Very few "steakhouses" in America know the correct taste for a char-broiled, grain-fattened steak anymore. That's because most now use infrared burners (Ruth's Chris), or even fry their beef in oil (Michelin-starred Peter Luger). No char-broiled flavor.

The Japanese certainly know how to fatten Wagyu cattle, but a hibachi/teppanyaki (low heat smooth cooking surface) is not in our opinion the best way to cook it. No char-broiled flavor.

Most Philippine steak restaurants never knew the correct taste for a proper American or Wagyu steak because in order to get a saleable weight portion of 220-340 grams (8 to 12 ounces), they cut the meat too thin (often just ¾ inch). The steak cooks too quickly. No time to develop a char-broiled flavor.

Plantation Bay does something we are fairly sure no other steakhouse in the world does: We slice our US steaks 1-½ inches or thicker, then cut across the slice (imagine half a boneless pork chop) to get a 220-280 gram portion. This results in a steak that sometimes looks a little funny , but cooks correctly, with plenty of char-broiled flavor.

In fact, we basically offer only three steaks and one Roast, but these four will cover most beef lovers:

• USDA Prime Ribeye (240 grams raw weight on average), grilled in two stages over a gas fire to Medium (bright pink). We don't recommend Rare (not enough time to develop char-broiled flavor) or Well-Done (grey, somewhat dry), but if that's how you want it, we will comply. Reluctantly.
• USDA Prime Tenderloin (240 grams raw weight), pan-seared at High Heat to Rare in a cast-iron pan, then basted with butter to Medium or Medium-Rare.
• Nuclear Kagoshima Wagyu (120 grams or 60 grams cooked weight), grilled to Very Well-Done. Trust us.
• Not on the menu, but available by advance prepaid special order, we can cook a Prime Rib Roast for your group, minimum 3 kilos, bone-in (3 kilos will feed about 6-10, depending on what else you order). J. Manuel long ago developed a procedure for cooking Prime Rib better than Simpson's in London, with a thick, rich gravy made from the fond. Simpson's, meanwhile, has gone downhill, like many things, unfortunately, in the UK. House of Prime Rib in San Francisco still serves a fairly good roast beef, but mystifyingly fails to merit a Michelin star, further evidence of Michelin inspector prejudice against Real Food and anything not prettified.

(So that you know, T-bone and Porterhouse are very close to the same thing, which is a bone between a New York Strip and a section of Tenderloin. Both will suffer from being cooked together. A "Tomahawk" is a slice of prime rib, usually with half the bone lengthwise. It's a good, tasty hunk of meat but way too large. And we have better things to do with Prime Rib.)

Our steaks are perfect by themselves and do not need any kind of colored salt, or any sauce to moisten them or disguise an absence of flavor. Please don't ask us for A-1, Bearnaise, Mushroom, or any such sauce. The Prime Rib comes with our special gravy.

Our beef cuts easily with a normal table knife; if you ask for a steak knife, we will give you one, but we will know that you usually eat tough inferior meat.

Less expensive chicken or pork steaks and of course other dishes are also available.

Call Rona, +639176313629 during office hours, or email fb@plantationbay.com the day before to reserve a table at Palermo. Full payment in advance is required for any group of 7 or more. Please be punctual, as Plantation Bay does not operate on "Philippine time".

Come via CCLEX, and on most days Plantation Bay will just be a 30-minute ride from Fuente Osmena in Cebu City. Here's a map: