Lamb Chops @ Season Cafe

Every now and then, unsuspecting, I try something new and depending on my taste, I will be critical. So when it comes to commercial grade restaurant food, the first thing that comes to mind is how good is the taste, and the value behind it.

Commercial food is not quality food but then it can be so when Season Cafe offered its US$5.00 lunches, well, you have to admit that it sounded spectacular. Season's Cafe operates more like an American Diner than a cafe so one should be careful about the distinction. In Malaysia and Singapore, the Cafe culture is more savvy so this  term is used more often.

First, I hate to point out to them that they are guilty of false advertising. Lamb shoulders should not be passed off as Lamb Chops even though they appear to be meaty. Lamb chops happen to be prime cuts of meat while Lamb shoulders is not.

My next beef is with the short order cook. I know that these people often do not take their jobs seriously because they are not chefs, but a short order cook should know when meat is cook without having to dry them out.

So here is my story of the Lamb Chops, or shoulders to be exact. Cooked, it is tough and rubbery, when done medium rare, it should have some juicy bits left and is a lot more tender. Then you have the problem of having it pan fried as opposed to grilled. Lamb Chops are traditionally grilled to order in a short order kitchen.

My order of 'Lamb Chops' come out as overdone. Tough as goat hide, and cooked too long on a pan, it wasn't juicy or for that matter had the distinction that it was prepared with any dignity. An animal had died for this and its remains were prepared in a undignified way to resemble food. I had great pity for the poor animal at this point.

To be fair, I did like the plating, wedge cut fries, carrots and a side of vegetables, it looked neat. The Black Pepper sauce was pleasant, and was given generously for you to pour over your lamb. Now for me, this would have desecrated the taste of the meat. You only add copious amounts of sauce only when the meat taste like a long dead carcass. In this case, the 'contraband chops' was pretty close to this hence the sauce I suppose.

So what went wrong with the dish?

Grilling is the preferred way to cook lamb and if need be, fashion a sauce that goes well with it instead of leaving it on the side. I must say that I am not a fan of black pepper sauces but if you must, then find a way to lace it over the meat without over cooking it.

If the short order cook is any good, he will be told how to prepare the lamb. Cooked, medium rare, rare...that will sort things out. Don't assume for one moment that people are paranoid about rare meat. There are plenty of carnivorous people out there who like it juicy.

I cannot fault the condiments. It was done well and yes, I think it looks pretty on a place but to pay US$5 for a dish that is at best, tasteless, no amount of sauce in the world is going to save that dish.

Lamb Chops @ Season Cafe