Stoker Woodfired Grill & Bar

Stoker Woodfired Grill & Bar
44 Mac Thi Buoi
District 1
Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnam

http://stokerwoodfiredgrill.com/

Charcoal Grilling Meat

Best American Style, Aged Steaks In Ho Chi Minh City

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 9
Ambience & Setting: 9
Food & Beverage: 9
Service: 9
Value for Money: 9
Spent about VND ₫1,300,000 / SGD $83 per person.

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Among the newest entries to the fine dining scene in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, having opened in September 2015, Stoker Woodfired Grill & Bar is a bespoke, classical fine dining experience. Boasting charcoal wood fired grills, excellent aged meats, a refined, old-world, turn of the century charm, and a theatrical backstory in the character of Francis Oldric C. Stoker, it's little wonder that Stoker Woodfired Grill & Bar draws in the upper society of Ho Chi Minh City, and the elites of Vietnam.

Ambience at Stoker Woodfired Grill & Bar resembles an American / British gentlemen's hunting club. Dark wooden panelling, large sturdy furniture, low ambient lighting, dapper suits, and specially designed antler lamps lend a refined, elegant atmosphere. A long, open bar, fully stocked with all manner of liqueur, greets diners at the entrance. An open kitchen allows you to view the chefs at work, headed up by Executive Chef Julien Thabault, formerly from the reowned Quo Vadis in London, where flames leap high from the wood fired charcoal grill. You can even examine their in-house meat aging cabinet!

Service at Stoker Woodfired Grill & Bar lives up to its fine dining status. Staff are polite and friendly, able to converse in English, Vietnamese, and / or Mandarin Chinese, and offer greetings to diners at the entrance. Guests are quickly seated, and staff display good product knowledge, being able to describe items on the menu, the difference in cuts of meat, as well as cooking methods. Dishes are prepared to order, which means a short waiting time of about 15 minutes or so, though appetizers usually arrive faster. The bartenders are also experienced, and will whip up something to your liking upon request. You can even request for staff to bring you the uncooked meat for your inspection!

Food at Stoker Woodfired Grill & Bar is all about grilled meats, in particular, beef steaks. They offer a good variety of cuts, from beef sourced from the United States Of America, Australia, or New Zealand, aged in-house under a controlled environment for between 21 - 30 days. They also have very good non-beef items too, think corn-fed chicken, wild salmon, seabass fish, pork belly, fresh oysters, and foie gras. Portions are American sized, medium-large to large, and very filling. Note that main courses are served without side dishes, these have to be ordered separately, so dining in groups of 3 - 4 people is highly recommended, as is the necessary advance reservations because Stoker Woodfired Grill & Bar is nearly always fully booked. Prices are reasonable for a fine dining establishment, budget VND ₫1,300,000 / SGD $83 per person for a meal with drinks here.

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Part of the appeal here is the open kitchen, where you can view the steaks in their chilled aging cabinet, watch the chefs grill your order over flaming hot charcoal, or take in the sight of a well stocked liqueur cabinet that spans the entire bar!

Stoker Woodfired Grill & Bar Signage

Stoker Woodfired Grill & Bar Seating

Lamp Of Horns

Dapper Lamp

Bar

Liqueur Collection

Aged Meat

Aged Meat

Charcoal Grilling Meat

Charcoal Grilling Meat

The house signature Baron Von Birkensee Cocktail (VND ₫360,000 / SGD $22.80, Happy Hour 50% Off) is a fruity, sweet blend of Monkey 47 dry gin, Creme De Cassis blackcurrent liqueur, raspberries, tonic water, and topped with roselle flowers. The vibrant red colour and refreshing taste is appealing.

Baron Von Birkensee Cocktail (VND ₫360,000 / SGD $22.80, Happy Hour 50% Off)

The Altos Del Plata Malbec 2014 Red Wine (VND ₫890,000 / SGD $56.20, Happy Hour 50% Off) has a deep purple red colour, with aromas of stone fruits (plums, blackberries) and a hint of vanilla, with a fresh, medium-light, rounded body. Taste is fruity sweet, with notes of raspberry, blackberry, and oak, with ripe medium tannins, little bitterness, and a sharp finish. Produced by Terrazas De Los Andes winery, in Argentina, using a blend of shiraz / syrah grapes and malbec grapes. Pleasant red wine, I enjoyed this!

Altos Del Plata Malbec 2014 Red Wine (VND ₫890,000 / SGD $56.20, Happy Hour 50% Off)

The classic Negroni Cocktail (VND ₫360,000 / SGD $22.80, Happy Hour 50% Off), with a blend of gin, vermouth rosso, Campari liqueur, and garnished with orange peel. Taste is bitter sweet, with notes of spice, and a strong body.

Negroni Cocktail (VND ₫360,000 / SGD $22.80, Happy Hour 50% Off)

Negroni Cocktail

They even have Hibiki 17 Year Old Whisky (VND ₫620,000 / SGD $39.20, Happy Hour 50% Off)! Got myself a glass, on the rocks, and was glad to see it served with an ice ball.

Hibiki 17 Year Old Whisky (VND ₫620,000 / SGD $39.20, Happy Hour 50% Off)

Hibiki 17 Year Old Whisky

The crisp outside, soft inside Sourdough Bread & Aioli (VND ₫40,000 / SGD $2.60) is baked in-house, and is complimentary. Actually wanted to eat more of it, because it's tasty and well executed!

Sourdough Bread & Aioli (VND ₫40,000 / SGD $2.60)

A lot of items are freshly made in-house here, including the Mayonnaise, and the Chimichurri.

Home Made Mayonnaise

Home Made Chimichurri

Piping hot, the Thick Cut Chips (VND ₫60,000 / SGD $3.80) are decent, with a fluffy interior, though the exterior isn't as crisp as I would have liked. A light sprinkling of salt and some herbs lends flavour and fragrance. A decent side dish.

Thick Cut Chips (VND ₫60,000 / SGD $3.80)

Felt the Creamed Spinach (VND ₫65,000 / SGD $4.10) was well executed, as the texture of the spinach is soft, without being limp or mushy. The cream sauce is rich, but slightly too salty for my liking. It's still a decent side dish. Worth ordering!

Creamed Spinach (VND ₫65,000 / SGD $4.10)

Possibly the weakest item we had here, the Mac & Cheese With Pancetta (VND ₫90,000 / SGD $5.70) is odd because the made in-house macaroni is much too long in shape, and too chewy in texture. But the cheese and pancetta make this tasty, and passable as a side dish. For a fine dining restaurant however, I expect more. Personally, I think it's not worth ordering.

Mac & Cheese With Pancetta (VND ₫90,000 / SGD $5.70)

The star of the evening, the Beef Steak, 100 Days Grain Fed Australian Angus, 200g Butcher's Cut, Dry Aged 25 Days, With Peppercorn Sauce (VND ₫440,000 / SGD $27.80) features a tender slab of beef, with an excellent medium rare doneness. Loved the meaty flavour of the beef, whose taste has a hint of grain. A straight forward, well executed beef steak, lean and moist in texture, yielding easily when sliced, just really good. Highly recommended!