KL Sedap 2014 Part 2: Tony Roma's

Tony oh Tony... you master of the beef ribs.
I don't know about you guys but when someone says beef ribs, we think of Tony Roma's. Yeah we know that we have to go across the Causeway to get our fix (for now) but hey when we're in the area we figure why not? Cos it's the rocks!

But first, something to get the appetite going (as if BBQ Beef Ribs were not enough)

Kickin' Shrimp (RM26.90)

I'm not really the shrimp/prawn guy because I'm really fussy about it. Yeah I know but hey that's just me. It's gotta be done some way I really like or I really can't be bothered. But these Kickin' Shrimp were not half bad to be honest.

They're coated in this kinda like spicy mayonnaise cream and just the right size to pop into your mouth for a nice bite. The sesame seeds are a nice tough and give a nice texture contrast. Not a bad start to the meal I'd say.

Onion Loaf (RM12.90)

Something deep fried can seldom go wrong and the Onion Loaf is a good example. When you're talking good ol' deep fried goodness, onions are a good bet!

Giant Spanish onions are ringed, battered up and fried to a nice crisp for you to dig into. You could go in with a fork but you know the best way is to just dig in with your fingers. The batter has a nice crisp to it and the onions are not going to overpower your tastebuds don't worry.

The only fault I found is that it's served with a BBQ sauce. I'd much rather have my deep fried battered onions served with a nice creamy ranch sauce. It's because of this factor that I'd still rank the Onion Glory at The Manhattan FISH Market still #1 in our books for deep fried onions.

Strawberry Walnut Salad (RM19.90)

For all you salad fans this one is for you. Some greens tossed in with walnuts, strawberries and feta cheese and a tangy vinaigrette here. Nothing really spectacular here but I'd definitely give points for the fate cheese.

Bountiful Beef Ribs

 Now this is what we are talking about - MEAT!!!

Time to unleash your inner caveman/cavewoman and enjoy a nice rack of BBQ Beef Ribs. These big ol' things are BBQ-ed to perfection in BBQ sauce. The meat is so succulent and tear off the bone with no issues whatsoever.

Like we said - cooked perfectly! It's got a nice char on the outside and inside you get some meat and some chewy bits. ZOMG I'm drooling just thinking about it!!

If you find the meat a little too dry for your taste, you can squirt on some additional BBQ sauce too.
They have a few flavours to choose from depending on what your taste is... Blue Ridge Smokies for that extra smoky flavour, Carolina Honeys for that sweet hint, Tony Roma's Red Hots for the spicy seekers and last but not least The Original BBQ Sauce.

Put on whatever sauce you want in whatever combination. The star is still the meat!!

You can choose to a Roma Rack of Ribs (RM53.90) or go the full monty with a Full Slab (RM78.90).

Filet Medallions and... Beef Ribs (RM69.90)

We decided we wanted to try some steak too and the Filet Medallions seemed like a good choice. But as you can see from the picture, it was a big disappointing.... And those ribs there are supposed to be the same Bountiful Beef Ribs from the first picture above but errr.... so different right...

So if you're going for the BBQ Beef Ribs, then we'd suggest you just go for the BBQ Beef Ribs.

Anyways as you can see from the pictures above, you do get some sides to go with your ribs...
You can choose from

• Fire Roasted Vegetables
• Cole Slaw*
• Corn on the Cob*
• French Fries*
• Loaded Mash Potatoes*
• Rice
• Ranch Style Beans
• Fresh Vegetables
• Baked Potato

The ones with the * are the ones we have tried. The Loaded Mashed Potatoes are a must and the Corn is a nice touch to be honest. If you want more sides that what you get in your meal, feel free to add on as much as you'd like but keep in the mind that the ribs are a big filler-upper!

Mint & Fruit Dream (RM14.90)

Orange juice, strawberries and cane sugar plus some mint make up this refreshing beverage that is guaranteed to cool you down. To be honest, one is not enough LOL
But do keep in mind that the fruit garnish may be fresh but not necessarily sweet *wink*

Adam's Verdict
Kickin' Shrimp 3/5 -- Onion Loaf 2/5 --  Strawberry Walnut Salad 1.5/5
Bountiful Beef Ribs 5/5 -- Mint & Fruit Dream 3.5/5

Maryah's Verdict
Bountiful Beef Ribs 4.5/5

Well, until a better beef ribs joint comes a long (and is Halal) then this is tops in our list.
May the beef be with you.

