Best Of Singapore Hawkers & Casual Dining: Beef Steak

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Best Of Singapore Hawkers & Casual Dining: Beef Steak

Beef Steak
Beef Steak



Nothing was sponsored, we visited as regular paying customers. Photos in this post were taken between 2000 and 2022 (across 22 years!), as such, the quality of photos varies drastically due to advances in camera technology. Mobile smartphones were in their infancy and had yet to become widespread.


Also Known As:
Beef Steak, Steak, Sirloin Steak, Striploin Steak, Rib Eye Steak


Average Price Per Serving:
SGD $7 - $28








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Description:
The Beef Steak is a Singaporean English dish that consists of a medium-sized cut of steak, grilled and served with 2 or 3 side dishes. It has its origins in the traditional British English Sunday Roast, given a local interpretation by Chinese Hainanese chefs. Also known as Steak, Sirloin Steak, Striploin Steak, or Rib Eye Steak, the Beef Steak dish is usually priced around SGD $7 to $28 per serving. It's an uncommon dish usually associated with treating oneself, typically eaten during lunch or dinner.

There are several cuts of beef used for the Beef Steak, though each stall usually only offers up to 3 cuts at most, with the average being 1 type of cut. By far the most common for Beef Steak hawker western food is the sirloin cut, followed by the striploin cut, and rib eye cut. The sirloin and striploin cuts tend to be leaner with more chew but are cheaper, while the rib eye is more tender but also costs more. Supposedly grilled to your choice of doneness, most stall manage to cook it to medium or medium well instead. The beef should still be tender and juicy, with bold meaty savoury salty flavour.

Several side dishes accompany a Beef Steak dish. Typically, this consists of 1 vegetable type of side dish, and 1 potato type of side dish, and most stalls offer a choice. The range for a vegetable side dish includes coleslaw, cabbage, lettuce, broccoli, carrots, cherry tomato, corn, or red onions; having fresh crisp juicy tender texture with mild vegetal sweet flavour. The range for a potato side dish includes baked potato with sour cream and spring onions, mashed potato, French fries or English chips, potato wedges, or sweet potato fries; having soft tender texture with bold starchy sweet salty flavour. Other side dishes may include tender baked beans in tomato sauce with vegetal earthy sweet flavour, crisp buttered toasted white bread with bready sweet smoky flavour, crisp battered onion rings with bready vegetal salty sweet flavour, or gooey macaroni pasta tubes and melted cheddar cheese with robust cheesy salty sweet flavour.

As a Beef Steak dish is usually just a combination of various ingredients, some stalls offer fairly flexible customisation of side dish pairings, with a good range to choose from. Other stalls offer more premium cuts of beef, including grain-fed, aged, or even wagyu steaks. Some places serve Beef Steak on a sizzling hot plate, over a bed of caramelised white onions to prevent the meat sticking to the plate. There's usually a choice of gravy to accompany a Beef Steak, either mushroom, black pepper, or brown gravy.


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1. Apollo Western Food
@ Hougang Hainanese Village Centre, 105 Hougang Avenue 1 #02-32
Opening Hours: Wed - Sun 12pm – 9pm, Closed Mon - Tue

Taken in 2012


Taken in 2022


Taken in 2022


Taken in 2022


Beef Steak (SGD $9.50 / $14.50) @ Apollo Western Food.

Now helmed by the 2nd-generation owners (with help from the 3rd), this distinctly old-school stall has been serving delicious meals for over 35 years.

Their beef steaks are available in 2 cuts - the more affordable sirloin with a firm chew, or the premium NZ angus ribeye which is more tender. Perfectly grilled, I like that their medium-rare doneness is spot on.

Both served with the tasty brown gravy, combining for bold meaty savoury salty flavour. There's an option for black pepper sauce for an additional SGD $0.50 as well, which some prefer.

The old-school warm bun is crisp outside, fluffy inside, and paired with creamy butter, has a pleasant smoky bready buttery sweet flavour. The medium-cut English crinkle chips are nicely starchy salty in taste, with a crisp fluffy texture.

Completed with fresh juicy cucumbers and tomatoes with bright vegetal sweet flavour, and soft baked beans in a tomato sauce with earthy vegetal sweet savoury notes.





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2. Astons Specialities
@ 359 Joo Chiat Road
Opening Hours: Daily 11:30am – 10pm

@ The Cathay, 2 Handy Road #04-04
Opening Hours: Daily 11:30am – 10pm

@ SingPost Centre, 10 Eunos Road 8 #01-115
Opening Hours: Daily 11:30am – 10pm

Multiple Other Branches Across Singapore

Taken in 2022


Taken in 2022


Beef Steak (SGD $18.90) @ Astons Specialities.

