bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Susan Jung

7/F LKF Tower,  33 Wyndham Street, Central
Tel: 2526 2366
Open: noon-2.30pm (until 3.30pm on Sunday), 6.30pm-10.30pm (until 11.30pm on Friday and Saturday)
Cuisine: Steakhouse.
Price: About HK$1,000 per person for a three-course meal without drinks and before adding the service charge.
Ambience: Recession? There's no sign of it here - despite the pricey menu, the restaurant was packed on a weeknight. Although it bills itself as an 'anti steakhouse steakhouse' - without the dark, clubby atmosphere of standard establishments - most of the clientele were men.
Pros: Dakota Prime is a beef-lover's dream. There are four types, ranging from USDA prime grade grain-fed Midwest beef to Japanese 100 per cent full-blood Wagyu. The menu lists everything you'd expect of a steakhouse: crab cakes, shrimp cocktail, lobster bisque, fresh oysters and sides such as creamed spinach and hand-cut steak fries (HK$60 per side dish), but there are also more creative offerings. Service is very professional.
Cons: Portion sizes are almost scarily large. The smallest steaks are 200 gram filet mignon cuts of prime grain-fed Midwest beef (HK$455) and Japanese Wagyu ($1,480) - and I dislike filet, preferring cuts with more texture and flavour. The other steaks are at least 50 per cent larger. Those with smaller appetites might want to share, or order two starters. My guest complained about the 'slippery' texture of the porcini mushroom and roast corn chowder (HK$80). The fraise de bois and vanilla ice creams (HK$80 for three scoops) tasted artificial but the Valrhona chocolate one was fine. The wine list is expensive.
Recommended dishes: The Kobe beef tataki with grilled sweet onion cake and sesame ponzu dressing (HK$220, above) was almost enough to satisfy my beef cravings for the evening. The thinly sliced meat - barely seared, so it was almost raw inside - was tender, rich and complemented by the refreshing dressing. For  the main, I chose the lobster pot pie (HK$550) thinking it would be  lighter than steak. I was wrong. I laughed out loud when I saw the waiter bearing down on me with the large, deep copper pan with its dome of beautifully golden pastry. The waiter cut away the pastry at the table to release the fragrance and reveal the whole lobster, cut into pieces, with potatoes, carrots and peas floating in a sauce that was as rich as lobster bisque. I enjoyed it but couldn't  eat half of it. The centre of my guest's Snake River Farms American Kobe beef 'gold label' rib-eye (380 grams for HK$895) was more medium-rare than his requested medium-well.  This didn't stop him from polishing the whole thing off. The meat was tender and succulent, and so flavourful  it didn't need the sauces (bearnaise and black truffle butter) or the  head of roasted garlic that comes with  all steaks.
What else? There are tasting menus from HK$988 to HK$1,700. There's a fair amount of choice for those who don't eat beef but not much for real vegetarians. If you can't afford dinner,  come for lunch, which offers a three-course meal for HK$198 and a la carte specials such as a Reuben sandwich (HK$158) or a Kobe steak burger (HK$148). They also have a Sunday brunch for HK$388, or add HK$150 for free-flowing champagne.



Dakota Prime