Steak ’em up!

When news came out that a Melo’s steak house opened at The Podium, a number of Melo’s regulars trooped to the Ortigas business district for a look-see. The location was ideal, since The Podium was at the heart of Ortigas Center.

"One woman really looked at every sign and was so exasperated when she couldn’t find the Melo’s sign," says Cristina Rivera, owner of Steak Factory. "She stopped outside our door and, when she saw the Melo’s sign under our name, she promptly came in and advised us to make the Melo’s sign bigger so that people won’t get lost."

It’s one anecdote that Cristina never tires telling her guests. True, Steak Factory belongs to the Melo’s Food Group. And yes, her Dad is from the same Melo’s who made steak dinners quite popular way back then.

However, unlike at the older steak house, the steaks at Steak Factory are a lot less cheaper than the Angus beef offered at Melo’s.

"I’ve always wanted to tap the younger market and working people to appreciate our steaks," she explains. "Melo’s was too high-end, it catered only to the Class A market. It was so expensive that it did not capture other markets."

This led her to study the market and talk to their suppliers for cheaper steaks.

"I asked them how low they can push down the prices," she says. "I told them I wanted a good steak that was not masakit sa bulsa. What they came up with was the same quality of steaks at Melo’s, but only choice grade. This isn’t Angus beef, although we have Angus beef on the menu, and you’d know it was the real thing just by the price alone."

She actually tested her theory on reasonably-priced but choice quality steaks at Dish, where the first Steak Factory opened more than a year ago.

"We had a really good turnout there," she says. "That’s why when The Podium invited us to open here but on condition that we serve cheaper steaks, we were ready to test my concept here."

When Cristina talks of steaks that aren’t heavy on the pocket, she’s talking of 5-oz. to 6-oz. steaks priced at P245. The steaks come in a variety of guises that don’t overpower the flavor and quality of the steak.

Those who like their steaks a little bit old- fashioned can order the Fillet of Beef Steak that is served on a sizzling plate with a topping of mushroom gravy. A more fancy serving of steak is the Teriyaki Steak, which is grilled steak glazed with the restaurant’s own teriyaki sauce. A more filling steak is the Steak Bearnaise, a cut of juicy steak topped with Bearnaise sauce, while the Steak Roulade is a slice of steak wrapped with bacon and topped with a potato nest.

Those who want something a little bit more familiar can opt for the Beef Steak Tagalog, which lives up to its name, and comes with a serving of plain rice, or the Salpicao, cubes of steak sautéed in lots of garlic and served with garlic rice.

There’s more. There are two burgers on the menu, a Steak Burger, priced at P180, which comes with an optional topping of barbecue mesquite, bacon and mushroom melt and chili and cheese, and the Philly Cheesesteak, thinly sliced steaks sautéed with mushrooms, onions, peppers and topped with Monterey Jack Cheese.

Then there are two medium-priced steaks. The Blackened Steak is an 8-oz. cut of steak that is seared on the pan so that it’s served black outside and juicy red inside. It costs P350. For those who want something really heavy, there is the Hungry Man’s Steak. At P425, it is a 10-oz. cut and is served on a sizzling plate with mushroom gravy sauce.

And there’s the Melo’s ribeye that is certified Angus beef. It comes in an 8-oz. cut at P760 and in a 12-oz. cut at P1,140.

When Steak Factory opened the week before Lent, she says business was "horrible." With that in mind, Steak Factory also offers a number of seafood and non-steak items for guests who might want a momentary change in diet.

A popular order is the Seared Pepper Tuna, chunky cuts of tuna sashimi seared to seal the juices inside and encrusted with freshly-cracked peppercorns. It is served with wasabi mayonnaise, a creamy piquant dressing for an entrée that packs a spicy wallop.

You might think that in this day and age of fitness and workout gurus, people would be cutting down on their consumption of red meat. Not at Steak Factory. The afternoon we visited, every table was having a steak or two.

Feedback has been encouraging since they opened three months ago. She says a lot of diners commend them for the cozy ambience, while some gave one-liners – "Sarap ng steak" and "Ang lambot for P200." We couldn’t agree more.

Cristina says the best compliment she’s received so far is a diner exclaiming, "Buti na lang may murang steak."

And we’re not surprised if that diner came back for more.

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Steak Factory is at The Podium, street level, ADB Ave., Mandaluyong City, with tel. nos. 633-82-31 and fax 633-86-94, and at Dish at The Power Plant Mall, Makati City, with tel. nos. 728-98-45.