Lawry's Prime Rib @ Paragon

Seconds at Lawry's...after a facelift in their menu (which restricted the choices available.) My previous experience with Lawry's was pleasant. First time meant, the spinning bowl salad was a novelty, having the waitresses don maid costumes was cute..having coffee being cheaper than still water very amusing..

Lawry's has always been projected as fine dining, a cut above the rest of the steakhouses.

The second attempt at fine dining was...spectacular I must admit, quite unlike the drop in standard as mentioned by a couple of reviewers. Much better than the first...possibly due to the different mains I tried.

As mentioned, Lawry's is a place where water is certainly more expensive than a double shot, had champagne this time, Louis Barthélémy Brut Améthyste (I think? At least I remembered the Louis Barthélémy bit). I've to be upfront, I'm not quite a champagne person, neither do I know much about it..but this champagne was awesome. It's got a creamy texture AND...the bubbles are neverending! It bubbles for as long as its in the glass. Somewhat sweet, bubbly...yet supremely enjoyable. 1.5 glasses later, I'm a happy champagne drinker.

The usual warm bread and butter...perhaps I was really hungry, I wolfed down two slices of the grain bread.

Their famous spinning bowl salad..and their signature "Lawry's salad sauce". It's supposedly.."A blend of crisp romaine and iceberg lettuce and Watercress, shredded beets, chopped eggs and Croutons. Tossed with our exclusive Vintage Dressing in a salad bowl spun on a bed of ice." Frankly, it tasted just like caeser's with thousand island. What ups the notch of this is, the forks come chilled.

Now for the star...oh, previous experience told me...just go for what the restaurant's famous for, in this case...steak. Nothing else. This time, I had Grilled Rib Eye Steak ( Prime Rib Eye Steak Topped with Ginger Onion Sauce. Accompanied with King Prawns on Green Tea Soba Noodle.) I was quite surprised though I really should not be when the dish came. Lawry's has a tendency to over describe the dish? They usually describe so much and what comes is in quantities that takes you aback a wee bit.

The King Prawns are...well, somewhat like your usual prawns, not even near Prince size, much less KING. Wasn't fresh though. That being said, the star of the dish, grilled rib eye steak, medium well was...mind-blowing. Done to perfection, tender, flavourful...absolutely delicious. Went really well with the ginger onion sauce. The green tea soba noodle was sweet...comes with a panfried potato croquet shaped like a pear...and a portion of their famous yorkshire pudding (Baked in small skillets until puffy and golden brown.) The pudding's nice..always liked it. Just like a huge puff pastry and it's chewy.

And...there's still space for dessert!

I had the Dessert sampler (a showcase of a trio of their signature desserts; strawberry trifle, toffee tiramisu, pecan brownie).

Strawberry trifle (layers of spongecake/rum/whipped cream with strawberry sauce)

Didn't fancy this hugely, on the soft side, maybe that's the way it's supposed to be.

Toffee Tiramisu

A nice change instead of the usual coffee tiramisu.

Pecan Brownie

Deliciously indulgent, liked the ice-cream.

A really frivolous find...their meal enhancements in lawry's brand!

The first time I was there, I shared the "Diamond Jim Brady Cut", basically a 450 gsm chunk of beef. Finishing it was...indeed difficult and somehow reduced the enjoyment of the meal. This time round, the portion of ribeye was just nice. Good things really taste better in smaller quantities. The company that ate the "English Cut" also agreed!

Overall, a pleasant and satisfying meal. Particularly enjoyed the ribeye, pecan brownie and champagne. I'm pretty amazed that the second visit turned out better than the first! *brownie points for lawry's*

Service standard is high, for sure...but it came across as somewhat superficial, for the sake of it. Yes indeed the waitresses are always wearing a smile, attentively refilling your champagne/water glass. The whole spinning salad episode was laughable indeed. Given it's my second time at Lawry's, I didn't pay as much attention, neither was I as intrigued as the first...I basically faced my back at her and she continued pretty "excitedly" about the introduction of the salad, the spinning action...to be honest, it did come across as mechanical. At some point, I was quite frustrated at them being so "polite", the waitress came by and repeated TWICE "so did you enjoy your food?" and left it there. What's the whole point of asking, if all you want is a "yes" or "no".

Price wise, surely on the steep end...for the experience, it's worth a try! For a rough guide, a meal for four (mains, drinks and dessert) can set you back by $400 odd.

Will I be back? I wouldn't mind..maybe it's time for Morton's or Gordon's Grill?

www.lawrys.com.sg/


Lawry's Prime Rib
#02-42/44 Paragon
290 Orchard Road
tel (65) 6836 3333