Malcolm's Place
People do crazy things when they're sad. Some drink, some exercise like there's no tomorrow, some shop, some work their butts off. Me? I eat.
And it says something about the degree of melancholia I am indulging in when I spend P1000 on a 200g steak, just because I wanted to have some spinach. Well fine, to be perfectly honest, I wanted to find out what the fuss was all about over this "Wagyu" beef. It's supposed to be succulent and worth every peso you spend on it. So last night, I fought against the natural urge to order my favorite (and definitely cheaper) lowly pork chops and decided to treat myself to wagyu steak at Malcolm's Place in HV Delacosta.
It came with spinach soup, mashed potatoes and creamed spinach (yumyum!). The soup was very good - frothy but not overwhelmingly creamy. I had to stop myself from polishing the whole bowl off because I wanted to save room for my steak. After much anticipation, the server came with my plate. Alas, the presentation was a tad disappointing (see picture). I don't know what I expected, but for P1000 bucks I didn't except to see a plate of something that could easily be served, and is actually being served, in cheaper steakhouses and in my home. And I was disappointed at the amount of creamed spinach on my plate. It didn't look enough to satisfy my craving for Popeye's favorite snack.
My mood a little deflated, I slice a piece of meat off, noting that the texture was not really very different from a run-of-the-mill steak. I take a cursory bite, expecting fireworks and that a-ha moment, but it didn't come. Don't get me wrong, the steak was well seasoned and juicy..but it just seemed so..ordinary. I could easily buy a 200g striploin at Santi's, season it with salt and pepper, and have the same experience at a fraction of the cost. I had my friend Anama take a bite, and she raved about it. So it's either I'm really a country bumpkin when it comes to good steak (and I would like to think I know a thing or two about red meat) or I just had too lofty expectations from wagyu steak, which is why I found it wanting.
The highlight of my meal was the creamed spinach, which was pefectly seasoned and sauteed with garlic. Again, I appreciated the fact that Malcolm's Place for not drowning everything in cream. Even the gravy had the right consistency.
All in all, it was a good meal, but not worth the one grand you have to shell out for it. I'd rather go back to Texas Roadhouse Grill (where I also had steak the night before last) for my steak fix..it's not wagyu, but my ignorant tastebuds don't know the difference anyway.