, I would really like it if you do post an entry on how to cook a steak. I've been trying to learn how for an embarrassingly long time. I can cook a large variety of [mostly Chinese] dishes with relative success but I cannot panfry a steak.
Kimi
Posted by kim brooks at July 19, 2004 8:41 AMTake it from an old ex-hotelier ...steaks (specially rare-done) are best at The Only Place on Museum Road !
Posted by Gautam at August 24, 2004 12:30 PMThe best steak I have ever ahd was at a place called Alps near cafe Mondegar in Fort, Bombay. Do take this with a pinch of salt as I am not an expert (and I do like sizzlers) and the beer was good too:).
Posted by brijwhiz at February 3, 2005 12:27 AMOnly Place serves the best steaks in south india.Take it from me i have been all over the place and the Only Place On Museum Road,Bangalore serves the best steaks .right from the cuts to everything. the steaks and lasagnas rock.No Place can match the Only Place in Bangalore.Almost everybody loves the food at The Only Place and believe me thats the place to be for a steak.
Posted by Dyaz at March 15, 2005 8:05 PMBrijwhiz, I've been to Alps, and I'd give it's steak at best a 3/10. The meat is stringy, overdone and the sauce is very pedestrian.
The beer is cheap though!
Posted by Yazad at April 18, 2005 5:07 PMTry Miller's 46, on Millers Road, which is off Cunningham Road, in Bangalore. Another place which serve good Steaks is 1912, which is near Koshy's.
Posted by Robert at June 29, 2005 11:27 AMPost a comment
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