The restaurant’s signature meat dishes are worth coming for, but non-steak lovers can also enjoy a good meal.
It was a balmy Friday evening in Senopati and, stepping into the primary location of the steak restaurant Cutt & Grill, the vibe was relaxed. The contemporary decoration is a blend of vibrant murals, tiled floors, starkly modernist ceilings, and floor-to-ceiling windows.
Gentle lighting adds a focal point to the table. Around hundreds of wine bottles are arranged to add to the atmosphere, while in one corner stands a large bar. In the middle of the restaurant stands a sole guitarist, playing and singing well-known hits. The open-plan design of the main room emphasises its size, although a private room is also available for business dinners and the like.
The staff, during my visit, were friendly and attentive, explaining the menu choices in detail. Prime cuts include a variety of Australian wagyu and also a 1 kilogram (around 36 ounces) of USDA Prime porterhouse. There is a range of in-house, dry, aged USDA beef: prime porterhouse, sirloin, and ribeye.
Although steak is front and centre, the menu does cater to other tastes. There is a fairly wide range of chicken, fish, pasta, and burger dishes as well as a selection of salads. A vegetarian could comfortably eat here.
This particular Cutt and Grill outlet is the Senopati flagship, but the outlet chain also has locations around the city in Pantai Indah Kapuk, Tebet, Flavor Bliss, and The Breeze. The menu has been adapted for each location, although the overall idea behind Cutt & Grill remains consistent. For the Senopati flagship outlet, the restaurant is on the ground floor of the building occupied by its parent company, LDS. LDS’ other ventures occupy the remaining spaces as well. They include a gym, healthy lunch spot, and sophisticated lounge bar Amber, with its large windows providing a panoramic vista over the evening cityscape outside. At a pinch, it would be possible to spend a whole day in the building without putting a foot onto the street.
On this Friday evening, with Amber in full flow, Cutt & Grill was quieter than I had expected. The singer and guitarist performed with gusto, while a low hum of conversation emanated from a few tables. The ratio of diners to staff was good and service was prompt.
My dinner started with the visually striking slow-cooked bone marrow, with accompanying slices of toasted garlic baguette. The long, narrow bone was laden with mushroom and greens, while olives and onion sat beside it. But the juicy, delicious marrow itself was the key to this memorable starter.
Next came a substantial Caesar salad. It had a crisp texture thanks to the freshness of the lettuce. A riot of ingredients brought flavour as well as made the dish fairly substantial for a salad at any time — let alone before a sizeable steak course. Like the entire meal, it was presented on contemporarily styled dishware that gave the venue a trendy vibe without it seeming to be working too hard for it.
Cutt and Grill is not just about the meat. But meat – and specifically beef – is definitely central to the restaurant. During our visit, we tried a couple of different cuts for the mains. What these dishes had in common was tender, tasty meat cooked to perfection in filling portions, topped off simply with a knob of herb butter and clove of roast garlic. There were also simple, modest sides of potato and greens, all presented artfully on the plate. When it comes to steak, Cutt & Grill is in its element. It has the right quality of meat and a kitchen team that knows how to cook it just right.
After the repletion of the main course, a dessert felt unnecessary. However, we decided to enjoy a slice of chocolate mousse cake, served with vanilla ice cream and a mint leaf, garnished with strawberries, citrus peel, fondant, and decoration.
Wine and steak go hand in hand, and the emphasis on wine here is evident in the hundreds of bottles displayed in the main dining room as well as at the bar. There are certainly some fairly premium bottles available on the wine list, including Château Cantenac Brown and Le Cloitre Du Château Prieure-Lichine from Margaux alongside Château Haut Pezat from Saint-Émilion. However, most of the list is more affordably priced, with house wine starting at 450K++ Rupiahs per bottle. Both New World and Old World are broadly represented, with a slightly heavier weighting for the former. Cocktail lovers can choose from a well-designed menu of classics.
This, then, is a restaurant that manages to spin multiple plates at once. The signature meat dishes are worth coming for, but non-steak lovers can also enjoy a good meal here. The interior design and Senopati location feel sufficiently classy for an upmarket venue, but with enough hint of casualness that the restaurant lacks pretentiousness. The menu and drinks list cater to those who enjoy the finer things in life, but equally cater to a range of budgets. In a small or large group, Cutt & Grill has what it takes to deliver an enjoyable meal — even when not everyone wants the same thing.
Cutt & Grill Senopati
- Address: Suryo No. 34, Jakarta
- Tel: 81 1113 8368, WA: +628111138368
- Website: cuttandgrill.com
- Instagram: @cuttandgrill