The serious business of steaks

Here’s the meat of the matter: Did you know that really good steaks are aged for 21 days chilled, not frozen? That when you do grill steaks, whether over charcoal or in a pan, they have to be cooked at the right heat, or else you ruin them completely? Did you know that steaks cook quickly, just about two minutes per side, depending on your preference? That’s right. That’s why for many steak lovers, it is best to have their steaks in a restaurant, with a trained chef cooking them, rather than risk spoiling a good slab of beef at home.

At Coca Café at the Herald Suites, located along Pasong Tamo in Makati City, they take their steaks seriously. Good while the cows last are some of the heftiest steaks in the metro, all at ridiculously reasonable prices.

The restaurant boasts steaks that are worth coming back for; and they’re not kidding, folks. The restaurant already has a 320-gram 21-day never-frozen rib eye steak that for many already makes for a full platter. However, its new line of steaks beefs up a focused menu with four more steak cuts, three of which come in 400-gram servings. Man-sized? Definitely.

Coca Café’s steaks are sourced from Primebeef Co., which produces quality steaks only from the best grain-fed Australian cattle fattened in their feedlot in Sta. Maria, Bulacan. Select animals are processed in their AAA abbatoir and aged for 21 days at optimum temperature in their facility in Quezon City. The result is a steak that is extremely flavorful and tender to the bite.

Here are more tasty tidbits to nibble on: A good steak has to be juicy, tender and loaded with flavor. Much of the flavor in a good steak depends on the degree of marbling in the steak. Marbling refers to the little specks of white fat that are mixed in with the muscle tissue to give it the resemblance of marble. A good steak should also have a bright cherry red color, which indicates that these come from properly fed, young, healthy cattle.

And yes, steaks should never be frozen, only chilled. When you thaw a frozen steak, you thaw out all its juices, ridding it of its full beefy flavor.

At Coca Café, the steaks are treated with care. Chef Arnold Gregorio, who mans the kitchen, cooks the steaks according to your preference: medium rare, medium, and medium well. While most Filipinos prefer steaks cooked well-done, the Coca staff tells us that many of their regulars actually choose medium and medium well. Cooking a steak to a crisp is definitely a sin; whatever juices and flavors are in the cut of beef will dry out in the process. The best doneness is still medium rare, although the sight blood red juices might repel some. It is, after all, an acquired taste.

What of the Coca steaks? Three steaks, T-bone, Porterhouse, and rib eye, come in 400-gram portions. The filet mignon is a 200-gram cut of tenderloin with a slab of bacon wrapped around it. All steak orders come with a choice of steamed rice, mashed potatoes or potato wedges and buttered vegetables.

Let me tell you the truth: When the Coca staff laid the warm plate in front of me, I was shocked. What was served was a thick slice of rib eye. It was a nice brown, and after a slice, also a warm red inside. The slab was too thick for medium rare, my preferred doneness. I ought to have had it cooked to a medium instead. But there it was, the steak I mean, and with fork and knife in hand, it was time to dig in.

Each slice was soft and tender. Each bite went down easily. Although there were the usual condiments on the table – gravy and steak sauce – I prefer my steak plain and unadorned. To smother it with gravy or any extra seasoning will deprive me of its sweet meaty flavor. And if it’s a good cut of steak, that’s what you’ll get with each bite.

And the price? All of Coca Café’s steaks go for P590++.

Of course, Coca Café’s menu also has other treats in store for adventurous diners. The menu, crafted by award-winning Lolo Dad’s Café’s chef Ariel Manuel, is an example in brevity and full flavor. If you fancy a salad to go with your beefy indulgence for the day, how about trying the warm salad of mushrooms and arugula in warm balsamic vinaigrette? It is a favorite, and the restaurant often runs out of enough greens to meet orders. It also has a daily lunch menu, the perfect way to try its other delightful pleasures.

* * *

Coca Café is at the ground floor of Herald Suites, 2168 Pasong Tamo, Makati City. For inquiries and reservations, call 759-6270 to 81.