YAKINIKU JUMBO

On our last evening in Tokyo, we ventured out to Shirokane in the southern end of Minato for an early dinner at Yakiniku Jumbo.  This yakiniku (grilled meat) restaurant only serves A5 Black Wagyu which is the highest quality of Japanese beef.  The place is simply decorated with wooden booths and tables with a built-in grill in the center.  Reservations are recommended as the place fills up quickly as soon as they open at 5:00 p.m. and tables are allocated every two hours so we were gently ushered out at 6:30 so they could reset for the next batch of diners.

Different cuts are available on the menu from traditional cuts like short-plate kalbi and the loin to higher-priced prime cuts like shoulder and rib-eye plus sirloin which is only served in extra thin sukiyaki slices and served with a raw egg dip.  There's also a large selection of offal: beef tongue, intestine and stomach as well as pork womb (not really sure what that is) along with the more usual pork cheek and pork loin.  Specialties include Korean-style beef tartare and raw beef heart sashimi.  A few salads, kimchi and some vegetables (pumpkin, squash, sweet potato, mushroom, onion, carrot and shishito pepper) to be cooked on the grill is all there is for vegetarians.  Aside from steamed rice in small (individual), to medium or large (family-size) portions, they have two special rice dishes cooked in hot stone bowl: the traditional bibimbap topped with vegetables and a raw egg or the unusual Wagyu garlic rice version which is topped with a mound hand-chopped raw Wagyu beef and raw garlic which is mixed into the hot rice and continues to cook in the super hot stone bowl sort of like an instant extra-delicious premium fried rice.  Desserts are limited to Hokkaido soft-serve milk flavored ice cream or sherbet.

We  ordered both beef and pork, a green salad of lettuce in a sesame soy dressing, assorted vegetables and both the bibimbap and the Wagyu garlic rice.  The meat was melt-in-the-mouth tender with the marbled fat making every mouthful a pleasure.  The kids enjoyed it as well as we did and we ended up ordering more meat as the first plates went by way quicker than we expected.  Our server was a friendly California-raised Japanese surfer dude, making it the only meal we had in Tokyo where we could communicate easily with the person assigned to our table.  After a fantastic meal, we skipped dessert and instead took a short walk along the pedestrian street of the quiet residential area of Shirokane before heading back to the hotel.  Out of all our meals in Japan, yakiniku was the one that appealed to the whole family even if they only served one type of food: meat on the grill.  My Argentine husband got his meat fix and the kids and I all enjoyed the simple dinner of quality grilled meat and rice.  Looks like they have a partner restaurant in Singapore Yakiniku Yazawa which we are now eager to try for our Sunday family dinner out.

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Yakiniku Jumbo

Dai-ichi Azabu Bldg. 1F, 3-1-1 Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Tel. 03-5795-4129

Open daily 5:00 p.m. to midnight (Closed 31 December to 2 January)

THE MARKET GRILL

After a year in Singapore, we now have a few favorites - Luke's, for when we're feeling flush and then there's the "cheap and cheerful" version of Luke's - The Market Grill  - part of the Unlisted Collection of seven boutique hotels and fourteen restaurants mostly in Singapore but also in London, Shanghai and Sydney.  In Singapore, they also manage other trendy restaurants Bincho, Esquina, Pollen and Cocotte and the funky Majestic Hotel in Chinatown.

Located on bustling Telok Ayer street, The Market Grill is in a converted shophouse.  A long narrow room lined by a few formica-topped tables with a long counter making best use of the space.  Behind the counter is the open kitchen and grill.  They also have a large chiller where the different cuts of meat are displayed just like at a butcher which is why they specialize in grilled steaks.

