Montauk Is A Cut Above The Rest

As you settle into your large, comfortable chair at Montauk and take in your surroundings – black and gold art deco themed décor, elegant table settings and immaculate waiting staff, it’s really quite bizarre to look out the floor to ceiling windows to Ushuaïa Beach Club. Young partygoers clad in summery clothes walk up and down the passageway between the bay and the entrance to Ushuaïa’s main club space, but in here it’s incredibly peaceful – reserved, almost. Known for its luxurious offerings and bombastic experiences, in a way it is no surprise that the chic steak restaurant Montauk is part of the wildly successful Ushuaïa group. Still, as you sit and watch the hustle and bustle of the Playa d’en Bossa party scene outside, you feel entirely sheltered and removed from it. It’s blissful. And that feeling of sanctuary, of decadence and peacefulness and luxury, can barely even begin to set you up for the mindblowing food.

At first glance, Montauk could be any beautiful restaurant on the island, but look closely and you’ll notice the famous Ushuaïa flourishes, like the dainty string of birds perched across the ceiling near the entrance. Montauk believes in formaility and silver service, and as soon as we were sat down we were greeted not only by our host but our sommelier. We’d barely had the food and wine pairings explained to us by our attentive host before food started coming out, held aloft on giant black trays with a flourish from the staff. First came bread rolls served individually – sounds simple enough, except we were then brought a selection of oils and a small tray of salts, each of which had its own story and would pair perfectly with a different part of the meal (my favourite was definitely the smoked olive oil and the red wine sea salt. In fact smoked olive oil might be my new favourite thing in general). Our knowledgable host explained them all to us in detail and told us what to eat with what, before pouring us a generous helping of dry cava which had been recommended for the fresh seafood starters. It is this attention to detail that really elevates Montauk above any other dining experience – as the guest, you’re made to feel special, important and like the food has been carefully selected solely for your enjoyment.

Our first entrée arrived promptly: delicate chunks of salmon tartare and paprika brushed toast, served daintily in a polished seashell with blobs of wasabi and Sriracha for spice. It was incredibly flavoursome and a perfect little gateway to our starters, getting us really excited about what was to come. The actual starters quickly followed: a perfectly cooked, bouncy scallop with an expertly-cooked chunk of tender pork belly on a bed of mashed corn and peas; a white fish ceviche that was icy cold and topped with a refreshing and surprising sweet potato sorbet – one of the most interesting and original takes I’ve seen on the popular dish; thick, succulent octopus that had been barbecued to smokey perfection with Parmentier potato mash and paprika oil; and the crowning glory, Ibérico ham sliced directly from an impressive pork leg on a trolley in the middle of the restaurant. The chef that prepared it for us obviously had serious skills, turning it into somewhat of a performance, and the ham itself was smokey and so thin it was almost crunchy. There’s a lot of smoked and cured ham on the island, but this was without a doubt amongst the best I’ve had. It was served simply with fresh, light tomato and crunchy bread. When somewhere gets something as simple as bread, tomato and ham so perfect that it’s a standout dish on the menu? That’s when you know you’re somewhere special.

After we’d devoured our starters, we were brought towelettes to freshen up and were told about the main course and the red wine that would accompany it (winner of the Best Wine In The World 2015 in its price bracket. At this point, we would have expected nothing less). The host, waiting staff, sommelier and chefs are delightful and cannot do enough for you – they’re clearly all very passionate and knowledgeable about hospitality and take it very seriously. With all this information being shared I was feeling more knowledgeable about my food than I ever had before, but we had one more decision to make before we could tuck into the main courses. Our host walked over with a gleaming knife rack and we were told that we were to choose what kind of knife we wanted to use for our steaks. After he’d explained a little about each, how it cuts and what kind of steak it was best for, I selected a beautiful pearlescent-handled Spanish knife, while my dining partners selected a slick looking Japanese number and a traditional wooden handled English knife. As we vocally admired the extent of the restaurant’s knowledge and service, our host explained to us that regular customers would select a knife which was then carved with their name, so that they could have the same knife every time they return to Montauk. That’s a really nice touch, and yet more stellar proof that they know how to look after their diners, especially their regulars.

With all this steak talk, I was desperate to try the main course. The host laughed knowingly as he brought it over – my gasps must have been audible. The spectacular côte de boeuf sizzled in a cast-iron skillet and the fillet steak on the bone was the biggest cut of the most perfect looking steak I have ever seen. When you sliced into either of the cuts, your knife melted through the perfectly pink meat like it was warm butter. As a massive foodie, I started to feel a bit overwhelmed – for anyone that’s serious about their meat, Montauk is an absolute must. I genuinely don’t know where else you can get steak like that. Along with the meat we were served a fragrant and garlicky medley of wild mushrooms and asparagus baked lovingly in creamy hollandaise. The sauces finished the meal perfectly – as well as a classic Bernaise sauce which was rich and satisfying, we were given a port and truffle sauce which was, frankly, out of this world. Our host also brought over chimichurri and Sriracha sauces, which was the perfect accompaniment for the rich, buttery food as it cut through the flavours and added another dimension. Try as we might, we simply couldn’t finish the mountain of food we’d been given – and we were pretty distraught about it!

But you know when you’re a kid and you think you can’t eat any more of your dinner, then a grown up mentions dessert and you forget you were ever full? Yeah – we had a serious case of that at Montauk. Our host wheeled round a large trolley stacked with enticing puddings, and we wanted to try everything. After dithering for a long time, our generous host offered to let us sample a little of everything from the trolley – result! What came back was a staggering plate of sweet treats: pistachio macarons, cheesecake with dark fruit coulis, cherry compote and creamy vanilla, chocolate brownie rich with hazelnuts, petit fours, dark chocolate ganache with delicate gold leaf and – the house speciality – an insanely rich sticky toffee pudding with mascarpone cream on top. It was all incredible – creamy, rich and flavoursome, and I’m not ashamed to say that, between three of us, we managed to finish every last bite. We washed it down with a beautiful dessert wine – once again recommended to us by our wise host (by this point, we were hanging on every word he said, and would have taken anything he’d offered us). As we sipped our coffees post-dessert, we reflected on the amazing food, drinks, service and ambience that Montauk offers – we couldn’t stop talking about what a brilliant time we’d had, and none of us were in any doubt that we’d be back just as soon as we could be.

A visit to Montauk is steeped in occasion and regal formality. It feels like a treat and it’s definitely just the place to make any event feel special – a romantic dinner, or a celebration between friends on the last night of your trip. Whatever reason you find to go to Montauk, just make sure that you find one.

Reservations & information:
w: www.montauksteakhouse.com