French-Japanese steakhouse BIFTECK (the French nickname for “steak”) has launched a new dinner tasting menu that aims to offer the best of the restaurant in one sitting.
Open since late 2021, BIFTECK is helmed by Chef Ken Kwok, an industry veteran whose career has included stints at VEA, Beefbar and Wagyu Takumi, so diners are in good hands. Chef Kwok endeavours to “bring something unique and surprising” to BIFTECK’s menu, and it certainly comes across in the new four-course dinner offering dubbed Soirée Gastronomique au BIFTECK (or Gastronomic Evening at BIFTECK), featuring premium cuts of beef and seafood from across the globe and bringing together East-West styles and flavours for a distinctive meal where beef takes centre stage.
Dinner at BIFTECK kicks off with a spread of focaccia, brioche and deep-fried seaweed. The miso butter is delightfully umami and deserves special mention.
A5 Japanese Wagyu x seafood antipasto
The first course is an A5 Japanese Wagyu x seafood antipasto. The press release really isn’t exaggerating when it describes the menu as a “beef indulgence”. There are no sad salads here (you can save those for your recovery detox the day after); this antipasto dives right into a full-on quartet of beef and seafood bites that are inventively paired and impressively prepared.
Wagyu tataki with oyster is a creamy, complementary combination; sirloin carpaccio hides Hokkaido scallop within its folds, but unfortunately, the beef just about overpowers the scallop’s mild brininess; spot shrimp and onion are rolled in slow-cooked rump and topped with shiso flowers for a subtly layered amalgamation of textures and tastes. To finish, there’s a a two-bite tenderloin tempura that remains tender and juicy within its crisp seaweed shell, served with a sweet-and-sour tonkatsu sauce.
Dry-aged 20 days Australian Wagyu beef tongue three ways
Need more meat? You can add on an appetiser of dry-aged 20 days Australian Wagyu beef tongue three ways (+HK$188/person), which showcases more of Chef Kwok’s culinary creativity. Diced, miso-seasoned and drizzled with black garlic sauce atop a homemade bun, the first iteration is unexpectedly sweet and tender – my favourite of the trio. The beef tongue is also served in a more typical pan-fried format topped with slivers of jalapeño for the slightest hint of heat and as a skewer with a spicy carrot purée, which I found a bit too chewy.
Boston lobster barley risotto
The second course is Boston lobster barley risotto. It comes topped with your choice of either Kyoto Princess Wagyu carpaccio (and Wagyu powder!) or blue mussels; both options are delicious. Underneath is a hearty broth showcasing barley, onion and lobster slices – more filling than the dainty serving bowl might initially suggest. Barley is an interesting choice that’s perhaps fitting for BIFTECK’s East-West style, but risotto purists may beg to differ.
There are three options for the main course: USDA Brandt Beef Prime Teres Major, Australian 2GR full-blood Wagyu and grilled French Challans duck. We tried the latter two.
Australian 2GR full-blood Wagyu
Pink and marbled evenly with a lightly seared exterior, the Australian 2GR full-blood Wagyu is classic, melt-in-the-mouth Wagyu, paired with a red onion compote that offsets the rich flavour of the beef.
Grilled French Challans duck
If you’re all beefed out by this point, the grilled French Challans duck is a worthy alternative. It’s lean but tender, served with a cherry sauce that provides a fruity antidote to all that meatiness.
Strawberry Garden
The final dessert course is called Strawberry Garden and is composed of strawberry shiso sorbet topped with a green apple and pistachio mascarpone cream cone, fresh strawberries, yuzu pearl drops and yuzu sparkling wine. Refreshing, with just the right mix of sugar and acidity, it’s the perfect palate-cleansing treat to close out this lavish meal.
Verdict
BIFTECK’s new dinner tasting menu is undeniably good value given the premium ingredients and culinary finesse utilised, especially when compared to the restaurant’s regular à-la-carte prices. And we’re probably not the only ones who feel this way, judging by the number of diners present when we visited BIFTECK on an overcast Sunday night. While I personally found the meal to be a bit too heavy, I’m sure there will be plenty of others for whom this is not an issue; my dining companion (who, more wisely, visited the gym before our dinner) happily polished off what I couldn’t finish. All in all, this menu is well executed, well priced and well worth checking out if you’re a meat lover.
The four-course Soirée Gastronomique au BIFTECK dinner tasting menu (HK$598/person) is served from Sunday–Thursday (including public holidays). Wine and sake pairing options are also available ($288/3 glasses; $380/4 glasses).
23/F, QRE Plaza, 202 Queen’s Road East, Wanchai, 2246 8805, book online
This write-up is based on a complimentary media tasting provided in exchange for an honest review and no monetary compensation. The opinions expressed here represent the author’s.
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