The SteakHouse Boasts It Has No.1 Steaks in City
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
When new restaurant The SteakHouse recently opened, its advertisements proclaimed ``No. 1 steaks in the city, grilled to perfection."
Our interest was definitely piqued by The SteakHouse's bold ads. So we headed to the restaurant to see if it can actually live up to its claims.
The SteakHouse is located on the fourth floor of The Place building in front of Cheonggye Stream, downtown Seoul. Don't be dissuaded by the crowds on the ground floor of The Place, which is quite popular for its pasta, pizza and waffles at affordable prices. Since it is relatively new, The SteakHouse does not have much of a dinner crowd, at least not yet.
Diners can choose to sit inside the restaurant or the roof garden. Regardless of where you sit, there's a good, unobstructed view of Cheonggye Stream. Inside the restaurant, the dim lighting and candles give a nice romantic ambience, which makes it perfect for dates.
The dinner menu was only limited to steaks, a handful of salads and starters like shrimp cakes and calamari. There's Rib-eye steak, New York Strip, Porterhouse Steak, Steak and Grilled Shrimp and Chopped Steak with Pasta. Except for the Tenderloin Steak, all the beef is from Australia.
While waiting for our order, we were given hot flat bread topped with Parmesan cheese. It was served on a stone plate, which kept the bread nice and toasty.
The Chopped Steak with Pasta (22,000 won) contained slices of steak and mushrooms in a thick, creamy white sauce. There were not a lot of fettuccini noodles in the dish, and they were slightly dry.
The Rib-eye Steak itself was sizeable, but it only came with three pieces of grilled vegetables. The grilled beef was juicy and tender. It was better than most steaks we've had in Seoul, but we're not quite convinced it is the best in the city.
The prices at The SteakHouse did seem a tad expensive, especially since the steak didn't come with any side dishes. The Rib-eye steak was 34,000 won for 280 grams and 42,000 won for 350 grams, while the Tenderloin Steak was 34,000 won for 180 grams. Side dishes such as mashed potatoes and grilled vegetables should be ordered separately.
The restaurant does serve more affordable options during lunch, such as the Steakhouse Original Burger, Spicy Salsa Burger, Steak Panini and Steak Pasta.
To get there, get off Jonggak Station line 1, exit 4. Go straight and turn left before Cheonggye Stream. Go straight and you'll find The Place at the first corner. It is open for lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and dinner 5:30 p.m. to11 p.m. For reservations, call (02) 734-1244.