T.G.I Friday’s has been around for a long time and needs no introduction. It’s one of the most recognisable restaurants here in the Klang Valley, especially in the malls. It’s also a popular venue for birthday celebrations as I have witnessed many boisterous birthday parties being held in the premises. Of course, the restaurant staff’s loud and enthusiastic greetings and singing play a nice part in the popularity too.
Fashioned as a casual American diner, T.G.I Friday’s is a favourite with many and I can’t remember when the last was that they updated their menu. So when I heard that they have added 14 new dishes and freshened up their menu since 19 May 2014, I made a beeline to check out the newbies.
Out of the 2 new starters, I had the Loaded Chip Nachos (RM22.90); the other being their BBQ Beef Taco Stacks (RM19.90). A big shallow bowl filled with homestyle potato chips came slathered with thick melted cheese and beef bacon crumbles and further smothered with white cheddar queso. If you think that’s too much cheese, well, there’s more – Colby cheese, more bacon crumbles and green onions garnished the whole stack! Surprisingly, it wasn’t overpoweringly cheesy and the potato chips were light and crispy.
The salads in T.G.I Friday’s are really hearty – they can be single meals by themselves actually. The new Chipotle Yucatan Chicken Salad (RM29.90) is a prime example. A generous bunch of roasted pulled chicken breast seasoned with garlic oregano and other spices were served on a bed of mixed greens tossed with avocado, mixed cheese, diced tomatoes, red onions, cilantro and crisp tostadas. I love the creamy avocados, especially when the salad was drizzled with a lovely cilantro lime vinaigrette and sriracha aioli.
From the Grill section, we tried the Honey Pecan Salmon (RM47.90). A thick cut of salmon, nicely seasoned with spices (I was told there were 7 types of spices used!) and pecan honey butter was then grilled to a golden crisp on the skin. To punch up the heartiness, the salmon was served with rice pilaf and lots of vegetables. Such a filling dish, really.
The Miami Cubano Chicken Stack (RM47.90) is an even more substantial dish. There were two breaded crispy chicken breasts stacked up, plastered with shredded Mozzarella, sliced turkey ham and stir-fried mushrooms with a lemon cream sauce. And all these were served with rice pilaf and a fresh tomato basil mixed salad by the side. Seriously, this dish is good for sharing ya! The chicken breasts were tender and juicy too, not dried as I feared.
Love burgers? Of course that’s something that must be ordered in an American diner, so check out their brand new Cowboy Triple Meat Burger (RM35.90). It’s very beefy, let me warn you. Tender pieces of slow-cooked BBQ beef, roasted beef bacon and melted Colby cheese make up this giant of a burger. And for some crunch and sweet flavours, the burger is crowned with crispy frizzled onions and served with fries and horseradish sauce by the side.
For some simple carbs, go for their Wild Mushroom Farfalle (RM19.90) – a nice simple basic pasta dish. Pretty farfalle pasta were saute’ed with fresh crimini, shitake and button mushrooms and tossed with fresh arugula, Parmesan and drizzled with a flavoursome roasted garlic broth. Yes, my kinda pasta.
There are 3 new desserts on the list – Molten Chocolate Cake, Oreo Stack and Two High Carrot Cake, in the range of RM17.90 – RM18.90. I found only the Oreo Stack made an impression with the double layers of chocolate brownie sandwiching white chocolate cheesecake and smothered with chocolate ganache and hand-cut Oreo.
More information on T.G.I Fridays outlets can be found on www.fridays.com.my