I first went for lunch in the middle of the week with some friends and we made it a point to arrive early so we could get a table as they don't take reservations.  Good thing we did, as the place was packed by the office crowd by 12:30.  We started off with the artery-clogging oven roasted bone marrow (S$25) which came with caramelized red onions, a parsley and shallot salad, sea salt and two large marrow bones which we slathered onto slices of crisp toasted sourdough.  We never fail to order this when we eat there, even our 12-year old son asks for it when we're there.  This was followed by two side dishes  - the crispy pig's ears (S$18) with a garlic and herb vinegar dip and the onion matchsticks (S$8).  The pig's ears were superb - not greasy at all and still crispy, like chewy chips (much better than the soggy battered version at Pizzeria Mozza).  The onion matchsticks were addicting - I could have eaten a whole bowl on my own.  The three of us shared the lobster roll (S$45) - a soft sweet buttered roll filled with mayonnaise tossed lobster chunks served with fries and a green salad and a medium-rare 200-day grain fed, 200 gram Wagyu rump (S$40) which was served plain with a dollop of caramelized red onions.  Too full for dessert, we walked off our lunch and had a post-lunch coffee nearby.

On another occasion, I lunched with another friend and we sat at the counter and had another enjoyable lunch - the usual bone marrow to start then I had the grilled Maine lobster (S$45) about 500 grams, served simply with butter, lemon, a green salad and mashed potatoes which they gladly substituted for french fries while my friend had a 400-day grain fed, 200 gram Black Angus bavette (S$40) with fries.  No dessert again.

We've been back again several times with the kids (for dinner and we always had to sit on the counter) and tried the 150 gram CW (Chef Colin West's initials) Burger Breakfast (S$23) which comes with a sunny side up egg, bacon and aged cheddar.  Their beef burgers are available in either 150 grams or 200 grams (from S$22 to S$33) and they also have a cod fish burger and a chicken burger for those who are avoiding red meat.  We also had the Terres Major and  Lobster - a 300 grams artisanal cut of beef with a 500 gram lobster, both grilled and served with a green salad, french fries and strangely enough, just red wine sauce for the meat, you'll have to order the butter sauce separately and pay extra for it.  The kids had to have dessert so we all shared a plate of churros which could have been perfect except for the non-traditional covering of cinnamon sugar (proper churros are served plain) and a tiny pot of melted chocolate.  Trust me, you'll have to ask for more chocolate to dip the churros in as there isn't enough for the three large churros.

The Market Grill is our go-to when we're hankering for a grilled steak or a lobster and with the usual prices for steak and lobster at other high-end Singapore restaurants, this place hits the spot and doesn't leave one with a hole in their pocket.  We'll definitely be coming back.

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The Market Grill

208 Telok Ayer Street

Singapore 068642

Telephone: +65 6221 3323

*Open Monday to Saturday for lunch (11h30 a.m. to 2h30 p.m.)  and dinner (6 to 10 p.m.).

*No reservations, street parking only.

LUKE'S CHOPHOUSE and OYSTER BAR

I'm on a roll and yesterday and todays' post are my favorite Singapore restaurants so far (in the almost ten months we've been here).  Luke's has been around for some time with its' original location near hip and happening Club street well-loved by many for the food, the drinks, the ambience and the fact that the kitchen stays open till midnight.  The new one opened a few months ago in a strange spot inside the renovated Robinson's department store at The Heeren building.  Once you walk through the store and enter the doors of Luke's, you realize why the location was right all along.  The place is sleek with black leather banquettes and cozy mini-booths for two lining the upper level and a long bar on the lower level with a floor to ceiling window overlooking busy Orchard road.

The menu is simple and spread out over two pages - one with items from the oyster bar, table snacks to be shared, a caviar service and starters then the second  for chophouse classics, chops and side dishes and a listing of specialty beers and cocktails.  The wine list is extensive with eleven of them, from sparkling to fortified, served by the glass.  

As soon as the order is placed, a plate of warm mini-cornbread served with a dab of sweet butter is served.  From the winter 2014 menu, we shared the smoked trout dip with crackers, celery and radish - a smoky almost dry shredded trout which we spread onto the accompanying extra-thin brown crisp bread and the oysters "lukefeller" (instead of Rockefeller) - baked oysters with spinach, Pernod and parsley.

