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

Fork & Spoon Toa Payoh - Hanmiga Korean and Japanese Cuisine

As you know, we really loved the HK Beef Noodles from Fork & Spoon but that's gone now and nobody knows where it went (some said Jurong??)

And even though there are other nice things to eat there like the Chicken Rice (which happens to be on our Chicken Rice Chronicles list by the way), we don't really go as often anymore since our beloved Beef Noodles were no longer there.

But recently we were in the area so we stopped by even though we didn't really know what to have and my Darling Wife made a discovery!

BBQ Saba Fish Set ($6.00)

My darling wife absolutely loves Saba Fish and it's so hard to find a nice one nowadays but I think we may just have come across it right here at Fork & Spoon Toa Payoh.

The dish arrives on a sizzling hotplate (yeah you can see it sizzling in the picture!!) nice and piping hot to be enjoyed with rice. The Saba Fish is resting on a bed of chopped onions and served with white rice along with a customary serving of kimchi and Korean ikan bilis (anchovies).

One of the great things is that there is no hamching (fishy) taste or smell to be found here. In fact, even though it says BBQ, the fish is also (confirmed) fried up a little which is actually quite good. The fish is halved so you won't have to deal with any bones and you have easy access to the flesh.

One gripe though - it was a bed of chopped white onions and no cabbage that the fish rested on. In fact it wasn't even a lot of onions :(

But oh well I guess that's a small price to pay!

Maryah's Verdict
BBQ Saba Fish Set 3.5/5

Got quite a few other things to try on the menu but I think Saba Fish is probably gonna be at the top of the list for quite awhile.

Fork & Spoon Foodcourt (Toa Payoh)

Blk 470 Toa Payoh Lorong 6 (Above Courts)
#02-70

Operating Hours: 10.00am til 10.00pm Daily

Yellow Submarines

We definitely welcome recommendations from our readers for makan places for us to visit and most of the time, the suggestions we receive are really good leads! So, when I received the same recommendation from 3 different people within 2 days, we simply had to visit this place ASAP.

Check out the queue...

So there's this place called Yellow Submarines in Toa Payoh which opened in April but was just certified Halal recently. So what exactly do they specialize in? Cheesesteak sandwiches!

I remember seeing a feature on the Food Network about the best Cheesesteak sandwiches in the US. I knew that there were places in SG which sold Philly Cheesesteaks but pretty much all of them were not Halal joints. So my heart (and stomach) still longed for a nice Cheesesteak...

I received the recommendations on Wednesday and Thursday and we made our way to Toa Payoh on Friday evening. That's how excited we were to try it!

But we arrived at one of the busiest times - dinner time! Just check out the queue above! I waited in line for just about over 30 mins before I reached the front. And when I looked back, the line was stretched all the way to the pavement again. And I though to myself "This had better be worth it...".

Hmm.. I wonder what I'm gonna have...

They have quite a few items on the menu which you might be interested in. They've got a few different types of submarines sandwiches including tuna, chicken and even a mushroom one! They've also got a hotdog, a burger and Quesadillas!

But.. we were there... for one thing...

Yellow Submarines Classic ($6.90 ala carte / $9.90 meal)

*drool*
I don't know about you but I'm a meat guy. And I'm also a cheese guy.
So when you put meat and cheese together - I'm the guy who's gonna eat it up!

Nice thin slices of beef which are pan-grilled to tender and juicy perfection. Get a nice soft baguette-roll and pile on the beef atop a bed of  sauteed onions. Finally, top if off with a nice generous slobbering of cheese sauce... And just how much cheese are we talking about?

ZOMG is that a cheese overload or what!! Slurrrppppp!

The roll itself was soft and a good choice because it holds in the cheese sauce. I already mentioned that the beef was tender right? Well let me add that it's also a very generous serving of beef in the sandwich.

When it comes to the cheese, I actually noticed something when I tasted the cheese on its own.
The closest taste I can compare it to is the cheese you get at Long John Silver's. You know when you order the side of potato chips at LJ's and you get a small serving of cheese sauce? Well this is the closest thing I can match it to. I'm not saying it's the same cheese but close enough!

That's actually a good thing because I love this particular cheese! It has just the right flavour to go with the meat but since there's A LOT of the cheese, you'd better prepare yourself!

