A CUT Steakhouse

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A CUT Steakhouse is a critically acclaimed steak house at the Ambassador in Taipei. They also opened one in the Ambassador Hotel in Hsinchu. A CUT stands among great imported steak houses like Lawry's and Ruth's Chris. A CUT offers a wide array of cuts from different types of cattle and has a wide selection of wines to compliment them. The interior design, silverware, and quality of service reflect the price you pay for the dining experience here. In Hsinchu, this is probably the best steak house available in terms of overall dining experience and food quality. If you have a craving for a upstanding slab of beef, A CUT is a good option for you.
Address: 新竹市中華路二段188號9F
                 No. 188, Section 2, Zhōnghuá Road 9F, Hsinchu City

Phone #: 03-515-1666 ext.3437
Business Hours: 11:30-17:00, 18:00-22:30
Website: http://www.acut.com

Accepts Credit Cards: yes

Price Range: $$$$

Attire: casual

Good for kids: yes

Take out: no
Waiter Service: yes
Outdoor seating: no
Alcohol: yes

Rating
Food Quality: 4.5 out of 5
Decor:  4.5 out of 5
Service: 4.5 out of 5

Overall: 4.5 out of 5

Side Note: Tender steaks with delicious sides

Review

The interior was of the Hsinchu branch was not so bad. The seating was spread generously with comfortable booths. They room was well air conditioned and the lighting was just right for the job. The service was very on point with responding to our needs, but one noob staff member gave us bad information and was quickly replaced with a more experienced staff member to guide our selection. The rest of the service was very quick and helpful and the only complaint I could have is that the pace of the meal is longer than I would have liked. I got the 2700 NT 6 Oz American Wagyu beef dinner set with seared scallop, mushroom "cappucino", and mango creme brulee for dessert.

First up were the dinner rolls. It has been a long time since rolling down to Hsinchu that I've had a decent dinner roll. These sourdough rolls were crunchy on the outside while being soft and moist on the inside. They were only mildly sour and when paired with fresh butter proved to be a pleasant start to the meal

The appetizer I ordered was the seared scallop, it was plated on top of some sauteed greens and served with chestnut puree and chestnut truffle oil. The scallop was seared just right with the interior nice and sinewy. It was a light way to continue on the meal. Seafood items are my favorite ways to enhance a steak dinner because seafood offers a different fresh salty breeze to an otherwise irony and meaty dinner.

Next up is what they call a Mushroom "Cappucino." It's actually just cream of mushroom topped with a fluffy froth. Most soups in Taiwan border on the light and runny side, but this cream of mushroom was adequately flavorful with the thick consistency. They did not scrimp on the butter like other cheaper venues would. This also was a delightful dish.

Before they bring on the main entree, they cleanse your palette with a small serving of lemon sorbet. It was nothing spectacular, but it did it's job.

However, no amount of palette cleansing could help me differentiate between these four salts. Supposedly, the salt on the far right is this classy expensive salt from France, second to the right is a Brazilian salt mixed with the aroma of chilies, second to the left is a Himalayan salt made pink from the color of its minerals, and the far left salt is a Hawaiian salt that was mixed with the smokiness of bamboo. After being wowed with the amazing origins of these eclectic salts I tried to taste the smoky bamboo and light aroma of chilies, but found out that my palette was just not discerning enough to pick up these subtle nuances. I all could pick up was that the French salt was more mild than the rest.

Thankfully, no salt was actually needed for their nicely pan grilled steak. It is served in a cast iron plate to keep warm and you can move it back and forth from your plate to enjoy.

This wagyu tenderloin did not seem as marbled and fatty as I would imagine wagyu tenderloins would be based on pictures. However, it was still rich and the medium rare preparation fit made eat slice easily disintegrate into your mouth. Each bite gushed out savory cow juice all up in your mouth. They paired the steak with a half cluster/clove of baked garlic, which really was enough to compliment the steak. I felt like the salt enhanced the cuts by a bit, but the garlic really helped with the flavor more.

Another side that helped compliment the protein were these Ranchero style corn bits. They were lightly prepared with the sauce that you normally find baked beans in. Sort of like a light chili. However these taste like you would imagine it to.

The mango creme brulee was an interesting safe dessert. I could not taste any mango in the flan portion, but the mango bits and mango ice cream was the main source of the mango accents in the "mango creme brulee".    The sugar crust was appropriately thick, like around 3mm. The caramelized crust dominates the taste of the creme brulee, and the tartness of the mango bits/sorbet contribute a slight diversion from the sugar cream. I ate this up really fast, since I'm a fan of all these type of desserts. From 統一布丁 to this creme brulee, they are always welcome in my belly any time.

This meal was wrapped up with red tea paired with some fruit gummies. The gummies reminded me of these sunkist fruit gummy snacks I used to eat a lot as a kid. I added 2 cubes of sugar and a side of milk into this milk tea. It's been a while since I've eaten this good in Hsinchu and I was glad to be able to take part of this meal. I really recommend people who don't know where to get steak in Hsinchu to drive over to he Ambassador to spoil yourself on occasion as a retreat from the otherwise comparatively niggardly food scene here.