Meat lovers living in the Shah Alam area, now you have a place to go to get ‘proper’ cuts of steak and meat without relying on the ironically unreliable availability of such cuts in the supermarkets, or without venturing too far to KL to visit places like Las Vacas or Meatworks.

Ayers Rock Butchery and Grill is situated quite deep in the heart of Bukit Jelutong, where I reside. As a meat lover, my interest was piqued when it opened. It is a small unit, occupying one shop-lot. At first glance it seems rather out of place, but this could be because it’s in the middle of a housing area, and its neighbors are a mamak shop, a laundry and a 7-11. As the name suggests, it sells meat for customers to take home, and also grills it for you there, should you choose to buy and eat-in, which was what I did.

The first thing that caught my eye when I walked in was the meat cases. I have to say you don’t get a lot of choice, but it was a small joy to see whole sides of rib eye, striploin and a few full-length tenderloins lying in the chillers. There was also a side of Wagyu sirloin, which made me smile even more. The restaurant itself is clean and simple, with heavy use of red and wooden furniture. The décor evokes an Outback cowboy life, with hats and replica guns hanging on the wall. It was quite busy the night I came. Rather cutely, each table is adorned with a salt and peppershaker in the shape of hugging friends, and a bottle each of tomato sauce, chili sauce, mint sauce, Tabasco sauce and HP sauce.

I sat myself down and was handed a menu by a gentleman in casual attire. This is probably the simplest, most straightforward menu I’ve ever seen. No fancy descriptions, and just about two half-pages long. It simply lists the types of steak (rib-eye, striploin, tenderloin, t-bone, ‘aussie’ which is rump; and there are different varieties such as grain-fed and even Wagyu), lamb items, a few seafood items and some burgers. All of them came with a side of salad and fries or potato salad. Best of all, the steaks were VERY affordable compared to the bigger steakhouses. As a point of reference, Ayers Rock rib eye is a relative bargain at RM35 compared to RM50 at a place like TGIF.

"Medium-rare perfection and meltingly tender"

I ordered a tenderloin steak, which, amazingly, also cost just RM35. That was seriously cheap for tenderloin, and it made me sort of worry: at this price, what quality is the meat? I ordered it medium-rare, as I think cooking meat to that doneness is easier said than done, and a grill should be fairly judged on their ability to cook it to the required doneness. I’ve been let down many times before by a number of much more expensive restaurants serving ‘perfectly grilled steaks to your liking.’

A short time later, my food arrived. It looked delicious. The meat has a nice char, and it is arranged neatly on a clean plate, with their ‘special sauce’ (which is a pepper sauce) spooned on one side. It came with a colorful side salad of carrots, lettuce, red cabbage and vinaigrette, and a potato and red onion salad with mayo dressing. So it looked great; I cut into the steak to see if they scored on the cooking side, and all my earlier worries were dispelled.

My steak is medium-rare perfection and meltingly tender. Each morsel I cut and put in my mouth is beefy and juicy. I alternated between the salad and the potatoes, and each flavor compliments the meat beautifully. The crunch of the fresh vegetables and the tangy dressing cuts through the creaminess of the potatoes and the richness of the beef.

I emptied my plate with absurd rapidity. It was a satisfying meal, and most importantly, affordable. From my one meal, I think this place is on to something. Shah Alam-ians, take note. Ayers Rock might have a small and limited menu, but if my steak says anything, its saying Ayers Rock is really good at what they’re doing.



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Foodster's Verdict

Ayers Rock Butchery and Grill

                   

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