Steak Frites - George Town, Penang

eddie C.

In Malaysia - where diners expect variety - it’s a bold, almost reckless move to build a menu around a single dish. Yet history shows it can be done to dazzling effect. Take Relais de l’Entrecôte in Paris: no menu, no choices, just steak frites - served night after night to queues that spill onto the street. But if you dare to serve only one thing, you’d better perfect it to the point of obsession - for with no alternatives, there’s simply no margin for error.

Tucked beside the delightfully restored Love Lane Boutique Hotel, this eatery exudes quiet charm from the very first step inside. Arriving for an early dinner, I was warmly welcomed and settled into a snug little booth - the kind that invites lingering conversation. The menu offers tenderloins in 150g and 200g cuts, perfectly portioned for Asian appetites and wonderfully priced.

What followed was a symphony of pacing and flavour: a velvety Chilean Cab Sauv, crisp garden salad, a warm bread roll with butter, golden shoestring frites fresh from the fryer, and at the centre, a tender, juicy medium-rare steak crowned with a luscious French-inspired butter sauce. Each element appeared at just the right moment, unhurried yet seamless. Too bad no dessert is served - a crème brûlée would have been perfect!

Service was nothing short of impeccable - genteel, attentive, and effortlessly gracious. A thoroughly delightful dining experience, and one I would recommend without hesitation.

Boon H. O.

Steak frites pronounced "stayk freet" is a dish that consists of just 3 elements; steak, crispy fries and a sauce. When an establishment names itself after one singular dish, then the expectation is for them to do only this dish, and do it really well. In this regard, I'm happy to report that this place absolutely delivers.

I only had to make 3 decisions upon being seated; a choice of 150g or 200g cut, how I want the steak cooked (level of doneness), and the drink I would like to accompany the steak. I settled for a 200g steak, cooked medium rare and a glass of house red. While the kitchen was preparing my order, I took a moment to appreciate the settings I was in; I'm in a heritage British colonial style shoplot in Penang with strong evidence of Chinese ownership from the decoration, and about to be served a classic French cuisine. What a wonderful time to be alive.

The arrival of my dinner roll and salad snapped me out of my moment of reflection, and I'm looking at a simple, but tasty way to start the meal. The salad was crisp and fresh, and served with a lovely mustard-based dressing. My steak was perfectly cooked; a nice thick cut that's seared nicely on the outside with a thick dollop of compounded butter on top and crispy fries on the side. Cutting into it revealed that it was indeed medium rare as requested, tender and juicy. The meat juices and sauce serves as a wonderful condiment to the fries while the red wine complements the steak wonderfully, and resets the palate for another bite with every sip. This dish is truly minimalistic, unpretentious and fulfilling to my soul.

Service was on point as well with an extremely courteous and attentive staff that addresses me by name throughout the meal. If there's one complaint about the environment, it's the open kitchen where the oily aroma of fries being prepared can be a put off for some. Maybe a more powerful extractor would help? However, I wouldn't let this minor detail detract anyone from having a steak here. If you want a steak that's prepared well, and leave you feeling like you got your money's worth, this is the place to have it. Highly recommended.

久保田安芳

メニューはステーキのみで、肉のサイズは150gか200gを選べます。いずれにしてもこの値段はペナンでは破格です。ペナンのミディアムレアは本当にレアで出てくるので、ミディアムにしましたが、ミディアムレアで良かったかも…
でも満足しました☺️

Eric T.

Set in an old colonial era building on Love Lane, decor is beautifully reminiscent of the bygone eras. Menu is simple, but done extremely well. Steak was cooked perfectly: flavourful, tender and juicy. Service was impeccable and personable too. Highly recommended.

dltmdwnfkdldjs

Only one menu which is steak 🥰
Small salad and small bread are included.
Steak was tender and nice.
They didnt have coke light so had to change to coke and pineapple juice. Other than that it was good. Loved it.

Phan H.

The steak was excellent, very tender and juicy, this is a restaurant specializing in beefsteak, there are only 2 choices of 150g and 200g. I enjoyed a glass of wine, the taste of wine and beefsteak is a perfect combination. If I have the opportunity to visit Penang next time, I will continue to come to this restaurant to enjoy beefsteak and wine.

Dylan F.

The medium rare steak here is absolutely delicious. For the price of rm70++ for 200grams of steak it’s absolutely worth it. The garlic butter was so good that it enhances the flavour of the steak. Do note that this place only has one and only one item of food which is the steak.

Katia

We arrived in Penang today and we were looking for a place to have a steak. We found Steak Frites and we had an incredible experience. We were welcomed by Mr Ezzudin who explained there was only one dish on the menu: steak and fries with 2 options of 150gr and 200gr.
Once we made our choice, we were offered complimentary salad as a starter, bread & butter and water. The food tasted incredible, especially because of the value for money (only MYR89 for the 150gr option).
The restaurant has a lovely atmosphere and the excellent service provided by Mr Ezzudin made it extra special.
Chef Zul cooked the steak to perfection and so far this has been the best steak we had in Malaysia. Definitely highly recommend this lovely restaurant with lovely people!