Beefin' it up at Astons Steak & Salad

June was a fun month for me. It began with a bang where in I celebrated my birthday for the first time here in the Lion City. This was followed by a quick visit by my friend Leslie and finally the week that I've long been waiting for has arrived. My family came over to visit too!

I tell you, it was the happiest week of my life! I didn't mind that I get to go home later than usual and Paul and I would normally end up sleeping past midnight. We'd also be really exhausted from all that walking and commuting too. I also didn't mind that we had to do all those touristy stuff and get all sweaty and sticky due to the Singapore heat. In other words, I was just too happy to mind.

I couldn't be home for Father's Day but I made it a point to celebrate this with my dear Papa a few days in advance. It was a no-brainer on where to take my dad out for dinner. He loves steak so I began researching on where are the good yet affordable steak places in town. 

Then came Astons. 

We have been hearing about Astons from our equally food-loving friends. This is the kind of steak that you can indulge on a weekly basis. Thus, to satisfy our curiosity, Paul and I tried Astons Specialties for my birthday. I got the Prime Sirloin (S$14.90) while he went for the Beefy Jack Burger (S$6.90) which I found to be sooooo tiny (even Burger Machine had a bigger-sized burger)! The serving just right and it came with your choice of sidings. I tried the Mac & Cheese as well as the Coleslaw. The sidings were yummy! I missed Mac & Cheese so much that I happily ate this down to the last layer of cheese. The coleslaw was a-okay but I still miss the ones that we have back in Manila. 

As for the steak, I got to admit that I found the Prime Sirloin too chewy and a bit too sinewy too. Flavour-wise, it was grilled based on how I wanted it done and it had a yummy peppery taste too. I guess, I was just looking for a fork tender piece of steak that evening. 

However, we're willing to give Astons another try and that I was also praying that it would be way better this time. We're taking with us our 3 VIPs and there is certainly no room for any more disappointing dishes. To ensure that we can at least get the best quality, we went to the one and only Astons Steak & Salad in Centrepoint Mall along Orchard Road.

What sets this apart from the other branches is that it doesn't only have salad bar but it has a side dish and dessert bar too! The main dishes are slightly more expensive here but the unlimited trips to the salad, side dishes and dessert bar is inclusive already. You also get refillable drinks such as soda, water or coffee too. Papa was only a bit disappointed that beer wasn't part of the choices. Haha! 

Here's Papa's Ribeye Steak (S$31.90) which came with his choice of sidings -- between fries or baked potato, he obviously went for the latter. You can also choose your sauce but our friendly server suggested he get the pepper sauce and should he want to try the mushroom gravy, this is available in the buffet. 

I wasn't in the mood for steak so I went for the Pork Chops (S$25.90). What I didn't expect was for this to be such a big serving! One order comes with two chops so I happily shared this with Paul. This time, I was pleased with the pork chops. It was very tender and juicy. I gave the pepper sauce to Paul and got myself some mushroom gravy. However, even without the sauce, I find it yummy already. I just didn't liked the Baked Potato which I found to be a tad too dry. 

Paul tried the Savoury Fried Chicken (S$21.90) which was also good but a bit too overly breaded for me. I had to remove the deep-fried covering and happily ate my chicken fillet "naked". Yum!

Okay, let's talk about the salad/sidings/dessert bar. The salad bar was quite simple. I just got a bowl of fresh greens, croutons and cheese. The choices were simple and it somehow reminded me of the famous Salad Bar that Wendy's would have in Manila..well minus the delicious Macaroni Salad. I enjoyed the sidings section more as I literally went gaga over the sauteed mushrooms. It was so delicious that I think I went back 3 or 4 times for it. There were also a lot of deep-fried finger food such as hashbrown, onion rings, potato wedges, fries and more. Soup lovers will also enjoy trying the different varieties available. This alone makes the $30++ price tag worth it. 

Do save a bit of space for dessert. I sadly didn't have any space left but Paul was a smarter buffet eater and he happily enjoyed the ice cream which he said was really yummy. If you're into soft-serve ice cream then you'll love this as well. 

Don't you think Papa's right? Beer is the only one missing in this line-up and it would have been one perfect steak dinner. Well, you can always order a la carte. Personally, I'm only going back to Astons Steak & Salad and would probably skip all the other branches. This is indeed a good place to have some steak without causing a major dent on your dinner budget.

Visit Astons Steak & Salad at the 3rd level of the Centrepoint, Orchard Road, Singapore. Call them at 6235-0556. They're open from 11:30AM to 10PM daily.