Ruth's Chris Steak House

Address: Shops 2 & 3, Ground Floor, Lippo Centre, 89 Queensway
Tel: 2522 9090

The name Ruth’s Chris is synonymous with quality, both in service and in cuisine. Started in New Orleans 45 years ago, the restaurant can now be found at more than 130 locations all over the world, with two addresses in Hong Kong. (The Kowloon branch is located at G/F, Empire Center, 68 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui East. Tel: 2366 6000) Entering the Queensway location, Ruth’s Chris feels like someone’s impressively upmarket, yet comfortable, dining room. Wood paneling covers the walls, seating areas are spaciously sectioned, cosy leather covers the booths, and the white tablecloths are crisp and clean. It’s the kind of place where the waiting staff, who have worked here for years, recognise all of their regular customers and welcome every new one.

The menu at Ruth’s Chris focuses on New Orleans fare, with the restaurant’s signature steak as star. Two standout appetisers are the hearty blue crab cakes, made with 100% crab, a touch of breadcrumbs, and some mayonnaise and served with warm lemon butter, and the barbecued shrimp, a traditional New Orleans style of shrimp sautéed in white wine, spring onions and Cajun spices. That wonderful Cajun aroma makes it to the table before the shrimp do. (Be sure to dip a bit of the warm table bread into the sauce). Another great dish, on the lighter side, is the Ruth’s Chop Salad. It may look like a somewhat normal concoction, but after one bite, the flavours of all the ingredients come to fruition – lettuce, spinach, radicchio, mushrooms, olives, bacon, eggs, garlic croutons, blue cheese, and on and on. From start to finish, the salad takes a whole day to prepare and you can tell when you taste its complexity.

Moving on to what Ruth’s Chris is best known for, the steak. And it’s not just any steak - the restaurant serves USDA prime, custom-aged beef cooked in a specially made broiler that reaches 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit to lock in all the delectable juices and mouth-watering flavours. Each steak dish is served on a heated plate so that it stays warm throughout the meal. Since the steaks keep cooking on the heated plates, be sure to order your meat one rung below your normal preference; for instance, if you like medium, order medium-rare. A nice touch is that the waiting staff can replace your heated plate with another one if it starts to cool down. The fillet, the most tender cut of corn-fed premium USDA prime beef, is a customer favourite for good reason. It’s large and succulent and has a great texture. At the other end of the meat spectrum, the ribeye is well marbled and exceptionally juicy. Sides of creamed spinach, sautéed mushrooms, and of course mashed potatoes to soak up all the juices go along with the steaks incredibly well.

If you still have room for dessert, the creamy homemade cheesecake with a graham cracker crust couldn’t be any more soft or pleasing, and the supple bread pudding with a to-die-for whiskey sauce - a dish that’s hard to come by in this part of the world - pays homage to the restaurant’s New Orleans roots. Ruth’s Chris Steak House has years of experience and it shows in every detail.

One Harbour Road Address: 7/F & 8/F, Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, 1 Harbour Road, Wan Chai Tel: 2584 7722 The moment you walk into One Harbour Road, you know you’re in for something special. Upon entry, the attentive staff greet guests with a level of service and courtesy that continues throughout the meal. A water feature and tables spaced widely apart create a privileged sense of tranquility and privacy. The bright and airy split-level restaurant resembles an elegant Cantonese mansion from the 1930s, complete with all the details, down to fresh flowers and ornate china. However, it’s hard to pay attention to even these features when the grand floor-to-ceiling windows give a unique panoramic view of both sides of the harbour along the restaurant’s waterfront wall. With such attractions, it’s easy to spend more than a couple of hours here, and it comes as no surprise to learn that local tycoons and tai tais, or ladies who lunch, have adopted One Harbour Road as a venue of choice.