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

Catch 'N Bite

So we received a message via FB to come down and try a new grab-and-go type joint.
The only thing was - it was all the way at West Gate Mall which counts as good as a world away for us here located at literally the other end of Singapore!

But believe you me - Catch N' Bite was always on our mind because we saw the pictures on their website and boy oh boy were we excited to try! And eventually, the day came when we had to venture all the way to the west for a project which meant finally getting to visit West gate Mall!!

The Catch 'N Bite menu is made up mostly of seafood.
Some come in sandwiches, some come in rice bentos and some even come as mini-tartlets.
But we had some items already 'targeted'!

Ultimate Lobster Roll ($12.90)

Ever since I started watching Food Network on cable TV, i kept seeing Lobster Roll this and Lobster Roll that and I really wanted one. So can you imagine how excited I was when I found out that Catch 'N Bite had Lobster Rolls?

And it's the real thing too because we saw a whole pan of the lobster sitting waiting to be enjoyed.

We noticed that the lobster was mixed up with a few other ingredients which kinda took away from the lobster a little bit. To be honest, it pretty much ended up becoming an Egg Mayo sandwich with some lobster meat in it instead of being an actual Lobster Roll.

You can see the lobster meat there is no doubt (see the pink morsel on the left?) but you you can also see more egg than anything else which was kinda disappointing. I know lobster is a very expensive and premium ingredient and you have restaurants serving Lobster Rolls ate 5x the price compared to here but I guess maybe a little less of the egg filler so we can enjoy the lobster itself would be nice.

We actually also felt the bread choice for the Lobster Roll was a little off. We're not saying it's bad bread but I guess it was more about choice of bread.

Lobster Rolls normally come served in a soft bun kinda like a hotdog bun and the Ciabatta bread used here was kinda hard especially when toasted (albeit lightly). Maybe a slight change in bread tactics might help?

But the bread they used was perfect for another item on the menu.

Crunchin' Shrimp Po Boy ($7.90)

Another temptation courtesy of Food Network - The Po Boy!

The shrimp has a nice coating so it gave them a nice crunch when you chomp down and the sauce went really well! But... missing the pickles which are supposed to be in there... Oh well...
But I actually found this more satisfying than the Lobster Roll.

They also have Fish and Chicken Po Boys too.
Actually they have one that we also wanted to try...

The Soft Shell Crab Po Boy was sold out!!
Oh well, at least we know what we're gonna try for the next time we visit!!

Anyways, we had some other stuff too! Went all the way so better try as much as possible!

Clam Soup ($4.90)

It was a bit more watery than we expected but then we realized that it was a Clam Soup and not really a Clam Chowder so less cream would be included. But it was still pretty tasty though! Probably because they used fresh lobster stock in here.

The clams were nice and plump and fresh too. Potatoes, carrots and celery thrown in like any good clam soup and you get a nice flavour of the ocean in a bowl. Wish they would have given small sachets of seasoning like salt and pepper for the benefit of those who might wanna tweak it a little.

Smoked Salmon and Sour Cream Tart

Crab Salad Tart

Garlic Mayo Shrimp Tart

Egg Mayo Ebiko Tart

The Seafood Tarts were these little mini-tarts with a baked shell and filled-in with an offering of seafood paired with some extras to make it a fulfilling bite. In fact, it's literally 1 or 2 bites to finish a tart so you and order a few if you'd like.

It's $2.50 per tart and they also have tarts like Shrimp Salsa, Pineapple Sauce Fish, Wasabi Mayo Shrimp and Mango Chutney Shrimp just to name a few.

