The Prime Society @Dempsey

We've always wanted to visit this place, having heard about their steaks. And here we are today. There are quite a few entrances, and we loved the main one, because there's a fridge with all sorts of meat hanging. The whole interior is what I'd call, grandeur. High ceilings, beautiful glass windows, elegant seats and tables, tasteful decorations hanging around. And, well, lots of fans. It could get a tad windy at certain seats.

The menu is simple and straightforward, the mains are around $30-ish, while the steaks range from $65 to $88, and climbs higher for larger cuts. Surprisingly, they serve pretty affordable wines to go with your steaks and there's a long list of such for you to choose from if you request.

The cute, little bun came first. Yes, one cute, little bun for each of us. With salt and butter, they're good to stop your tummy for growling for awhile.

We ordered:

Baked Bone Marrow ($18)

Baked with Onion Rings, Dill & Grilled Bread

Tenderloin 250g with Foie Gras ($65)

1855 Prime Ribeye ($70)

Sauces to go with the steaks

Fries with Truffle Oil & Parmesan ($10)

Side

& Goldschmidt Vineyard Katherine Cabernet Sauvignon ($10)

Served on a wooden platter, the Baked Bone Marrow ($18)'s portion seemed really worth the money at the price, large enough for 2 to 3 persons for sharing. The salt though, was unequally distributed, which had us scrunching our face when we chewed on random pieces of salt. The bread crumbs were supposed to provide an extra crunch, but it seemed to have overpowered the bone marrow's natural taste. Perhaps the major issue here is that the bone marrow itself was not really marinated, hence probably the inclusion of the breadcrumbs... The Onion rings on the top seemed to have made the whole dish looked cheap. Onion rings just reminded me of Burger Kings and meals at Swensens, except that the rings were very much larger. Instead of a gelatinous after-taste of the marrow, all I could taste was the onions. Usually, we had no issues with Bone Marrow dishes- as long as they are done well, a little sprinkle of salt will usually be perfect. It seems that all these additions ruined what could have been a great dish by itself.

From the "Beef From The Grill" section, we selected the 1855 Prime Ribeye ($70), grain-fed beef, and a grass-fed Tenderloin 250g with Foie Gras ($65).

We haven't had such great steaks for awhile. As 1855 beef is exclusively Black Angus, renowned for superior marbling, tenderness and taste. The 1855 Prime Ribeye ($70) is one of those steaks in which the fats are melt-in-the-mouth, and the ends charred nicely. Because all 1855 cattle are grain fed, we expected it to be tender, and voila, it did. (If it didn't we would have questioned the servers, for the price paid!) Slicing it was easy. Plus, the marbling was great. The defined grill lines just add points to the presentation. With a (sad, lonely) roasted shallot as garnish, the large plate is kept extreemely clean, obviously wanting the attention to be focused on the steak only.

However, the tenderloin for the Tenderloin 250g with Foie Gras ($65) is more flavourful than the ribeye. Flavourful as expected as how a perfect grass fed beef would taste like. Its quite tall, which is the the tail cut of the tenderloin, hence explaining the fibrous meat. The Foie Gras, fortunately a pretty generous slab, compensates for the lack of marbling in the tenderloin. Tenderloin's lean meat after all. It was done right as well, adding to the overall experience of the tenderloin.

Worried that the steaks would be too little, we ordered a side to go along, the Fries with Truffle Oil & Parmesan ($10). It is actually pretty filling. We sort of thought we should not have ordered this after we gone through half of our steaks. Great for 2 to 3 persons, the Parmesan flakes are generous plus the truffle smell is pretty strong as well. There are many sides for you to choose from, Roast Potatoes, Rosemary & Garlic, Potato Puree Fries with Truffle Oil & Parmesan, Mac & Cheese Roast Pumpkin with Garlic Yoghurt, Prime Salad Grilled Corn with Kimchi Butter, Mushrooms & Bacon Onion Rings with Garlic Aioli, Broccoli, Beans & Sesame. All at $10 each.

We would be back again definitely, for its steaks!

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Verdict:

Food: 4/5

Service: 3/5

Ambiance: 5/5

Total Score: 4/5

[1- Never visit again, 2-Won't visit unless there's no other option, 3-Perhaps, 4 & 5- Yes!]

Price Range: $30-$88 for mains

Good for? Couples, Groups

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About it:

The Prime Society

Address: 10 Dempsey Rd #01-20, 247700
Menu: http://www.theprimesociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Main-Menu3.pdf