It was hard to choose a main course from the selections offered but as I hardly get to eat steak tartar, its what I had even if it was listed as a starter.  This one came perfectly seasoned and chunky with capers along with toasted slices of rye bread.  A had a well-seared veal chop with anchovy marmite butter.  We shared several sides - the extra crispy Old bay seasoned french fries, green asparagus and the creamy lobster mac and cheese topped with ritz cracker crumbs.

For lunch one day with the ladies, I had a delicious caesar salad topped with fried oysters. There are also a few specials (like their famous hamburger) not available for dinner.  On another occasion, four of us dined on a couple of starters (tuna tartar and the smoked trout dip) followed by two orders of 400 gram USDA prime rib-eye "naked" (meaning just with salt and pepper) and a tableful of side dishes.  Desserts are few and the two we tried were ok but nothing to write home about - it's the only thing they could improve on.  Otherwise, the service, the atmosphere and the food are outstanding.  At Luke's, there is always something delicious to eat with no surprises or gimmicks, just real good food served simply.

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Luke's Oyster Bar and Chophouse
03-02, The Heeren (inside Robinson's department store)
260 Orchard Road
Singapore 238855
Telephone: +65 6733 4813
*Open Mondays to Saturdays from noon to 10:30 p.m.

Another one at:
20 Gemmill Lane
Singapore 069256
Telephone: +65 6221 4468
*Open Mondays to Saturdays from noon to midnight

BLT Steak

Craving a bit of the city, we left quiet Dorado where we live, for bustling San Juan.  A and I took J, our 10-year old along, for dinner at BLT Steak.  Originally created in 2004 by French chef Laurent Tourondel (hence the name, Bistro Laurent Tourondel) with his then business partner Jimmy Haber, the BLT restaurants are now owned and operated by Mr. Haber's ESquared Hospitality restaurant group when the partnership between the two broke up in 2010.

Our booking was for 8:45 and when we arrived, the restaurant was still quite full from the first seating so we waited a bit for our table to be ready.  We were seated at one of the more comfortable banquettes lining one side of the room.  The place was busy which is always nice to see in a restaurant.  Interiors are elegant but casual - black leather-covered chairs accented with white piping and wooden tables with simple place mats, cutlery and a tumbler on the tabletop.  Menus were set on the table and water was served along with a complimentary appetizer of cold cuts - saucisson sec, jambon cru, chorizo and viande de grison (the French version of air-dried beef) along with some grilled bread and gruyere bites which we enjoyed while studying the menu.

The menu is varied for a steakhouse - there was a raw bar selection (oysters, ceviche) and salads and appetizers; steaks, poultry, fish and seafood on the grill accompanied by an assortment of sauces and  different side dishes - potatoes, vegetables, and mushrooms. They also have some specials on the blackboard.  We finally settled on the tuna tartar to start followed by two main courses - the 14 oz. (almost 400 grams) NY strip and jumbo shrimp with two sides: French fries and creamy spinach.  J wasn't interested to order anything from the kid's menu so we decided we would share everything.

First on the table after we ordered were BLT's famous popovers - puffy gruyere topped hollow rolls, similar to Yorkshire pudding, served with unsalted butter and a large silver sea salt shaker.  The presentation was fun and the popovers even better.  Our tuna tartar came next - chopped sushi-grade tuna formed into a block and served with diced avocados in a sesame oil and lime dressing which we piled on top of delicious criss-cut potato chips.  The chef sent out another appetizer for us to try - the daily ceviche from the specials menu which was raw grouper in lime juice and chopped red onions - a tangy mouthful on top of crispy tostones - fried plantain chips and an interesting alternative to the sweet and salty tuna tartar.  Both appetizers were outstanding and a great way to start our dinner. 

