May 17, 2022 Kristofer Purnell – Philstar.com https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/food-and-leisure/2022/05/17/2181714/singapores-astons-specialities-comes-philippines
Composite image of ASTONS Specialities’ launch in SM Megamall and of the restaurant’s Prime Sirloin
MANILA, Philippines — ASTONS Specialities, the popular Singaporean restaurant that offers affordable Western cuisine, has crossed the sea and landed in the Philippines to share to Filipinos its finest dishes.
Founded by Aston Soon, ASTONS Specialities has been waiting to expand to the Philippines but plans were halted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately now, it has been able to open its first store at SM Megamall.
Aston has been working with US steakhouses as early as 1988, and has said it’s his dream to make such dishes affordable where one does not have to go to a hotel. His restaurant also sought to have a more interesting menu for all ages, and has used the same menu since 2005.
“I respect food a lot. We try to make everything in a good way consistently,” Aston said at the launch of his restaurant’s first Philippine store.
“When you mention ASTONS in Singapore everyone knows [about it]… we hope to do the same in the Philippines,” he added.
The restaurant founder has acknowledged that Filipinos may be curious to try their dishes but still have their preferences, “Of course [the] original menu first, [but] we’ll also cater new dishes preferred and suitable to Pinoys.”
ASTONS Specialities takes pride in its legendary steaks like its Prime Sirloin, Prime Ribeye, and New York Strip — each cooked to perfection according to the customer’s selected doneness.
Other staple steakhouse dishes are Grilled Porkchops, Honey Bourbon Ribs, the ASTONS Classic Cheeseburger, and a variety of sausages in the Grand Sampler.
ASTONS Specialities also has various chicken dishes cooked in many different ways like Hickory BBQ, Teriyaki, Lemon Lime, the classic Crispy Fried, and the highly-recommended Chargrilled.
For the non-meat eaters, the restaurant has other options to choose from in its Chargrilled Salmon Fillet and five kinds of pasta that come with a Cream of Mushroom Soup.
Aston reiterates his seriousness with beef and assures that their meat is always taken care of. The three key reasons in accomplishing this, he shared, are respecting doneness without tampering the beef’s quality, only using a brush of flavoring, and using imported equipent that provides equal heat distribution which is effective fo quality meat.
ASTONS Specialities also assured that the Filipino staff is up to par with their Singaporean counterparts because during the pandemic. The Filipino contingent flew to Singapore to be trained, while the Singaporean team flew to the Philippines to check on supplies.
The restaurant is already eyeing three more branches after its launch at Megamall, so expect affordable quality meats to be within reach.
LIFESTYLE / FOOD / We tried Aston’s Specialities’ steak and chargrilled chicken and here’s what we think
We tried Aston’s Specialities’ steak and chargrilled chicken and here’s what we think
Published May 18, 2022, 3:13 PM
The Singapore-based restaurant opens its flagship store in the Philippines
Filipino meat lovers, listen up! There is a new steakhouse in town. Singapore’s famous restaurant Aston’s Specialities opens its first store in the Philippines, aiming to serve the best Western-style dishes and steaks at an affordable price.
Founded by Aston Soon in 2005, the casual steakhouse became a food paradise for anyone who wants to go on a Western gastronomic journey. With his experience working in the food industry, Soon made his dream of serving affordable steaks to people into a reality and, later on, his restaurant was recognized by AsiaOne’s People Choice Awards and Asian Enterprise Brand Awards for its service and offerings.
“For me, it’s about providing quality and value-for-money food, service that makes you feel like you’re with friends, and an experience that you’ll remember for life,” Soon said.
According to Silver Lush Food Corporation president, Joyce Balbuena, the coming of Aston’s Specialities in the Philippines was first set in 2020. Unfortunately, with the pandemic happening all over the world, its launch was moved two years later.
Mirroring the quality of food Aston’s Specialities team in Singapore put on the plate demands a lot of effort. “It is a requirement for us that our team fly to Singapore to do training,” Joyce tells Manila Bulletin Lifestyle. “Earlier this year, our team went to Singapore. Last month, Aston’s COO flew here to check all our suppliers. We have to ask Aston’s Singapore’s approval before we can put the dishes on our menu.”
“It has been a great pleasure working with the Aston’s team in Singapore to bring the restaurant here in the Philippines,” she adds.
Speaking of its menu, the restaurant takes pride in its steak selections. Among its hero dishes are the prime sirloin and the chargrilled chicken. During its launch last May 14, we sampled the two dishes and it was an experience that can make Aston’s Specialities go on top of your go-to food spots whenever meat cravings strike. The steak was lean and flavorful with perfect grill marks hiding a blush center. On the hand, the chargrilled chicken didn’t let the steak take in all the glory. It was juicy and its charred skin gives just the right amount of smokey taste. With the chicken priced at P 349 and the sirloin at P1,099 (which comes with two side dishes), diners will definitely get their money’s worth from the two dishes.Aston’s Specialities’ flagship store in the Philippines is situated on the 4th floor of Mega Atrium in SM Megamall. Silver Lush Food Corporation is set to open more local branches of the restaurant in the future.