The season for indulgence: Feast on steak from $18.80++ in Singapore

SINGAPORE – As the season of feasting descends upon Singapore and cholesterol-related concerns take a temporary back seat, it is time to consider how to best indulge.

Several new steakhouses have opened in the last few months, offering customers a slice of red-blooded decadence at different price points – from pocket-friendly deals at Steak Sudaku to the all-out indulgence of Nikuya Tanaka, where customers pay a premium for top cuts from ultra-specific cattle.

They join a crowded herd of restaurants vying for the appetites of local carnivores. And though household names like CUT by Wolfgang Puck and Bedrock Bar & Grill low the loudest, this pasture is evergreen, so it seems.

Steak Sudaku

Where: 3 Boon Tat Street and 107 Killiney Road
Open: Various times
Info:

@steak_sudaku_singapore

on Instagram

Move over Kobe and Miyazaki. A new kind of wagyu has entered the Singapore market.

Omi beef, often said to be the oldest brand of Japanese beef, swaggers in on a hot plate at Steak Sudaku, a chain restaurant that opened its latest outlet in Telok Ayer in April.

The Japanese brand, which arrived in Singapore in February 2025 and has now set up shop at two locations, makes several claims: That it is Singapore’s only Omi beef importer; and that Omi beef boasts delicate marbling, melt-in-your-mouth tenderness and rich, refined flavour.

But the most likely to make diners prick up their ears are its prices: starting at just $18.80++ for 100g of diced Omi beef steak.

The larger portions climb steadily up the price scale, but manage to remain relatively modest: $29.80++ gets you 150g of regular steak – a mix of lean and marbled meat – while the fattier A5 Grade Marbled Omi Beef Steak costs $39.80++ for the same amount of beef.

Steak Sudaku pegs its prices at a third of those at fine-dining establishments in the Central Business District. Still, it is not too modest to completely shun the three-figure tier.

The most expensive item on the menu, the A5 Omi Beef Tenderloin Steak (200g) promises fork-tender meat with a “refined sweetness” for the sum of $216.80++.

Though Steak Sudaku chief executive Takaoki Nishino, 34, says his restaurants have received good feedback so far, more needs to be done to boost Singaporeans’ appreciation of Omi beef.

“Omi Beef enjoys high recognition within Japan as it is one of the country’s Three Great Wagyu brands. However, we faced the reality that many Singaporeans are unaware of this fact,” he says.

He also learnt that, compared with Japanese customers, Singaporeans place greater emphasis on the natural flavour of the ingredients, preferring lighter tastes with less seasoning.

To let diners decide how to best season their own steak, staff have placed a range of condiments on tables, including chilli sauce, wasabi sauce, onion sauce, black pepper and the restaurant’s original blend of steak salt.

Nikuya Tanaka

Where: Level 2, 1 Teck Lim Road
Open: Noon to 2pm, 6 to 8pm (Mondays to Saturdays). Closed on Sundays and on the second and fourth Mondays of each month
Info:

@nikuyatanakasg

on Instagram

Anyone who has tried searching for restaurants in Japan will know how stringent the ratings on review website Tabelog can be.

Most restaurants hover well within the three-star region, so anyone who manages to crack the four-star barrier, let alone glide to an elusive 4.45/5 rating, will no doubt inspire towering expectations.

Add on the eye-watering prices and Nikuya Tanaka has set itself a sky-high bar. But if you are a card-carrying wagyu devotee, the first international outpost of this award-winning restaurant is well worth checking out.

The Japanese institution, ranked 27th on the World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants list, opened its Singapore branch in September. Menus are priced at $350++ for a nine-course lunch, $420++ for 10 courses at lunch and dinner, and $550++ for a 12-course dinner.

A 12-course meal at its Ginza flagship in Tokyo, in comparison, costs 49,500 yen (S$420).

The restaurant prides itself on its use of purebred Tajima Wagyu, which it claims makes up less than 0.1 per cent of Japanese beef.

Japanese chef and third-generation meat master Satoru Tanaka – whose father was a butcher and grandfather a wagyu broker – personally selects each whole cow, choosing only females raised over 35 months for their refined marbling and silkier texture.

“This meticulous attention to quality continues into the cooking process. Minimalist techniques such as binchotan charcoal grilling and sashimi-style preparation let the wagyu’s natural flavours shine, delivering an experience where the beef itself takes centre stage,” says the 58-year-old.

Though the Singapore outpost is helmed by other chefs – chefs Yosuke Sekiguchi and Masaya Yano – chef Tanaka still plays a hands-on role in shaping the Teck Lim Road restaurant, guiding the menu and ingredient selection, as well as personally training the local team.

The result is an artful wagyu experience varied enough to avoid overwhelming with fattiness. Meaty highlights like the aromatic beef tataki, oozing wagyu tempura, and perfectly seared Kobe wagyu steak are interspersed with lighter touches – the chilled somen served in a hand-carved ice bowl being the most impressive interlude.

All this is prepared in front of diners around a 10-seater counter. There is also a private room that accommodates five for those seeking an even more intimate dining experience.

Both spaces are framed by a charcoal-grey ceiling and dark wooden walls that spotlight the blond Naguri wood stage where the magic happens.