And before any of you go "Are you sure Halal? No lah not Halal! Got alcohol how come you say Halal?", please note that they do it a little differently in Malaysia compared to Singapore :)
Please do enjoy this read at this link. Maybe it'll help.

http://www.businessinsider.sg/heres-tony-romas-won-customers-muslim-majority-malaysia/

PS no need to go all the way to KL! Johor Bahru City Centre also got Tony Roma's!!
Thanks to our reader @NoraHirin for the heads up!!

Tony Roma's

Pavilion KL
168 Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur
Lot No. 1.15, Level 1

Tel 603-2143 3278
www.tonyromas.com.my

Operating Hours:
11.00am til 10.00pm Daily

Chickano

Hey everyone have you heard the news? Probably not right...
THERE'S A NEW FRIED CHICKEN JOINT IN TOWN!! IT'S CALLED CHICKANO!!

Well, I know we tried to be dramatic but FAILED! LOL

Anyways we actually came across this by pure chance. One of my colleagues, Hamidah, suddenly sends me this tip and says we have to try it. In fact, we tried ordering via the delivery hotline on the site but it wasn't available yet. Well, just so happens my Darling Wife and I were out with baby Alyssa and were decidedly hungry in the Bedok area...

3pcs Fried Chicken Meal ($9.50)

Of course - we had to try the fried chicken at a fried chicken joint right?!
I decided to to go for the 3pc because I was actually really hungry. You could have the 2pcs Friend Chicken Meal ($7.50) if you're not that hungry or maybe the 9pcs Fried Chicken Meal ($24.50) if you're out with the family (or just a really really big eater!!) They also have a roasted alternative if you're interested...

I have to say I really quite enjoyed the fried chicken!
The chicken was superbly cooked - nice and tender and juicy. The skin had a nice crisp to it with good seasoning to match.

The coating isn't the type with a super crunchy bite. I guess it's kinda more like Original Recipe but a bit crispier than usual. best enjoyed hot!!

Home-made Beef Burger ($8.50 for the meal / $6.50 ala carte)

If you're not in the mood for fried chicken, fret not! They also have other items on the menu including some burgers. You have a choice between a Beef Burger and a Chicken Karaage Burger. We decided to go for the beef since we're the meat people.

But... we started to question our decision after awhile...

The beef patty is definitely something they make from scratch here. It had quite a nice seasoning to be honest but for some reason, the top and bottom of the patty was burnt. Not charred... but burnt.

I quite like my burger to have a bit of char but I think this one was left a little too long on the grill. There's a difference between a charred flavour and a burnt taste. And this was really disappointing especially because the meat was quite tasty. If it wasn't so burnt, it's quite a nice burger actually.

Another problem was the bun. If you look at the first picture above, you can see it's actually quite out of sorts. It actually didn't fit the burger because it was so scrunched up like it had been crumpled up for so long. Maybe they should consider not using a bun if it's... errr... like that. It was like the bun had been in a fight and was in a really bad shape.

Besides that, you get some lettuce and cheese. Please note there is no sauce, which is fine because some burgers you just wanna enjoy the pure taste, so add your own if you'd like.

Cheese Fries

When you order a set meal, you get a choice of drink and a side order of fries.
If you're a Cheese Fries person, just add $0.50 and you can upgrade your regular fries to Cheese Fries! Power right!

I must say that the serving of fries was very very generous! It's enough fries to share actually.

But if you don't want fries then you might consider some other more 'traditional' sides with your fried chicken or burger?

Coleslaw ($2.50)

The coleslaw was not bad actually. Nice mix of cabbage and carrots and you even get a few plump and sweet raisins in there. It's on the sweet side so don't expect the sour type of coleslaw.

And what normally accompanies coleslaw?

Mashed Potato ($2.50)

Errrr... something is wrong with that picture...

I think maybe because it was not kept in a warm environment or maybe there was too much thickening agent or something but the brown gravy you normally get with mashed potatoes kinda coagulated on the top. Yeah... it's because a jelly.

