What exactly is your definition of a treat? Creamy, juicy and yummy are the words to describe the feeling and taste of the chicken Oscar I had.
Let’s take it to the top. A couple of months ago I met with a client at 355 Steakhouse located on Osun crescent Maitama. From the outside it looked promising but on that faithful day, time did not permit me to go in as it was a brief stop over. Tuesday evening after the close of work my fellow foodie and I thought to try out 355 Steakhouse. Upon our arrival at the gate, the security guard told us to park outside with the excuse of a supply delivery that was on the way and ‘blah blah blah’.
We parked outside and walked in and the doors were opened with a warm greeting and with the question of how many of us were going to be dinning. We said just two and we were escorted to our table as our seats were pulled out and menu handed over to us. Quite professional and well-mannered I whispered to my friend. We asked for a minute to go through the menu and my goodness, this guys have many dishes to offer ranging from continental to Mexican. It took us long minutes of silence trying to figure out what to have from the menu.
Finally a decision was made as I settled for chicken Oscar with mashed potatoes and my friend being the healthy and selective person settled for chicken Cesar salad. Trust me to always ask how long it would take, but this time around the middle aged waiter responded politely saying it won’t take time. We aren’t busy in the kitchen and he cracked a joke which of course made us all laugh about. He clearly knew his job well because of his polite and diplomatic response.
Within minutes we were served with chips and salsa with our drinks on the rocks. Honestly this was the best chips and salsa I have had so far in the city of Abujabi as my friend would call Abuja (lol). While nibbling and catching up with my friend we admired the place and expressed satisfaction with what we were seeing. Whoever did the interior of this beautiful restaurant deserves an award for the good job he or she did even though there wasn’t any large window to seat by (lol). You all know my love for large windows.
The genre of music was good as some of the songs brought back good memories. While trying to settle in all the tranquility of the ambience, we were interrupted by our dinner which was well presented and the sight alone was captivating and inviting making one eager to eat. Every bite of it gave more convincing reason to return to this place as every cell in my body was mesmerized by the well-executed delicious dinner. The mashed potatoes was smooth and garnished well making it not to look plain. Compared to previous ones I have had in other restaurants this was so far the best.
The chicken Oscar was grilled chicken breast well-seasoned and lightly spiced with black pepper, served on a pool of special gravy recipe and garnished with broccoli. The Cesar salad was fresh and crunchy. My friend kept nodding his head all through, meaning he was enjoying it and impressed as well. The waiter came by and asked if we were enjoying our food and we both nodded with a big yes.
Did anything go wrong, well nothing, although the security guard did not allow us drive in under the guise of a supply delivery that was being expected. I would have thought that as customers, we would be priority. Also, multiple source of music could have best been described as chaotic. This was the situation as music strain from two different sources. I also noticed that our table cloth was laid upside down and our table didn’t have toothpick. The waiter had to pick from another table. Kindly pay close attention as every detail no matter how small counts and matters.
On a scale of 0 to 10, 355 Steakhouse has a confetti showering her at 9 for her well-mannered and friendly staff, impeccable services, good vibe and above all delicious meals professionally executed. Bravo!
Words by Aliyu Gidado
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