Adam's Verdict:
Ultimate Lobster Roll 2.5/5 -- Crunchin' Shrimp Po Boy 3.5/5 -- Clam Soup 2.5/5
Seafood Tarts 1.5/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Ultimate Lobster Roll 2/5 -- Crunchin' Shrimp Po Boy 3.5/5 -- Clam Soup 0.5/5
Seafood Tarts 2.5/5

Azlan's Verdict:
Ultimate Lobster Roll 2/5 -- Crunchin' Shrimp Po Boy 4/5 -- Clam Soup 2.5/5
Seafood Tarts 3.5/5

Definitely something I might visit if I am ever in the area but I'll probably get a Po Boy.
PS this post is dedicated to one of our readers @Signora Su! Promised you we would visit the west!!

Catch 'N Bite

West Gate Mall
3 Gateway Drive #B02-K16

Tel: 64959935
www.catchnbite.com

Operating Hours:
10.00am to 10.00pm Daily

KL Sedap Part 2: Hard Rock Cafe

I'm sure you guys remember when we headed to Hard Rock Cafe (HRC) in Melaka right?
Well before there was HRC Melaka, there was HRC KL!

But before we start, let me apologize in advance for the quality of some of the pictures.
The place was rather dark and I had no choice but to fire the flash in most of the shots so they appear rather bright. But I guess that's better than having pictures of the silhouettes of the food right?

Hickory-Smoked Chicken Wings (RM26.00)

When you order your wings, you have to choose between either Classic (Normal), Tangy BBQ (Mild) or Heavy Metal (Spicy). Talk about lighting the fire of my appetite am I right?

Well it's basically like an order of Buffalo Wings.
The wings are tossed with the special sauce of your choice. They douse the wings with the sauce just nicely because you will get some on your fingers when you pick it up but not too much that it's overpowering.
Served with a Blue Cheese ranch dressing!!!

And at RM26.00 for half a dozen wings, it's a steal!!

Famous Fajitas Trio (RM55.00)

So these are the famous HRC Fajitas. (My mum's favourite!)

You have a choice of beef, chicken, shrimp, a double combo of two meats or a trio like mine!
It's served on a hotplate with a bed of sizzling onions. Awesome!

Fajitas Accompaniments

The Fajitas come with some accompaniments of course.
Some tortillas for you to stuff with the meat. You've also got lettuce, guacamole (avocado), herbed diced tomatos, Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses plus sour cream!

So if you're looking to have a party in your mouth, all the guests are already invited!

I can tell why my Mum loves this so much.
The grilled meat on the hot plate taste so much better when they're still sizzling hot and getting to choose what you want (or don't want) to be in your tortilla makes it even better. In fact, ditch the bread and just eat the meat! It's totally fine!

Hickory-Smoked Bar-B-Que Beef Ribs (RM78.00)

This is something we wanted to have in HRC Melaka but we passed.
And my darling wife decided she wasn't going to pass it up twice in a row!

BRING ON THE MEAT!!!

The tender beef ribs come smothered in BBQ sauce and cooked absolutely superbly.
The meat is so tender you don't even need a knife! You can just use your fork to twist of the meat and it comes falling off the bone just like that. Wish they would have laid off a little on the sauce though because I'd rather enjoy a little more of that beefy flavour instead of the BBQ sauce which is also in the baked beans.

It comes with fries, coleslaw and some baked beans.
This is a MUST HAVE for any meat lovers!!!
(My mouth is literally watering as I type this now while looking at the picture above)

Adam's Verdict:
Hickory-Smoked Chicken Wings 3/5 -- Famous Fajitas Trio 3/5
Hickory-Smoked Bar-B-Que Beef Ribs 4/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Hickory-Smoked Chicken Wings 2.5/5 -- Hickory-Smoked Bar-B-Que Beef Ribs 4/5

Still so many items to try on the menu at HRC.
I reckon we'll be making our way there a few more times. At least.

Hard Rock Cafe (Kuala Lumpur)

Concorde Hotel
No 2 Jln Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Tel: +60 3 27155555
www.hardrock.com

Operating Hours:
11.30am til 2.00am (Sunday til THursday)
11.30am til 3.00am (Fridays and Saturdays)

Kitchen closes at 10.30pm Daily