It was a random day and a random passing that I chanced upon a restaurant packed with people. My guess is if there’s a crowd, the food’s got to be something. So, a couple of weeks later, it was time to get back there and check it out. It’s a pretty neat concept, a restaurant and deli combined. You can get a well cooked steak or you can buy a rack of ribs and broil them to your taste back home. So off we went.
The place is very nicely done with modern touches and a white, cheery interior. Lots of glass and unfinished brick walls surround a cement render floor but softened with the touch of white-washed wood. Pretty neat but it gets a bit messy in some areas where you have marble and stainless steel. Definitely a standout decor but I think it’s a bit overboard. Could have been done better with a tighter theme. This a case where the original theme wasn’t strictly followed and things got a bit out of hand.
We ordered a soup and starter to go with the main course. The flat-bread with was great. The bread was crisp on the outside but soft and chewy inside. The olive and feta cheese and tomato with a hint of smoked flavor went nicely with it like a horse and carriage. Lovely. The mushroom soup was pretty ordinary and could be better but no complains. The starters were served when we had no plates and plates only showed up after we started eating. This service lapse was what foreshadowed what is to come. A serious lack in service quality at the demanded price.
The main course arrived. We had rib-eyes, t-bones and ribs on the table. First thing that struck me was that the plate was a sickly green in color. Eating consists not just the taste of the food when you put into your mouth but also the aromas and the visuals. This isn’t your RM9 “coffee-shop-western-food-corner” so I do expect a visual feast. After all, our eyes are sense number one. A white plate would have allowed the colors and meat to stand out and draw your eye in but I’m left trying to eyeball the dish and my camera’s trying to white-balance the sucker. Thankfully the ribs came on a white plate but the other dishes weren’t so lucky. Service failure number two was not even bothering to put the plates for the right people. We all gestured when the server announced “Medium rib-eye steak” but that guy insisted on pass the plate to me to pass it on. That’s failure number three. Handing your customers the plate to put onto their own table! I don’t think even the coffee-shop western food does that!!
My rib-eye steak was supposed to be medium. It was well done in one corner. Forgivable but can be improved. The greens were seriously undercooked and unless I was bugs bunny, the carrots were a no go. Flavors, well, I might ask “what flavors?” Salt, pepper and not much else. There was a bowl of sauce on the table that the waiter just unceremoniously placed without any word. When asked what was it for and what is it, all I got back was “sauce”. My God! The ribs were nothing to shout about but pretty decent. All in all, the food was average. I would say that the food is a big let down due to the way the MeatWorks is selling their concept and their food. Beeftopia indeed. Far from it I would say. Maybe for some who have not had some really nice steak might be satisfied but I am seriously let down. Honestly, I can name several steak houses who can do better steaks but MeatWorks does not get my recommendation.
Final service failure came when I called for the bill. The waiter is either deaf or does not understand English. Had to raise my volume several times until he nodded. Probably he could also tell that I was a tad annoyed at repeating myself five times. He just disappears and I don’t get the bill for the next twenty minutes. Well, enough is enough. At over RM300 for four main courses, I definitely expected better and that kind of service will never get my business again.