I've read some comments online that some ask for no onions or less/more cheese when they order.
Well, however you wanna have it - this is one sandwich that really hits the right spot.

And if that's not enough cheese for you...

Torpedo Fries ($3.00)

This was a real winner for me.
How can anyone possible resist Cheese Fries???

The fries were just perfect - crisp on the outside but still fluffy on the inside.
Top it off which a nice dollop of the cheese sauce and you're gonna be digging at it with your fingers instead of with a fork.

I reckon this is one of their best sellers and a definitely must-have!!

Coleslaw ($1.50)

The first thing that came to my mind when I tried the Coleslaw was "Long John's".
Just like the cheese, the Coleslaw was really really similar with the coleslaw served at Long John Silver's!
The noticeable difference was that this version was a little sweeter with some raisins added in.

I say this is a definitely a must have as well especially if you love the coleslaw at LJ's like me!

Adam's Verdict:
Yellow Submarines Classic 4/5 -- Torpedo Fries 4.5/5 -- Coleslaw 4/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Yellow Submarines Classic 4/5 -- Torpedo Fries 4.5/5 -- Coleslaw 4/5

High scores all around!
We have no doubt that a lot of people will be flocking to Yellow Submarines. Yet another superb makan place in Toa Payoh for us to visit!

We're definitely going back to try some other stuff on the menu. Plus a Cheesesteak or 3 :P

PS as a Beatle fan, i give a nod to the name of the joint :)

Yellow Submarines

Blk 177 Toa Payoh Central
#01-110 (Approach from behind NTUC side)
Tel: 6352 7890
www.yellowsubmarines.com.sg

Operating Hours:
10.30am til 10.30pm Daily

Burger King: Rendang Burger

Here's a little-known fact.
My darling wife and I used to work at Burger King when we were younger!

It was just around the time after leaving school and I'm sure some of you also had a go at some fast food restaurant or other. In fact, it's quite an experience!

Well it's probably for that reason that my darling wife and I have a special place in our hearts for BK. Since we spent a lot of time with ingredients and the actual making of the burgers etc, that's probably why we hold BK in such high regard and also why we expect such high standards from BK.

Photo from Burger King

One of the most unique burgers ever in the history of Burger King (or even in Singapore I dare say) was the Rendang Burger. BK's flame-grilled beef patties topped with special Rendang sauce and onions! Yummy!

It was a sure winner back in the days and it was actually probably the only burger which uniquely held a special Singaporean flavour. I can't think of many other burgers which has such a uniquely local gimmick.
Well, the beloved Rendang burger unfortunately disappeared from BK menus islandwide quite awhile back.
It's been at least a few years...

You can imagine our excitement when we saw the ad... THE RETURN OF THE RENDANG BURGER!
Could it really be true???

BK Rendang Deluxe ($6.95 for the meal)

Let me start with the most important part of this burger - the Rendang Sauce.
And I have 4 words for you - IT'S-NOT-THE-SAME.

I don't mean that in a nostalgic-living-in-the-past kind of way. The sauce is literally different.
Trust me. My darling wife and I opened A LOT of Rendang Sauce cans when we were with BK and this is definitely not the same stuff. This one actually reminds me of Satay Sauce without the peanuts.

And for those of you who noticed - they use diced onions for this burger.
If there is one thing I remember about BK if there is onion in the burger, it's the round sliced onions.
I'm talking about the type you get with the BK Whopper you know what I mean. These chopped onions have no bite at all. They should have just left them out if this is the case.

And last but not least.
If you order the Rendang Deluxe (which is the double patty version), you get Turkey Bacon in the burger.
I'm not sure why. But there's some Turkey Bacon in there.

You can also have the Single Rendang Meal ($4.95) which doesn't have any Turkey Bacon.

Adam's Verdict:
BK Rendang Deluxe 2.5/5

Maryah's Verdict:
BK Rendang Single 3/5

Please don't get me wrong.

This wasn't a bad burger. It's just different from how it used to be and I reckon that quite a number of people will agree with me in saying they're disappointed because they were expecting a nice big bite of the old Rendang burger we all love. Oh well.

Burger King

35 outlets Islandwide
www.burgerking.com.sg

Operating Hours: Varies depending on outlet