Morton's Weekend Prime Lunch is a Prime Experience
“No novel ever started with, ‘I was having a salad,’ my friend Chad Merchant once commented. While that may be true, many a good meal has started with a salad, including Morton's Weekend Prime Lunch. In our case that was a Caesar Salad – creamy with just the right crisp to the romaine lettuce. There is no bad choice amongst the five starters offered and as they wouldn’t let me have them all I went with the Lobster Bisque. I love the rich flavours of the sea and the broth’s deep colours. 
In our invitation it stated: “We look forward to serving you.” Restaurant Manager Edwin Seow, CSW, took this very seriously. Edwin and his team welcomed us warmly and made sure we had everything we wanted – and a bit more. I don't know if he could see it in my eyes but Edwin seemed to know that I wanted one more thing and I wasn't sure if I should ask for it or not. That sort of attention is what makes Edwin special. For more than 30 years Morton has served the best USDA prime-aged beef anywhere. Include succulent seafood, fine wines, chilled cocktails, decadent desserts, crisp white linens and exceptional service and you will understand why Morton’s is so popular and why we have enjoyed every visit.
When you sit down to a set meal, such as at Morton's The Steakhouse in Singapore, you have options – you’re not supposed to order the entire menu. Which in any event, just selecting one item is more than most people will be able to manage.
Even before the starters arrive it is a warm small brown pillow that was placed on our table – along with butter to butter the bread and effervescent sparkling water. Edwin asked if we would like wine and we ask for his advice, after all, he is a Certified Specialist of Wine and I am a mere certified drinker of wine.
When Edwin mentioned State & Rush Wine and that it is Morton's new private wine label, available only at Morton’s 60 locations worldwide, that had to be our choice. The exclusive collection showcases three wines sourced from Oak Ridge Winery, the oldest continuously operating winery in Lodi, California. “Oh Lord, let me be stuck in Lodi again…”
We enjoyed the Cabernet Sauvignon, which (their words, not mine) has “Aromas of dark cherries and vanilla. Pleasant spice and dark fruits on the palate with black currant flavors. A nicely balanced wine with a soft lingering finish. Its characteristics will pair perfectly with the savory New York Strip or the ever-popular Prime Ribeye,” which it does and which I enjoyed. Throughout the meal it kept me nicely balanced. Had I indulged in the Chardonnay and the Pinot Noir, also available, I might well have been nicely unbalanced.
The Entrees (a choice of one) are 10oz Slow Roasted Prime Rib, which we both ordered - medium rare to our taste. Why go to a steakhouse and not have steak? However, if your taste buds are grazing elsewhere there is a choice of Miso Marinated Sea Bass, Chicken Christopher, Morton’s Wagyu Smash Burger or 21lbs lobster. If they seem a little excessive – they are. The portions are Herculean in size and taste. And not just the mains but the Accompaniments: Sauteed Spinach and Mushrooms, Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes and Creamed Spinach. I suspect the spinach picker was taking a personal day as the spinach was not available, but the mushrooms were. In belt loosening amounts. 
You would be right if you ascertained that the Cheesecake, the Espresso Pot de Crème, the Key Lime Pie and the Morton’s Legendry Hot Chocolate Cake (served with a big scoop of vanilla) were the dessert choices. Even though it is $10.00 extra for the Hot Chocolate Cake (over the set menu price of $78.00) that would be Farah’s choice every day. She has had it before and I don’t think it is just the way the hot chocolate oozes out of the cake that entices her, but the deep rich chocolate that seduces her taste buds.
It was the Cheesecake that satisfied my sweet tooth until next Tuesday when I may go back and have the Espresso Pot De Crème or the Key Lime Pie – or both.
Morton’s is a family restaurant in the nicest of ways. When we went on a Sunday for Morton’s Weekend Prime Lunch there were couples with their children in highchairs and a generational family took a private room. It is far from a frenetic buffet breakfast at a large hotel. With the soft lighting, the colourful, but not urgent, paintings that bring life to the subdued ambience, the large bottles of wine on display, the open kitchen and the attentive, but not hustling, staff it is a comfortable setting in which to enjoy a very generous and delicious meal.
Morton's The Steakhouse
Mandarin Oriental, Third Floor
5 Raffles Avenue, Singapore 039797
+65 6339 3740