Next came the main courses - the seared NY strip in a cast-iron platter with a classic Bearnaise on the side, and the grilled jumbo shrimp with cilantro-lemon confit.  Our two side dishes - French fries in a large paper cone and the creamed spinach in a small cast-iron dish also came with two extra side dishes compliments of the chef: braised carrots and green beans with garlic, also in small cast-iron dishes - a nice touch.  Our table was quite full by now so we shared the dishes and had a bit of everything.  The steak was a beautiful hunk of meat, sadly overcooked to medium well instead of medium-rare like we asked and the jumbo shrimps lacked flavor despite adding the citrus sauce.  The side dishes though, were a triumph - the carrots sweet, the spinach creamy, the beans garlicky and the french fries salty and crispy.

After trying our best to finish all that food, we chose just one dessert to share - the caramelized cheesecake with citrus soup.  Once again, we were pleasantly surprised by the chef's generosity of sending out two other desserts: the amazing crepe souffle with passion fruit sauce and the white chocolate creme brulee with raspberry sorbet just because the server overheard my son ask me about it. Espressos finished off our dinner accompanied by dark chocolate espresso brownie bites.  When we finally asked for the bill, we got the biggest surprise of all, dinner was on the house.  We'll definitely be back to try the rest of the menu and I'm sure the next time, J will insist to come along again for another delicious dinner.

P.D. October 24, 2012

We have been back several times to BLT and the food has been consistently good on our recent visits.  The meat was cooked perfectly and the side dishes, from the mushrooms to the different types of potatoes, were always done well.  Service is friendly and one of the most efficient in San Juan.  

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BLT Steak
at the Ritz-Carlton San Juan
6961 Avenida de los Gobernadores
Isla Verde, Carolina
00979 Puerto Rico
Telephone: +1 787 253 1700
*Open daily for dinner from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m.
*10 other locations in the U.S. and one in Hong Kong

FERVOR

Scenes from Fervor, clockwise from top left: cutlery chandelier, the bar, signage, red menu.

Being back in Buenos Aires is like being back home (my second home, that is) and is always a pleasure to visit even for just a week.  On this trip, we had our first Sunday lunch at our all-time favorite parrilla - El Mirasol.  As always, it was packed with families enjoying the grilled meat and convivial atmosphere.

On Monday evening, my Mother-in-law invited us to try Fervor, a relatively new parrilla for dinner located on Posadas street right smack in the middle of chi-chi Recoleta.  Fervor is owned by the same people who run the Italian restaurant Sottovoce (another one we regularly visit and where we had dinner on Sunday evening).  The restaurant is right beside a street-side flower stall which makes the entrance colorful.  Interiors are bistro-like and done up in red (velvet curtains, menu covers, leather banquettes) and black (chairs and tiled floors) with an interesting tiered chandelier made up of cutlery hanging upside down (good thing there were only spoons and forks as sitting underneath knives would have been too risky).  The menu is simple - charcoal grilled meat obviously but also fish and seafood which is quite unusual in meat-centric Argentina, but a nice change for non-carnivores.

The place was half-empty when we arrived at around eight.  We were seated in a banquette on the lower floor (the place to be) and were in a cozy corner table which afforded us a view of the entire room and lots of people watching.  After looking at the menus, my two Porteño companions (A and his mom, An) ordered lenguado (sole) and brochette de langostinos (prawns).  I, on the other hand, couldn't resist another chance to eat Argentine beef and chose the 400 gram ojo de bije (rib-eye), medium rare.  Two side dishes that we would share were also ordered - an arugula salad and some Provencal french fries along with a half bottle of Malbec.

Slowly, the place started to fill up with an older, international crowd, although there were also quite a few locals and for a Monday evening, it was pretty packed.  By the time our dinner was served, there was hardly a table free and the atmosphere was quite lively - noisy with cutlery and glasses clinking and lots of diners tucking into large hunks of meat.  A bowl of assorted bread was set down on the table along with some sauces - chimicurri and salsa criolla for the meat and a trio of sauces for the fish - tartar, lemon and a slightly reddish spicy one.  The portions were good - more than a dozen grilled prawns on an oval plate, a slab of striped-from-the-grill fish with a wedge of lemon and a marbled slab of charred rib-eye.  The salad was bitter and sour with the lemon dressing and the fries were a mound of hot, crunchy, garlicky goodness - the perfect accompaniment to my steak.

