Best steakhouses in KL: RM50 and below

This 93-year-old restaurant has branched out to the malls but you’ll need the dexterity and experience of the chefs at the original Coliseum Café to pull off a steak that’s perfectly consistent every time. Dining at this relic on Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman is like entering a time warp – the coat racks, swinging doors and tinted shutters make you feel like you’re on the set of a western. When in Coliseum, do as the old-timers do: Fasten your bib, watch the server pour hot gravy onto your sizzling steak, and dig in.

A stretch of makeshift steakhouses used to occupy Taman Billion until they moved into the shoplots nearby. We’ve tried most of them but Kaki Corner still proves to be the most consistent of all. Although the pared-down steaks – presented in a skillet with thick gravy – only come with a side of fries and coleslaw, the beef’s flavour is heightened with crushed pepper and a flurry of herbs. As a cheap steak joint, Kaki Corner is definitely serving a meatier portion than its competitors.

The unprepossessing Suzi’s Corner is more than a resounding local success; it’s now an institution on Jalan Ampang. There’s a reason this longstanding steak stall is persistently drawing in the crowd: Steaks arrive in sizzling hotplates with generous servings of sauce, chips and greens on the side. It’s that simple – homespun almost – and the price is a steal. This is a TOKL Food Awards nominee after all.

The Ship was the ‘fancy place’ that every couple in the ’80s went for steak. The nautical-inspired decor – giving the illusion you’re dining in a sailing vessel – and servers dressed as sailors were novelties our parents considered romantic. Today, only the first outlet on Jalan Sultan Ismail remains faithful to the steak recipe established by owner Mr Foo three decades ago – the sizzling tenderloin steak, oxtail soup and escargots bourguinonne still rock our boat. The dishes are affordable, which is just as well, because you can’t really put a price on nostalgia, can you?