Some time ago I was invited for a double birthday celebration. The venue was totally unknown to me, a steakhouse in San Juan City. We parked at a gas station, piled out from the car and proceeded to a corner of the actual pumping station.

Everything at Steak is housed on something similar to a gas station convenient store. Tucked in one corner, the façade was very unassuming; a two-story affair of white-painted bricks and huge glass windows. It’s so non-descript you won’t really notice it if you’re not looking.

It gets better when you enter though. The interior is painted in clean pastels; cream walls slapped with wide white clapboards, birch-laminated tables with matching white and cream metal chairs. The focal point is the light mint cashier counter accented by three floating orange lamps and a faux window dividing the kitchen.

Ordering is a bit more complicated than other restaurants. First you choose your steak of choice or if for some forsaken reason you don’t like steaks, one of their dishes; then you select sidings from fifteen choices (that’s right fifteen), then you choose the flavor of the steak (New Orlean Rub or Original Marinade perhaps?) and finally you pick the sauce for it.

Worry not though, everything is well described in their fun-looking menu that you really won’t have any trouble customizing your dish.

For starters we ordered their Curly Fries (Php100.00) while waiting for the rest of carnivorous feast. It curls and twists like that of McDonald’s ever popular Twister Fries. The serving was quite large and it is served with garlic mayo sauce. It’s crunchy and goes really well with the dip. If you’re missing McDo’s seasonal Twister Fries, this is an equal if not a better alternative.

The drinks came next, regular sodas (Php35.00) and house mixed iced teas (Php30.00). The sodas were of course sodas but their iced tea rocks! I’m not a choosy guy when it comes to drinks but I wish then that I ordered their strawberry iced tea instead of softdrinks.

After the fries were decimated, the main feast started arriving. The steaks were served one at a time and everyone was surprised with the portions; they were simply enormous!

The first one to land on the table was the Pork Liempo (Php185.00). If you’re familiar with the serving sizes of normal liempo dishes, triple that and you’ve got their version of it. The meat looks so juicy and it is further heightened by the sauce lathered all over it.

Next up was the Less-Bones Chicken (Php165.00). It’s basically a deboned quarter of a chicken. The size is again huge but the presentation leaves much to be desired. It tasted superb and can easily compete with any chicken inasals out there but it simply didn’t look like it does.

Another plate landed far to the left; Lamb Ribs (Php230.00). Although I wasn’t able to sample this one since it landed too far away, it still looked amazing and again (you’d get tired of reading this I know) quite massive.

A plate of pure sin was served next to me, a Rib Eye Steak (Php195.00) flavored in the restaurant’s classic Original Marinade. Being in close proximity, this one I was able to sample. The meat was juicy and a bit fatty. The sauce has a very subtle taste that doesn’t overpower the dish.

I was seriously trying to suppress my mouth from watering as I waited for my own dish to arrive, it came in last.

My T-Bone Steak (Php195.00) was massive! Prepared in spicy Cajun dry rub and flavored with herbs and ground peppercorns. The steak was so thick I thought it’s gonna be too rubbery but I was wrong, my knife sliced easily through it. The peppery flavor was a bit too strong but it was alright for someone like me who likes it so. My only complaint was that the meat was a tad dry; maybe I should have ordered it medium rare.

The Chorizo Carbonara, my side dish of choice, is made up of twister pastas dashed with slices of chorizo. The dish was good but nothing really grand, the creamy sauce contrasting nicely with the salty garlicky flavor of the chorizos. The size again is quite generous.

Everything at Steak may have a few misses, very very few misses at that, but I have nothing but praises for this steakhouse. The staff were friendly, the dining area nicely and subtly decorated, the food’s fantastic; absolutely flavorful and need I say it again? The portions are huge and considering the equally generous servings of their side dishes, you really get your money’s worth. If you’re gonna bet for the best and most affordable steakhouse in Manila, I’d say put everything at stake at Everything at Steak.

Everything at Steak
Address: 5 P.Guevarra Street. cor V.Cruz
Santa Lucia, San Juan City, Metro Manila
Telephone: (02) 726-2386
Open Hours: Everyday 11:00AM- 11:00PM
Menu: Everything at Steak Full Menu

GPS Coordinates: 14.598421,121.037277
Click to view location on Google Maps