I thought that I would never be able to get through that piece of meat but I managed to eat it all and just give A a couple of bites to taste.  For dessert, I had some homemade ice cream - dulce de leche and chocolate for me and A and the almendrado for An.  The ice creams were creamy and delicious and the almendrado was a tasty discovery for me - crema americana (a typical Argentine ice cream flavor of frozen cream) studded with crushed toasted almonds.  The usual espressos to end the meal and a quick walk up the street to catch a cab home.  Fervor was the first new Buenos Aires restaurant we tried on this visit and the second best meal I had on this trip (the first was Michael's in Miami).  I hope that on our next visit, more new restaurants like Fervor crop up on the scene, where the design and atmosphere is the same level as the food being served.

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Fervor

Posadas 1519

Recoleta

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Telephone: +54 11 4804 4944

*Open daily for lunch and dinner. Reservations recommended

SW STEAKHOUSE at the Wynn

After three days of mind-boggling jet lag and a half-day trip to nearby Lee Canyon for our eight year old's first ski lesson, we decided to check-in at the Wynn for an evening a deux at one of the hotel's Tower Suites . We were pleasantly surprised to be given a room on the 60th floor overlooking the lights of the strip and the snow-capped mountains in the distance.  

The tower suite room was large and well-furnished.  It was the first time that I actually liked the carpet pattern  - no colorful swirly patterns or flowers but a discreet beige, white and brown plaid which matched the furniture.  I especially liked the comfortable white two-seater Chesterfield sofa and the designer amenities and mini-bar snacks.   After freshening up and resting a bit, we made a reservation SW Steakhouse for the only table we could have at 8:00 p.m.  We arrived half an hour earlier and the place was packed with a crowd near the entrance and at the bar waiting to be seated.  We were told to have a drink at the bar while they got our table ready.  Soon after, we were led to a banquette table towards the far end of the room where other couples were seated.  

 Menus were presented and another round of drinks was offered which we refused as we hadn't even finished the first round which we had carried over to our table. The menu at SW is all about the steak so after a quick peek, we decided quickly on sticking to their specialty.  A starter each - crab soup for A and an iceberg salad for me.  We both couldn't resist having their Nebraskan Corn Fed 100% USDA Prime beef -  the 16-ounce NY strip steak (incidentally, the smallest steak on the menu was a 9 or 12 ounce filet mignon which I find the most boring cut of meat because of the absence of marbled fat).  While we waited, a basket of warm bread was brought over with a slab of butter topped with black sea salt.  The place kept getting busier and as soon as a table was cleared, another group would sit down.  The noise levels were high and between the loud conversations, the restaurants' buzz and the every half-hour light and sound show outside, it was almost impossible to have a proper conversation.

Our appetizers were brought over - A's tomato-based soup was topped with a puff pastry crust and filled with chunks of crab while my iceberg salad wasn't quite what I thought it would be.  It was a large chunk of ice-cold iceberg lettuce stuffed, not topped, with crushed Roquefort, not the dressing that was described on the menu.  I tried my best to fork my way through the goo but couldn't really enjoy the makeshift greens and cheese.  When they cleared our plates, they never asked why my salad was messed up but not eaten.  I guess they were in a rush to serve us our main courses. (Also, the glass of pinot noir I ordered was never brought and given only after I had asked for it twice.)

The steaks arrived on oval platters and were served with the our order of truffled creamed corn and SW fries.  The portion of the side dishes were generous - the truffled creamed corn in a cocotte and the fries filled a large paper cone.  Three sauces were also served on the side - Béarnaise, Jalapeño Tropical Fruit, SW Original.  As we were both going to have the Béarnaise, I decided to try the other two, out of curiosity - the SW original was ketchupey and the green Jalapeño one was sweetly spicy - both were fine but not something I would eat my steak with.  The side dishes were very good - the creamed corn was sweet and earthy with the addition of the truffles but the fries were a disappointment.  They were overly crispy and tasted reheated so we hardly ate any.  Good thing that the meat was delicious -  tender but seared on the outside and crusted with the salt and pepper they used to season it - otherwise the meal would have been mediocre.  A finished his steak but I struggled to get through the almost half-kilo of beef although I tried my best.  At this point, we opted to skip dessert and end our dinner by taking a walk around the Wynn for more people-watching.

