The name Uluru may be a bit of a tongue-twister, but it is one that could be tripping off the tongues of foodies soon.

Named after the famous sandstone rock formation in Australia that was formerly called Ayer’s Rock, the restaurant in Duxton Hill is a charmer. It joined two other restaurants – Broth and The Universal – in the short row of converted shophouses three months ago and fits in perfectly with the laidback mood of the tree-lined, cobblestoned neighbourhood. Its owners are also the ones behind The Universal.

Billed as an Aussie-style steakhouse, the corner restaurant offers both indoor, air-conditioned dining as well as an alfresco area. The dining room has its walls covered in horizontal planks to make it look like the inside of a wood cabin. And to go with the rustic look, the furniture comprises plain wooden square tables and dark brown leather chairs.

Steaks are the mainstay on the menu but there is also a good selection of
salads, soups and non-meat main courses. As with most restaurants, Uluru changes its menu every three months. And when I went for dinner there two weeks ago, the old menu was on its last legs. I returned last week and was greeted with a totally new menu, except for the staple steaks and a few classics like the Caesar salad ($16) and soya cheesecake ($14).

Actually, I like the first menu better. There was a delicious smoked tomato soup ($12) that was amazing and quite unlike any tomato soup I’ve tasted before. And the grilled squid salad ($18) had the plump creature cooked perfectly and accompanied by a mesclun salad with a nice mango-chilli salsa.

The roast corn-fed spatchcock ($26) was decent too. However, the grain-fed lamb rack ($28), while tender and juicy, had a rather strong taste. In comparison, the new menu looks a lot more ordinary. The seared scallop salad ($26) was pretty good with the shellfish plump and cooked just enough to be firm outside and juicy inside. But unlike the squid salad, it’s something you get in many other restaurants.

The oyster watercress soup ($16) was more original. I liked the balance of creaminess and greenness which was just right – not to heavy and not too grassy. The single oyster and bits of soft watercress at the bottom of the dish were bonuses that added flavour and texture.

I enjoyed my Angus sirloin steak ($42 for 200g) too, even though it didn’t look very promising on the plate. It was sliced rather thinly, and I like my steaks thick and juicy. But when I bit into the meat, I was pleasantly surprised. The chef had
delivered a perfect medium rare steak. It was tender and the juices weren’t dried out, which could have happened easily with such thinly sliced meat. The Australian beef was not as good as top-grade meat from the US but it was a satisfying steak.

My dining companion, however, fared worse with his glazed magret duck breast ($30). The meat was tough.

During my first visit, I had an interesting pavlova, a popular Australian dessert of meringue and berries. But that was gone with the menu change. I was mollified last week, however, with a very nice trio chocolate cake ($16) instead. The slice comprised three layers of chocolate graduating from dark to light and topped with a layer of white cream.

The best way to savour it would be to have all the different flavours in your mouth at once. You can feel the bitter dark chocolate tango on your tastebuds while the fluffier, lighter flavours pirouette around it.

It’s not exactly gourmet food. But you won’t be disappointed if you are looking for decent cooking in a casual ambience. The staff here are a smart and efficient bunch. If you have no complaints, do leave a tip; there is no service charge.

Uluru
40 Duxton Hill
Tel: 6223-3654
Open: Noon to 2pm (last order), 7 to 10.15pm
Food: 3½/5
Service: 3 ½/5
Ambience: 3/5
Price: Budget from $70 per person

This article was first published in The Sunday Times on Feb 3, 2008.