Places in Lagos| The A Steak House

The A Steak House is a new restaurant in Victoria Island, Lagos. It’s located in Karimu Kotun, where The Grill by Delis used to be. I stopped by The A Steak House with my family for lunch in November, and here’s how it went.

AMBIENCE

We were welcomed to a bright and colourful space as we walked in. The restaurant has indoor and outdoor seating options with single chairs, booth seats and high stools by the bar.

WHAT WE ORDERED

Before I tell you what we ordered, please note that we were 5 adults and 2 kids.

We chose fresh Pineapple Juice, Long Island, Spicy Mango Margarita, Virgin Colada, Miranda and water for drinks. For starters, we chose the duck salad, Fritto Misti and Margherita Pizza. We ordered Roasted Baby Chicken, Duck Breast with Orange Sauce, Seafood Linguine, Australian Lamb Chops, Australian Lamb Rack with Pistachio and Black Angus Australian Ribeye for mains.

We were served 5 shots of coperto to cleanse our palates while we waited for our orders. The meals were served as they were ready, and most of the starters came together.

First up was the duck salad, which looked pretty but didn’t taste special. I’ve eaten duck salad several times, and this one was below average. Up next was the Fritto Misto. I don’t know who convinced the chef that adding the tiny fried fish from Lagos Island into a meal was a good way to incorporate Nigeria into the menu. It had no business being there. The calamari was good, though. The pizza was also basic. I remember my sister said it tasted burnt. Oven-made pizzas usually taste that way, but the bitter taste lingered. By now, we were already disappointed and were hoping our mains would be great.

Roasted baby chicken and roasted potatoes

The seafood linguine looked scary when it arrived, and my sister was worried about having a bite. The presentation was poor, and the taste wasn’t special either. She said she wanted it spicy, but they must have poured raw pepper into it because she could barely eat it.

Thank goodness my steak was okay because I would have cried if it wasn’t. The lamb chops and rack were also decent, but we all agreed we had eaten better meat at other restaurants, and these weren’t worth the price. I believe the roasted baby chicken was the highlight of our lunch because we all enjoyed a slice of chicken and roasted potatoes with the kids.

We didn’t bother with dessert because we had spent a lot of money and were demotivated to try anything else.

SERVICE DELIVERY AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Our waiter was slow and unhelpful; he couldn’t guide us through the menu. The service was poor and slow, and the food from the grill didn’t come with any sides, which meant we had to order additional sides. Our sides for the main course (roasted potatoes and mixed veggies) were mistakenly served with the starters, and we had to send them back. Moreover, the roasted potatoes were served cold with the steak moments later.

I don’t think the restaurant’s owner understands there’s more to a restaurant than being ‘new’. I advise them to ensure that their food tastes exquisite if they charge higher prices or reduce prices. Also, their staff needs basic training in organization and customer experience management. In summary, we didn’t have a good time and felt like we should have gone elsewhere.

DAMAGE

Roasted Baby Chicken ~ 34,000
Duck Salad ~ 28,000,
Fritto Misto ~ 28,000
Margherita ~ 13,000
2 Roasted Potatoes ~ 9,000
2 Evian Water~ 12,000
Spicy Mango Margarita ~ 12,000
Mirinda ~ 1,500
Virgin Colada ~ 7,000
Fresh Pineapple Juice ~ 4,000
Heineken Beer ~4,000
Chapman ~ 7,000
Duck Breast with Orange Sauce ~ 38,000
Black Angus Australian Ribeye ~ 65,000
Australian Lamb Chops ~ 60,000
Australian Lamb Rack with Pistachio ~ 48,000
Seafood Linguine 30,000
Long Island Iced Tea ~ 11,000
Mixed Vegetables ~ 7,000
Our total bill was 470,812.48, which included 7.5% VAT and consumption tax.