Although the steaks were delicious, dinner at SW was nothing special and the rushed and half-hearted service was unexpected in a restaurant at the Wynn.  If they get their appetizers and sides right and make their staff more attentive then it would have been a perfect steakhouse meal.
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SW Steakhouse
Wynn Las Vegas
+1 702 248 3463

Summer grill Spanish-style

Here's another post to continue my summer grill theme. After a weekend of Argentine meat, we went to Marbella's Mercado Central to buy some seafood and meat. For lunch, we had a typical Andalusian grill of while squid along with a large piece of red tuna from Almadraba. Both were delicious and light enough to eat on a day with temperatures reaching almost 35C. We were starving by the time the squid was ready so I wasn't able to take any photos.

Dinner was two large hunks of meat, the very Spanish cut - chuletón de buey (similar to T-bone) which is excellent on the grill. We had this with hand-cut french fries, fried sweet potatoes and a green salad. The meat was chewy and marbled in fat, completely different in texture and flavor from the Argentine cuts of meat we had the previous weekend. We finished off our meal with a bowl of frozen summer fruits - peaches, nectarines and strawberries and extra-short espressos.

Asado Argentino Lunch & Dinner

Last weekend, we continued with our grill theme and looked for the Argentine butcher that a friend had spoken of. We finally found the place tucked away in a quiet corner near the Supersol supermarket on one of the side streets off the main plaza in San Pedro. The place was packed for a Saturday morning. As we waited in line for our turn, we noticed two good things: first, there was an Argentine buying some meat ahead of us and second, that the two butchers working behind the counter were Argentine as well

We were looking forward to finding out which Argentine cuts of meat were available. There was chorizo criollo which don't have paprika like the Spanish chorizo and also have more meat and less fat and morcilla (blood sausage). We didn't see any more Argentine cuts displayed and we asked if they had tira de asado (short-ribs) and they pulled out a large piece from their back freezer. When we asked for entraña (skirt steak), they also had it in their back freezer. I guess the trick is to ask since most of the Argentine meat cuts are stored away in the back. In the end we bought entraña (skirt steak), a morcilla, two chorizos criollos, 2 strips of asado de tira (short ribs) and some mollejas (sweetbreads). They also had dried chimichurri - the special sauce served with grilled meats, mate - traditional Argentine herbal tea and aji - dried chili and even the special pastry used to make empanadas (meat-filled pies).

After our successful butcher expedition, we headed straight home and got the grill hot and decided what we were going to have for lunch and which for dinner. We mixed some chimichurri and made a salad then we had the chorizo, morcilla and asado de tira for lunch with some bread to make delicious choripan - freshly grilled chorizo sandwiched in between two pieces of baguette. For dinner we then had the rest of the meat - entraña with the rest of the chimichurri and mollejas, sliced thinly with lemon juice. After a full-on Argentine asado lunch and dinner, we're off meat for at least a week or until our next visit to the Argentine butcher which will probably be soon.

* Thought I'd add on that photo of the different Argentine meat cuts. The place mat was a gift from the restaurant El Mirasol.

*This might help explain the meat cuts better - I found a website that talks about Argentine cuisine called Asado Argentina.

LE SEVERO

Our last dinner in Paris was at a restaurant in the quiet 14th arrondissement that has been getting good reviews ever since it opened a few years ago.  We tried to go on our last trip to Paris in January but ended up canceling because we were too cold and lazy to travel all the way to this quiet area of Paris on a winter's night.

Le Severo is a tiny bistro complete with the zinc topped bar right smack in the middle of the room and the typique blackboard menu except that here the blackboard is large enough to cover one whole wall and is actually the wine list rather than the menu.  The wine list is pretty impressive with fifth-growth Bordeaux and excellent Burgundies on the long list plus lots of very, good wines at reasonable prices.

