A plain guide to the cuts worth knowing.
Steak names can be confusing, but the idea is simple: cuts from muscles that do little work are tender, and cuts from harder-working muscles are full of flavour with more chew. Here is a plain guide to the cuts worth knowing - ribeye, striploin, tenderloin, tomahawk and a few others - and where each one sits on that scale. We cook most of them over charcoal at Uma Garden.
Tenderloin is the softest cut, lean and mild - filet mignon and chateaubriand both come from it. Striploin (also called sirloin or New York strip) sits next: tender, well balanced, with a good strip of fat along the edge and more flavour than tenderloin. These are the cuts for people who want an easy, refined steak.
Ribeye is the marbled, juicy, deeply beefy one, from the rib. A tomahawk is simply a ribeye left on a long bone - the same meat, made for sharing. Then there are the value cuts the chefs love: flank, skirt and hanger, leaner and chewier but packed with flavour, best cooked fast and sliced against the grain.
Some cuts split the difference. The T-bone and porterhouse carry tenderloin on one side of the bone and striploin on the other, so you get tenderness and flavour on one plate. They are big, generous steaks - good when you cannot choose.
Our regulars are the chateaubriand (centre-cut tenderloin, carved for two), the Australian wagyu striploin (richer, marbled) and the Black Angus tomahawk (the sharing ribeye). All seared over wood and charcoal, rested, then sliced. See the dinner menu, or read about our steaks in Umalas.
The cuts worth knowing are tenderloin (softest, leanest), striploin or sirloin (balanced), ribeye (marbled and beefy), tomahawk (a ribeye on a long bone), and value cuts like flank, skirt and hanger. T-bone and porterhouse combine tenderloin and striploin.
There is no single best cut. Ribeye is best for flavour, tenderloin for tenderness, striploin for balance, and a tomahawk for sharing. The best cut is the one that matches what you want that night.
Tenderloin - the cut behind filet mignon and chateaubriand. It comes from a muscle that barely works, so it is wonderfully soft.
Ribeye, thanks to its marbling, along with hard-working value cuts like skirt and hanger which are leaner but very flavourful.
A tomahawk is a ribeye left on a long, frenched rib bone. It is the same meat as a ribeye, presented as a dramatic cut for sharing. Uma Garden serves a Black Angus tomahawk.
Sirloin (striploin) is leaner and firmer with a cleaner flavour; ribeye is more marbled, richer and juicier. Sirloin is balanced; ribeye is indulgent.
Both have a T-shaped bone with tenderloin on one side and striploin on the other, so you get two cuts in one steak. A porterhouse is simply a larger T-bone with more tenderloin.
The chateaubriand for tenderness, the wagyu striploin for richness, or the tomahawk to share. Your server will guide you on weight and how it is cooked.
Ribeye vs Tenderloin · What Is Marbling? · How to Order Steak