Fat Belly's intimate workshop series at Market Bistro is the masterclass in beef you didn't know you needed.
As an Argentinian, I grew up with beef as something close to a religion. Asado on Sundays, fierce debates about doneness, and an almost visceral suspicion of anything that has seen the inside of a well-done kitchen. So when I say that Fat Belly's Butcher's Secrets workshop genuinely taught me things about steak I did not know, that is not a small admission.
The series runs every Saturday from 2 May to 7 June 2026, hosted at Market Bistro, tucked into the ground floor of Marina Bay Financial Centre – a Wall Street-inspired bistro that makes a surprisingly good backdrop for an afternoon that is equal parts education and pleasure. Sessions run from 4 to 5.30pm, which is both civilised and strategic: you finish just sharp enough to get started on your dinner, though you may find yourself less hungry than expected.
The workshops are led by Group Executive Chef Victor Loy, the culinary force behind both Fat Belly and its sister restaurant Meadesmoore. In the room, he is generous and unhurried - someone who clearly loves what he does and has the knowledge to back it up. It feels less like a class and more like a conversation with a very knowledgeable friend who also happens to have six cuts of premium beef, a salt slab and a torch at his disposal.
Three Themes, Six Saturdays
The series is structured around three fortnightly themes, each running across two Saturday sessions:
Primary vs Secondary Cuts – 2 & 9 May
Grain-fed Angus flat iron and tenderloin alongside Wagyu MS 6/7 rump cap, striploin, MS 8/9 ribeye and Delmonico - Fat Belly's hero cut.
Wet-Aged vs Dry-Aged Steaks – 16 & 23 May
Wet-aged striploin against 30-day dry-aged Wagyu MS 8/9 ribeye and Denver cuts.
Spirit-Aged Steaks - 30 May & 6 June
Cuts aged with La Forge Syrah, Ron Zacapa No.23 rum and Woodford Reserve Double Oak bourbon.
Each session features a guided tasting of six cuts, presented side by side with Chef Victor narrating what you are tasting and – more importantly – why. Wine flows throughout. The group is kept deliberately small, which matters: there is room to ask questions, to taste again, to ask questions. It has the feel of a dinner party hosted by someone who really knows their subject.
What I Actually Learnt
The Spirit-Aged session – the most theatrical of the three – left me with a genuinely different understanding of beef. Fat Belly has always championed secondary cuts, and Chef Victor makes the case compellingly: the flat iron, for instance, carries more flavour, more complexity and a higher mineral character than the tenderloin cuts that dominate most steakhouse menus. The tenderloin itself, it turns out, has three distinct parts and three different names – something most diners, including this one, had never considered.
Two practical lessons that will stay with me: always cut across the grain – for the flat iron, that means diagonally – and the difference in texture is not subtle, it is remarkable. And when Chef Victor places a cut on a Himalayan salt slab and torches it with a flame, the salt does not merely season the meat – it becomes part of it, imprinting a deep, mineral-edged crust that you simply cannot achieve any other way.
The spirit-aged session adds another dimension entirely. Chef Victor's personal favourite is the rum-aged cuts – and once you taste them, the logic is immediately clear. Wagyu is rich, fatty, deeply satisfying. Rum brings a caramelised sweetness that does not overpower but rather completes. It is the same instinct that makes you reach for dessert after a very good steak.
The picanha – rump cap – was prepared on the spot as an impromptu tartare bonus, the fat cap torched directly over the mix, the rendered juices folded into a dressing of lemon, oil and Parmesan, pepper going in last. For several guests at the table, it was their first time eating raw beef. As an Argentine, I found that quietly extraordinary. But I understood – because the context was right, the chef was present, and the quality of the meat made it feel completely natural. My own highlight of the evening – alongside the tartare – was the grass-fed ribeye: clean, mineral, honest. A cut that needed nothing but the right hand behind it.
Why This Series Is Worth Your Time
What makes Butcher's Secrets work is not just the beef – though the beef is excellent – it is the format. This is not a cooking demonstration or a passive tasting. It is a genuine exchange: Chef Victor shares something real, you taste it, and something shifts in how you understand what is on your plate. For anyone who eats steak regularly or who has ever stood in front of a butcher's counter wondering what any of it actually means, this is the kind of afternoon that pays dividends for years.
Sessions are limited, and if this evening is any indication, they will sell out. Book early – and if you can only make one, the Spirit-Aged session on 30 May or 6 June is the one to choose. It is the most surprising and for a certain kind of curious diner, the most memorable.
PRACTICAL DETAILS
Market Bistro | 12 Marina Boulevard #01-03, Tower 3, Marina Bay Financial Centre, Singapore 018982
Every Saturday, 2 May - 7 June 2026 | 4:00pm – 5:30pm
S$78++ to S$98++ per guest, depending on session.
Reservations via Fat Belly's website