Since October 2005 when it was established by Aston Soon, this homegrown casual steakhouse has gained renown for their homely, hearty Western fare at wallet-friendly prices.

Their self-acclaimed 'legendary' beef ribeye steaks are certainly of good quality, charbroiled to your preferred doneness, consistently. Satisfying with a tender juicy succulent texture, and bold meaty savoury salty flavour.

The side of sauteed garden veggies (broccoli, carrot) tend towards soft, with mild vegetal earthy sweet notes. The ugly baked potato has a nice starchy sweet flavour, enhanced by the buttery salty notes of the salted butter.

Served with your choice of mushroom gravy or black pepper sauce. Yum.





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3. iSteaks Diner
@ myVillage, 1 Maju Avenue #02-03
Opening Hours: Daily 11am – 11pm

@ The Star Vista, 1 Vista Exchange Green #01-42
Opening Hours: Daily 11am – 10pm

@ Tampines 1, 10 Tampines Central 1 #04-05
Opening Hours: Daily 11am – 10pm

Multiple Other Branches Across Singapore

Taken in 2015


Taken in 2022


Taken in 2022


Taken in 2022


Taken in 2022


Beef Steak (SGD $22) @ iSteaks Diner.

From its humble beginnings in February 2008 as a coffeeshop stall, this casual dining brand has grown to rival other steakhouses with its range of quality cuts at reasonable prices.

Their NZ beef ribeye is done to your preference, in this case, a beautiful medium-rare. It's juicy with a succulent chew thanks to silvers of beef fat, and meaty savoury salty flavour in the tender lean meat.

The apple nut salad has fresh crisp lettuce and crunchy red apple slices, dressed with shaved almonds and a lemon vinaigrette. Has bright fruity vegetal sweet zesty tangy sour nutty flavour.

The ugly baked potato is soft with starchy sweet notes, complemented by the dollop of rich sour cream which lends a milky sour flavour.

As steaks are the star here, the menu also features more premium cuts of beef, including grain-fed and aged varieties.





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4. Jack's Place
@ 730 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6 #01-4274
Opening Hours: Daily 11am – 10:30pm

@ Woodlands Civic Centre, 900 South Woodlands Drive #02-06
Opening Hours: Daily 11am – 10:30pm

@ Anchorpoint Shopping Centre, 370 Alexandra Road #01-09
Opening Hours: Daily 11am – 10:30pm

Multiple Other Branches Across Singapore

Taken in 2022


Taken in 2022


Taken in 2022


Beef Steak (SGD $14 / $25) @ Jack's Place.

Founded in 1966 by Jack Hunt and subsequently expanded by Say Lip Hai from 1974 onwards, this old-time casual steakhouse was once ridiculed for selling 'up-market' Western fare in heartland HDB locations.

Seniors may well recall those times in the early 1980s, when a set meal here - consisting of a soup, sirloin steak, salad, baked potato, fruit cocktail, and coffee/tea, cost just SGD $5.20..... at a time when a typical meal was less than SGD $2.

These days, their steaks remain as good as before, grilled to your requested doneness, served sizzling on a hot plate. The beef ribeye is juicy and tender, with a satisfying light chew, and robust meaty savoury salty flavour.

The accompanying boiled vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, carrot) have bright vegetal sweet flavour, while the soft baked potato with starchy sweet notes has old-school toppings served tableside - rich sour cream, crisp spring onions, chewy bacon bits. Filling.

They also specialise in the tenderloin cut, with 1 option being an eye-catching tableside flambe.





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5. JWS Grille Factory
@ 265 Bukit Batok East Avenue 4 #01-405
Opening Hours: Daily 10:30am – 10pm

@ 46 Holland Drive #01-359
Opening Hours: Daily 11am – 10pm

@ 524 Hougang Avenue 6 #01-125
Opening Hours: Daily 10:30am – 10pm

Multiple Other Branches Across Singapore

Taken in 2019


Taken in 2022


Taken in 2022


Taken in 2022


Taken in 2022


Taken in 2022


Taken in 2022


Beef Steak (SGD $15.90) @ JWS Grille Factory.

Among the more recent brands to vie for 'quality hawker western food at affordable prices', they're known for serving large and hearty portions.

The beef ribeye steak is sourced from Silver Fern Farms in New Zealand. Carrying decent marbling, this was done to medium, served on a sizzling hot plate.

Has a succulent juicy tender chew and meaty savoury salty flavour. The bed of caramelised white onions prevent the beef from sticking, and lend a light vegetal sweet note.

