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2017-09-04
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With its timeless décor, white tablecloths, uniformed waitstaff and humming crowd, Morton's exudes a classy vibe that is reminiscent of upscale steakhouses in the roaring twenties of my imagination. We are here on a weekday evening at 7 and the restaurant is already packed. Guests everywhere across the room are in high spirits. For a moment, I could picture the same conversations, waitstaff pacing across the room in similar fashion, chefs in the kitchen making the same shouts, etc. happening som
Unfreeze the temporary daze and I find myself here and now, fast-forwarded to 2016's Hong Kong, facing my partner and the familiar night-time Victoria harbor and being given a thin piece of paper that looks very much like a menu. But wait, I see my name.
This is indeed a one-of-a-kind surprise, mechanic and unexceptional as it may be for Morton's (where every birthday boy and girl seem to get the same treat) it has made me feel extra special on my birthday.
Not being too hungry, I skipped appetizer and decided to go for filet diane, which is 6oz of tenderloin (sliced along the short dimension), my favorite cut. Some say that tenderloin lacks flavor, but I would happily trade a bit of flavor for its incredible tenderness, or so I thought.
My partner has chosen broiled sea scallops as appetizer and prime rib-eye as his cut.
We are immediately offered a sizable, dome-like bread with a large knife. Unfortunately as a loyal follower of the whole grain diet and a self-respecting gourmand, I would naturally not let this beautiful looking creature succeed in taking up tummy space when I am anticipating my tenderloin.
Bread
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I took a small bite to check it out, and it is the characteristically soft and slightly sweet white bread found everywhere in North America. I personally prefer tougher, grainier and longer fermented bread, but this is just fine.
Broiled Sea Scallops
$210
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The scallops are gigantic . My partner quickly spooned one onto my plate before I could say no. The scallop is firm and succulent with delicately sweet flavor, and searing it with bacon wrapped around takes it to a whole new level.
Filet Diane, 6oz
$598
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Placing tenderloin on top of a piece of bread reminds me of 19th century beefsteak banquets--ancestors of today's steakhouses as we know it, where working class men were served tenderloin on white bread and often saved it to keep a score. I dipped my fork in the sauce and detected mushroom, butter, cream, and maybe Worcestershire sauce. Nah, I prefer to have my steak as it is.
Filet Diane, 6oz
$598
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The rib-eye came at the same time as my filet mignon. The 16oz portion is significantly larger than mine, making tenderloin nearly double the price of prime rib-eye on a per gram basis.
Center-cut Prime Ribeye, 16oz
$698
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I sampled my partner's rib-eye as well for comparison's sake. It turns out that the tenderloin was somewhat lacking both in flavor and tenderness. If it was a 7 for flavor and 8 for tenderness, prime rib-eye was a 9 for flavor and 7.5 for tenderness. I believe it was most likely my mistake ordering the tenderloin medium well. It would have been much better cooked to medium rare.
Overall, though, I am happy enough with my cut, and look forward to returning in the future to try out more of their menu when I am in a hungrier and more carnivorous state.
Service on this occasion is excellent--thoughtful, responsive and professional. As it has been a special occasion, staff took a picture for us on the restaurant's camera and gave us the physical photo in a standard Morton's of Chicago paper-made photo frame, with a birthday message and signatures of their staff on duty. We were also given vouchers to spend on future visits at the Sheraton's top-floor bar.
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