54 Steakhouse

Where: 54 Amoy Street
Open: 11.30am to 2.30pm, 6 to 11pm (Mondays to Saturdays)
Info:

www.54steakhouse.sg

Originality is a tall order for any steakhouse, given the breadth of Singapore’s bovine offerings: wagyu from Japan, barbecued Korean short ribs, Italian bistecca – the list goes on.

54 Steakhouse, an August entrant to Amoy Street, figured the best way to set itself apart from the rest of the pack was by combining all these influences. Its name is a nod to its address and the temperature of a perfect medium-rare steak.

“Our menu reflects a diverse range of dishes inspired by cuisines from around the world,” says Mr Vadim Korob, 34, managing director of Food Concepts Group. In addition to 54 Steakhouse, the company runs Italian restaurants Altro Zafferano at the Ocean Financial Centre and Griglia Open Fire Italian Kitchen in Craig Road and Katong.

Starters are divided into two sections: classic steakhouse favourites with an inventive twist – for example, the Caesar salad flecked with dehydrated caviar ($24++) – and contemporary creations like Japanese Yellowfin Tuna served with ponzu, yuzu-cured egg yolk and nashi pear batonettes ($24++).

The restaurant’s steaks, doused in a proprietary seven-spice blend, likewise originate from various regions. There is the Black Onyx Angus (from $78++ for 250g) from Rangers Valley in Australia, Satsuma Wagyu striploin ($98++ for 170g) from Japan and USDA Prime Linz Heritage Angus (from $98++ for 320g) from the United States.

Two exclusive cuts of Black Market Beef by Rangers Valley are available too – the Porterhouse ($288++ for 1kg) and T-Bone ($248++ for 900g).

Mr Korob describes the former as a “rich, tender steak with an indulgent depth of flavour”, praising also its “buttery mouthfeel and satisfying bite”.

“Given its rarity, securing this product for 54 Steakhouse was a major challenge. Our group executive chef had to go through numerous stages of negotiations to secure it,” he says.

The chef also travelled to Australia to visit different farms and select the ingredients that would make the final menu, gleaning insights along the way into the process of cattle farming and inspiration from the region’s indigenous spices and produce.

The Australian and Japanese influences extend to 54 Steakhouse’s method of cooking. Steaks are seared on a custom-made charcoal grill using a hybrid wood-fire technique: Ironbark from Southern Australia provides long-burning consistency and deep smokiness, while white binchotan supplies the clean, intense heat needed for a deep brown crust.

Though steak may be the star of the show, the non-beef menu is far from an afterthought here. It is anchored by mains like the Grilled Octopus with Chorizo XO and Potato Mousseline (from $48++), and Snake River Kurobuta Pork Chop with Japanese Cabbage and Apricot Chutney (from $68++).

There is a decent spread of sides and dessert too, complete with American classics like Banana Foster ($16++). Naturally, a local twist has been added – in the form of a gula melaka crumble, in this case.

La Vache!

Where: 01-03, 40 Gemmill Lane
Open: Noon to 2.30pm, 6 to 10pm daily
Info:

@lavache.sg

on Instagram

At La Vache!, a restaurant that borrows its name from the French expression for “holy cow”, the cow is indeed holy. So sacred, in fact, that it is the only main on a menu unadulterated by lesser proteins.

The singular set menu costs $68++ a person and consists of a salad drizzled in mustard vinaigrette, unlimited fries, a signature sauce and the crown jewel: a generously portioned 280g USDA Double Gold Ribeye, aged for 60 days and selected for its marbling and rich flavour.

The brand, which started in Hong Kong and is expanding overseas for the first time with its Singapore outlet, was inspired by Paris and its L’Entrecote-style steak frites.

It is not the only restaurant to serve the bistro classic here – fellow French steakhouse L’Entrecote is just a 10-minute walk away – but the La Vache! team is unfazed by competition.

“What we can control is what happens inside these four walls and making sure that our guests and our team have a fantastic experience. If we focus on that and keep that front and centre, the outcomes, hopefully, should take care of themselves,” says Mr Reuben Davis, 37, business development manager of the restaurant that opened in Gemmill Lane in August.

Despite the reverence for French tradition that underpins this concept, staff are not puritanical about how you like your steak. “Previously, there’s this idea that, oh, I can’t order what I want because the chef might get angry or upset, and that’s not what we want to do. We want you to have the steak as you like it. If that’s more well cooked, then it’s more well cooked. No problem,” he adds.

It is also perfectly okay if you want ketchup or mayonnaise with your meal. The goal, after all, is to build a steakhouse with an “egalitarian approach”.

“La Vache! is really about being a restaurant for the neighbourhood and for the community, a place where, regardless of the occasion you’re celebrating, you can come and spend it with us. We want it to feel like you’re coming home. It’s warm and welcoming and not daunting.”

What it lacks in menu variety, it makes up for in ambience – maximalist by design, with lively French tunes, red-leather banquettes and friendly waiters ready to offer a tip or two.

Let them guide you through the wine menu – if they recommend the house red ($16++), do consider taking it – and dessert trolley, loaded with patisserie favourites like profiteroles ($16++), lemon meringue tarts ($16++) and raspberry millefeuille ($16++).