The menu is limited with a few starters  - white asparagus, goat's cheese salad, jamon Iberico (again) and boudin noir (blood sausage).  Don't come here if you're not a meat-lover because this place is all about steak, some sausages and veal liver. Owned by ex-butcher William Bernet who serves only Limousin beef, he is also the bartender/server/sommelier and manages to move around the packed restaurant taking orders and serving plates plus clearing tables with impressive speed and efficiency.  The only other person working at the restaurant is the white-jacketed chef who stays quietly behind the bar/kitchen searing the steaks and preparing the starters while also managing to fill the dishwasher with dirty dishes and stack the clean plates neatly on a shelf.  It's a multi-tasking two-man show and probably what makes this little place homey.

Conveniently located on a corner with two large windows, less than a dozen tables are lined on all sides plus a few in the middle which seat a total of about 28 diners in a box-like space. Tables are set simply with a linen napkin and a fork and steak knife etched with 927 (not Laguiole), plates are plain white and glasses aren't fancy. (Watch out when you use the knife as both sides look exactly the same and may end up slicing the meat using the dull side).

Our starters arrived: in season white asparagus with a chive vinaigrette (€10) and a large hunk of fresh Chevre (creamy goat's cheese) with a green salad (€8) and a basket of sourdough bread were placed in the center of the table to share.  The wine we chose was a Catherine et Pierre Breton Chinon 2006, a red wine from the Loire for a reasonable €34.  We were surprised to find out that not only was organic but that it wasn't the only organic one on the long wine list. (This trip's biologique theme continues.)

Having heard so much about the steak tartare (€18) my mind was made up while my mom decided on the classic bistro steak dish - bavette à l'échalote (€18).  My mom wanted to order hers medium-well but I convinced her to have it saignant (medium-rare) instead.  By the time our main courses were served, the place was packed and we were now elbow-to-elbow with a Greek family to our left, a group of four English-speaking suits right behind us and a French family to our right.  The place was now well and truly packed and leaving the table at that minute would have been almost impossible to do.

Our steaks arrived - my mom's bavette (flap steak from the sirloin) perfectly seared and came with lots of shallots.  My steak tartare was the largest I had ever been served in my life.  I guessed it was almost half a kilo and when we asked we were told it was 350 grams (close guess).  The tartare was hand-chopped and came with capers and was very good but not as spicy as I'm used to so I asked for some Tabasco and the pepper grinder to adjust the seasoning and give it that extra kick it was missing. Both came with fresh-cut homemade fries which were seasoned perfectly.  Although not as crisp as I prefer, they were very good and a nice change from the frozen fries usually served in bistros nowadays.  We tasted each other's plate and I prodded my mom to try my tartare although she wasn't all that sure about eating a plate of raw meat.  We tried our best to clean our plates but after eating two thirds of my steak, I just couldn't eat any more meat.

To end the dinner there was fromage -  Saint Nectaire fand a limited dessert menu of chocolate mousse, creme brulee and fraises gariguette.  After all that meat, we decided to share the bowl of fraises gariguette (€6) - small strawberries from Southwest France which were very sweet.  Illy espressos to end our meal and a promise to come back and have the faux-filet or the côte de bœuf (for two) or maybe even the andouillete on our next visit.

Le Severo is a convivial bistro devoted to meat and is the type of place where one ends up conversing with the diners at the next table (as we did) since the place is quite cramped and noisy.  Don't expect fancy sauces or sides - here it's the meat that's the star and most, if not all dishes are served only with fries or mashed potatoes.   Go for a simple steak meal and enjoy it with a good bottle of wine. 

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Le Severo

8 rue des Plantes, 75014 Paris

Tel. +33 1 45 40 40 91

Open for lunch and dinner, Mondays to Fridays

Open for lunch only on Saturdays

Closed Saturday dinner, Sundays and the whole month of August.