Choice of 2 sides. Had the mashed potatoes which was smooth with starchy savoury salty flavour. The boiled broccoli and corn was juicy tender with vegetal sweet flavour, but I felt the dressing could be toned down.





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6. No.1 Western Food
@ Tanglin Halt Food Centre, 1A Commonwealth Drive #01-13
Opening Hours: Thu - Tue 11am – 4pm, Closed Wed

Taken in 2022


Taken in 2022


Taken in 2022


Beef Steak (SGD $7) @ No.1 Western Food.

This old-school stall has been quietly serving lip-smacking Hainanese Western fare for over 50 years, though the stall itself was only setup in 1981 when the 'hawker centre' concept was implemented. Prior to this, founder Ong Choon Chiang used to peddle out of a pushcart.

I have faint recollections of visiting as a kid; my grandparents saw western food as a sort of reward for good behaviour, though in hindsight, they probably enjoyed it just as much, being English educated.

The cut of beef is medium sized but thin, though it's well seasoned with black pepper. Grills almost instantly to a medium well, but is juicy and tender with silvers of fat, having a bold meaty savoury peppery spice flavour.

The sliced cucumbers and tomatoes are fresh and juicy vegetal sweet, while the soft baked beans with sweet savoury notes are kept warm by their beef blanket. The English crinkle cut chips are fluffy and crisp with a nice savoury salty flavour.

But the star is their thick, luscious, tomato-based barbecue gravy, rich with piquant sweet savoury flavour. A 50-year old family recipe that remains a secret to this day, it's deliciously addictive, creating repeat diners of most everyone. Can't get enough of it.





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7. Seletar Western Food
@ 2 Jalan Selaseh #01-04
Opening Hours: Daily 3:30pm – 8:30pm

Taken in 2022


Taken in 2022


Taken in 2022


Beef Steak (SGD $9.50) @ Seletar Western Food.

An unpretentious, old-school tuckshop-style western food that's great if you manage to avoid the peak period queues averaging 1 hour (I waited 70 minutes on a random weekday night).

While flat, they've somehow managed to get a medium rare doneness on their beef, with the steak being slightly charred around the edges. Has bold meaty salty savoury flavour from full seasoning.

The fresh lettuce with mild vegetal sweet flavour is welcome, as is the crisp chips with punchy salty starchy notes that make you crave more.

The star however, as many will attest, is actually the deep-fried bun. Decadently dunked in hot oil, crisp and fluffy with warm bready sweet savoury aroma, shiok.





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8. Western Barbeque
@ Old Airport Road Food Centre, 51 Old Airport Road #01-53
Opening Hours: Daily 11am – 11pm

Taken in 2011


Taken in 2022


Taken in 2022


Taken in 2022


Beef Steak (SGD $11) @ Western Barbeque.

Since 1974, this stall has been renowned for their hearty Western fare, served with a house secret garlic sauce that is equal parts sweet savoury spicy in taste, with a piquant note. Makes everything addictive.

The beef sirloin was done till medium, with a tender moist chew to texture, and natural meaty savoury salty flavour, picking up the gravy well.

I like that the crunchy chilled coleslaw is light on mayonnaise, so you get the bright natural vegetal sweet flavour of the vegetables (cabbage, carrot). The thick English crinkle chips are fluffy with starchy salty flavour.

The old-school cream bun is pillow soft, rather like a cake, with a thin layer of cream within. Has bready milky sweet flavour; works as a dessert.





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9. Yummy Western
@ 409 AMK Market And Food Centre, 409 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 #01-29
Opening Hours: Tue - Sun 12pm – 10pm, Closed Mon

Taken in 2017


Taken in 2022


Taken in 2022


Taken in 2022


Beef Steak (SGD $11) @ Yummy Western.

A buzz of activity, dishes fly out from the kitchen on double quick time, yet, waiting time can still stretch up to 30 minutes, a testament to their popularity.

Old-school Hainanese Western fare served in hearty large portions, and a consistently reliable tasty standard.

Their beef sirloin is large but flat, grilling quickly to a medium well doneness. Has a juicy succulent texture with a good chew, and bold meaty savoury salty flavour.

The mayonnaise lies heavy on the fresh coleslaw, crunching with bright vegetal sweet flavour. The crisp buttered toasted white bread is average, as was the soft baked beans. But I like the salty starchy flavour of the crisp chips.





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- Escoffier's Western Food – Permanently Closed
@ 151 Serangoon North Avenue 2

Taken in 2011






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- Wow Wow West – Quality Different From Before
@ ABC Brickworks Food Centre, 6 Jalan Bukit Merah #01-133

Taken in 2022


Taken in 2022


Taken in 2022






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