Bedrock Bar & Grill Singapore

Dry aged beef, basically a piece of prime cut left to "spoil" in a high humidity, low temperature environment. Having said that, the meat doesn't really goes bad per se but rather, has its natural enzymes break down the connective tissues, resulting in its well known tenderness. However, due to the growth of mold, the outer layer of the meat will be unfit for consumption and trimmed away before the meat is cooked. This mold supposedly enhances both the flavour and tenderness of the meat. This is something I have been wanting to try for some time; to judge if this luxurious, troublesome piece of meat is really as tender and flavourful as reputed. And when else to splurge on this unnecessary necessity, other than on my birthday? XD

Many people don't quite understand why dry aged beef are so expensive; this is a little summary why I think so:

1. A prime cut is needed for its extensively distributed fats and they are already costly on their own.
2. Troublesome process to produce the meat - the time, storage, labour needed are all $$ spent.
3. Yields lesser output than original input. A 400g Ribeye will not only lose moisture (10% - 15%) during the dry aging process, but also lose part of its exterior to mold which may only result in a 300g product. (just an example, not sure of the exact amount)
4. Demand vs Supply - with more people buying and less places producing, there is little wonder why the price is so high.
5. Geographical reason - I think this is more relevant to Asia. Since we are further away from places which produces dry aged beef, all the shipping charges add up. 

After a little research on the internet and consideration for our wallets, we decided to patronize Bedrock Bar & Grill, located at:

Pan Pacific Serviced Suites
96 Somerset Road,
#01-05

For those who are as blur as me, it is just behind 313 Somerset. If you drive, be glad to know that 1st hour parking is complimentary on the restaurant.

We arrived about 7pm and the place was still empty apart from another table. The establishment is divided into 2 areas - bar and restaurant; featuring earthy tones, warm lights and wooden wall features. Somehow, it reminded me of a tavern. As we were shown to our seats, which by the way is like the center piece of the restaurant, we walked past a food preparation counter where the chefs add final touches to the dishes and make fresh flat bread (which looks more like pita to me)! Tell me that doesn't whip up your appetite, I don't know what will. Haha..

The servers are by far, the most helpful, attentive, knowledgeable I have encountered. They offered assistance as we went through the menu and made suggestions when the dry aged rib-eye I wanted is out of stock. In the end, we went along with the USDA Prime 21 days dry aged Strip-loin and the USDA Prime Black Angus Rib-eye.

While waiting for our food, we were served the flat bread that we saw earlier on, accompanied by roasted garlic and salted butter. Garlic haters, please do not shun away. Garlic, after being roasted, is sweet and stripped of its pungent smell; tastes way better than the garlic bread that many people favor out of frozen boxes. Those who enjoys flat bread (I really think it's pita), don't be shy to ask for another piece, they'll be glad to bring you more. Although I don't recommend filling up on these since the real goodies have yet to come!

After 15-20 minutes of waiting, our steaks were served, fair amount of waiting time for a properly fired steak. The grilled lines can be clearly seen and the edges wonderfully charred. As I chewed into my first bite, I finally understood why many people worship dry aged beef. The meat is rich with concentrated flavour, like beef jerky but the tell-tale tenderness reminded me of its true identity. Albeit concentrated, the "beefy" taste did not punch me sharply in the face, but rather mellow and pleasant just as a well-matured wine if you will. Delicious on its own, we were still given a choice of accompanying sauce for each of our steak, in which I chose the Whisky Wholegrain Mustard for my dry aged. Who would have know that the sauce is incredible as well? The way the whole mustard seeds popped in my mouth reminded me of caviar, just that this is peppery instead of being briny. Apply a little to your bite and it provides an extra "omph!", too much and it will over power the delicate steak. This is all too subjective, your call whether to have the sauce. =)

For the USDA Prime Black Angus Rib-eye, I was taken aback by how large it is. I missed out that it's 400g instead of 300g as per my dry aged and the steak is as large as my face! Comparing the 2 steaks side by side (or mouthful by mouthful =P), there is no doubt that this is juicer than its dry aged counterpart, where some moisture was lost during the process. The different cuts might have skewed this comparison but am quite sure the moisture differences can be felt even with the same Rib-eye or Strip-loin cut. The other main difference will be the strong, sharp "beefy" taste as any other good steak will provide. Here's where I thought the Classic Bearnaise sauce did the job well with its vinegary edge that cuts through the beefiness for a more balanced flavour. For the same price as the dry aged strip-loin, the need to use a sauce to make the steak "extraordinary", doesn't justify the high cost. Personally, I would either opt for the dry aged beef for the same price or a lower priced rib-eye if I'm after the beefiness. Just my few cents worth.

Of course, the dry aged steaks aren't the only thing why I was excited about Bedrock. Being an avid fan of Food Network, I have long heard about the much raved about effect, duck fat has on fried potatoes. Mainly from Michael Symon's obsession with his neighbour's fries, along with many other chefs' testimonies; Heston Blumenthal might have vouched for the same thing too. Can you imagine my excitement when I know that Duck Fat Potatoes are on the menu?! The potatoes' soft, pillowy, almost creamy interior is encased in a thin crispy crust. I'm not sure what the duck fat did to the potatoes, but the interior is amazingly sweet! Oh boy, I can munch on these all day as if the fact that potatoes are addictive isn't bad enough. Hahah..

We originally ordered the Truffled Mashed Potatoes but quickly changed to their Bedrock Mac n' Cheese after considering that we already have a potato side dish and after reading several reviews that their mac n' cheese is not to be missed. The "elbows" are missing from the macaroni and kind of resembles mini penne, but this is fine by me as long as the taste is great. There's a slight crust on top, which is quite delightful when eaten together with the soft macaroni, providing a contrast in texture. I was surprised when I took my first bite and almost agreed with the rest of the patrons who loved this mac n' cheese. Even though the chefs used Gorgonzola in the cheese sauce, the sauce remains light and not reeked of the stinky cheese smell that Gorgonzola can bring forth. And that, I was impressed. 

Although I don't know how mac n' cheese was traditionally prepared, I do know that it IS a pasta dish. With time and food evolution, mac n' cheese has to have certain elements in place, else it will just merely be a pasta dish. My second mouthful revealed that I have mistaken the absence of cheese taste for a well balanced sauce. If the chefs had meant for it this way and had skillfully masked the strong smelling cheese, I wonder if it is such a good thing at all. Mac n' Cheese simply has to be cheesy. That aside, the sauce also has to be thick enough to coat the macaroni. Sadly, this "cheese" sauce is too watery. All these being said, I guessed some fans might defend that this is my perception of mac n' cheese and that I'm too close minded. Maybe. So if this is mac n' cheese, what do we call these? But frankly speaking, if I were to cast these connotations aside, it is truly a superb pasta dish.

Conclusion: I will definitely patronize Bedrock again, if not for the dry aged steaks, it will be for the duck fat potatoes. The dry aged steak is highly recommended for any special occasion and there's the group option for the Tomahawk Steak which resembles some pre-historic, flintstones, huge hunk of meat with the bone still intact. I would love to try their roasted bone marrow, jamon, truffled mashed potatoes and bedrock crumble for 2 on my returning trips. Prepare approximately S$100-$150/ person.

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