There was absolutely nothing wrong with the taste but I guess the look of it was kind of a turn off.
Maybe Chickano might take some feedback and either keep their mashed potato in a warmer (if they'd like to pre-pack it) or maybe only scoop in the gravy )being kept warm and fluid) when someone orders it so that it's guaranteed to be at the desired consistency.

And I know some of you might be thinking "No lah can't be that bad until like jelly lah..."

We're really not kidding...

But like I said, absolutely nothing wrong with the taste.

From the counter, you can actually see into the kitchen and I think I saw someone creaming the mashed potato by hand so I guess this is another item they prepare manually which I can very much appreciate.

Adam's Verdict:
Fried Chicken 3.5/5 -- Beef Burger 2.5/5 -- Cheese Fries 2/5
Coleslaw 4/5 -- Mashed Potato 2.5/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Fried Chicken 3.5/5 -- Beef Burger 2/5 -- Cheese Fries 1.5/5
Coleslaw 2.5/5 -- Mashed Potato 1/5

I like the idea at Chickano because, hey, who doesn't like some fried chicken right?
And I think they have a really good product too. They've got a pretty good fried chicken recipe and some pretty interesting items on the menu. It's nice to see that they are also hand-making a lot of their stuff instead of using instant or prepared ingredients.

When we visited last weekend, Chickano was only about a week old so I'm pretty sure that given a bit of time, they should be able to fine tune certain things after awhile (ahem ahem mashed potato gravy)
Anyways let's support our local brands!

PS you might see a delivery number on their site but that's gonna be operational maybe only next month in October 2014 according to the lady at the counter.

Chickano

Blk 527 Bedok North St 3
#01-520

Tel: 6448 8660
www.facebook.com/ChickanoSG

Operating Hours:
10am to 10pm Daily

Swensen's - Sides Part I

Swensen's is a pretty popular brand in Singapore and quite a favourite choice sometimes.
And I know most of us go like "Oh I prefer somewhere more unique" or "Swensen's? No better place meh?" but the truth is - Swensen's is actually not that bad to be honest.

We've already covered a few of their breakfast dishes and also the soups and salads.
Luckily for us, they also have an extensive Sides menu. So extensive that we need to split it up!!
Anyways, if you're gonna eat there, maybe this might help you choose on some side dishes to go along with your main course!

Meatballs in Pepper Sauce ($9.40)

In what was probably the biggest surprise food-wise in quite awhile, these are actually the bomb!
I really was expecting just another generic dish and it was probably not going to be anything special but oh boy was I completely wrong on this one!

The mashed potatoes were an absolute dream.
I can't be sure if they're instant or if they're made scratch from actual potatoes but whatever the case, they were definitely put through the ricer again which results in an absolutely creamy texture and enriched with a nice hearty buttery taste.

The meatballs themselves were absolutely divine.
A combination of chicken and beef, these were cooked to perfection and were not overdone at all. The meat remained juicy and soft and the pepper sauce went together perfectly.

I know you think I'm probably exaggerating but I seriously enjoyed every last bite of this dish.

Mozzarella Cheese Sticks ($8.40)

Something pretty basic like this can still be easy to mess up.
(Trust me I've had some bad fried cheese sticks in the past. That's right I'm looking at YOU Pastamania!)
But at Swensen's, they pleasantly surprise.

One of the main plus points - it's not oily despite being deep fried.
I literally ate these with my fingers and had little or no oil residue on my fingers at all. And I know it was fried because I got the oil when I bit into the cheese.

The outer-coating remained crispy and managed to maintain its integrity by not falling apart or going soggy. The cheese melted a little bit but you still get a bit of the chewy texture you'd expect from some mozza. And the salty flavour of the cheese is definitely evident here. Minimal seasoning lets you enjoy the cheese!

I'm certain that all you cheese lovers out there will enjoy this!
But cheese is always heavy on the palate so maybe this one might be best to share.

Adam's Verdict:
Meatballs in Pepper Sauce 5/5 -- Mozzarella Cheese Sticks 4/5

If the sides are this good, then I might just have these without ordering any mains!
Let's see what else they have on the Sides menu... Will report back soon!

Swensen's (Bedok Mall)

Bedok Mall
311 New Upper Changi Road
#1-77

Operating Hours:
10.30am til 10.30pm Weekdays
8.00am til 10.30pm Weekends
(Last Order at 10.15pm)