Hidden in the narrow basement of The InterContinental in Tsim Sha Tsui, you’re invited into the steak haven after passing through an unassuming sliding door. In the dimly lit restaurant, guests are seated in a single dining room with an option of either a centre or booth seat. It is best to opt for a seat by the window where you can enjoy your meal against the scenic backdrop of Hong Kong’s skyline to make the most of the restaurant’s ideal location by the harbour. Dining at The Steak House includes lots of choices, from a choice of mustard to sea salts. While these may seem gimmicky, we did enjoy the selection of steak knives. One could choose knives made from every corner of the earth – opt for a clean German Porsche knife or the American steak knife, both of which cut the meat well.

As noted before, some diners may find the selections of mustard and sea salts gimmicky, but we excuse The Steak House for this as the food lives up to the hype and reflects the restaurant’s notable efforts in paying attention to every last detail to ensure a wonderful dining experience. We begin the meal by ordering the antipasti buffet, “one of the best in town”, according to our waiter. The thoughtful selection of non-conventional buffet cheeses is impressive; in addition to the typical brie and your regular blue, we loved the Tête de Moine on offer. Also, the salad bar is worth a mention as again, dressings included ones like yoghurt, chive and olives, in addition to the standard Caesar. A hot appetiser we tried was the lobster bisque, with high expectations. It was the most disappointing starter of the lot, as it was tepid in both temperature and flavour. Our meaty mains that followed did perk us up, however. Both the 12oz US ribeye steak and the 14oz striploin were quality pieces of meat, charcoal-grilled to exacting standards and with juices and flavours remaining intact. Pair this with the truffle mash for the ultimate indulgent main course. To end your meal at The Steak House, make a lot of room for dessert. We were taken aback by the size of the lemon cheesecake that our waitress suggested was okay to share between two, only to find a full 12-inch double-decker cake placed in front of us. Despite this the intimidating portion size, the lemon cheesecake was absolutely delicious, perfect with its creamy but light texture, and made with the ideal amount of lemon to give it just the right kick.

Dressed in a red apron, the sommelier is knowlegable and patient in explaining how to match our wines with our orders. On the wine list, there are Wine Spectator scores and a serious list of wines to be reckoned with. We took the advice of the sommelier and were very pleased with the German Trimbach Gewurztraminer and the Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay recommended.

Overall, the service at The Steak House is impressive, particularly the staff’s ability to remember the flavours and origins of over ten salts and 12 mustards. But there were a few flaws: it took 15 minutes for a waiter to take our order, and the wait staff also changed the tablecloth of our neighbouring tables, while having a fully audible conversation within our earshot.

A three-course dinner for two with wine and sides will come to about HK$1,400 per person. Considering the hotel location and the sweeping views of the Hong Kong harbour, we find this reasonable. A note should be given about the cheesecake; at HK$280 for a large delicious cake, this could potentially the best bargain for a great cake in Hong Kong.