“Big, Bold and Fresh” – now that’s the incredible tagline of Outback Steakhouse. This was clearly reinforced in the recent opening of the 2nd outlet of Outback Steakhouse in NU Sentral. Its flagship store in Bukit Bintang Park has been around since 2001 dishing out delicious food holding fast to the “Big, Bold and Fresh” philosophy.
“Big” refers to the generous portions and variety of food served in Outback. I was more than overwhelmed by their portions and most of their starters, mains and desserts are best shared. They do serve almost-American portions here so do be warned.
“Bold” is their seasonings as everything in their secret 17-spice blend is made inhouse, from scratch.
“Fresh” of course refers to the ingredients sourced from around the world with quality credentials from the US.
Outback Steakhouse, despite its name pointing to the outback of Australia, is actually an American steakhouse chain. A bit confusing, no doubt. In fact, Outback is the largest steakhouse chain in the world with nearly 1,000 restaurants in 23 countries in the US, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East. Interestingly enough, the setting and naming of the restaurant was inspired by the hit movie “Crocodile Dundee”, hence the rustic Australian theme.
I like the look of Outback Steakhouse in Nu Sentral. The spacious 150-seater restaurant is pleasing to the eye with its warm palette of contemporary wood furnishings and matching vibrant-coloured walls. The al-fresco dining area around the peripheral is also nicely laid out, giving it a pleasant casual atmosphere.
We started off with their signature Typhoon Bloom (RM19.95). The name is pretty appropriate for this huge layered round bloom of hand-cut fresh onion strings dusted with Outback’s secret seasonings, twirled and stacked high before being cooked till golden. The crunchy sweet layers taste divine when dipped into the accompanying spicy signature bloom sauce.
Burger lovers can opt for some more substantial bites with the Typhoon Bloom – there is a Typhoon Burger (RM26.65) where you can have the best of both – burger and the bloom. What’s more, the burger is served with a generous portion of Aussie fries – definitely substantial!
I was hungry and the Alice Springs Chicken Quesadilla (Full RM27.95, Half RM19.95) was the perfect remedy. It’s really stomach-fulfilling: grilled flour tortilla stuffed with grilled chicken breast, saute’ed mushrooms, beef bacon, melted cheeses and served with honey mustard sauce. The hot gooey cheese gluing the other ingredients together was really addictive.
Salad lovers would absolutely adore the huge salads served in Outback Steakhouse. Unless you are a super salad freak, do note that each serving is good for at least 3-4 people. Take the Aussie Chicken Cob Salad for example. It came in a tray, a mountain of fresh greens, grated Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses, crispy chopped beef bacon, chopped boiled eggs and tomatoes – all these for RM29.95.
Only high quality grain-fed dry-aged beef is served in Outback Steakhouse. Prices for steaks start at RM44.95 for a 6oz Sirloin up till RM74.95 for their 16oz T-Bone or Victoria’s Fillet. We had their signature Ribeye (RM56.95 for 8oz and RM66.95 for 10oz). The cut was nicely marbled and sufficiently thick. Well seasoned with their special 17-spices blend, our medium rare steak came with a nice pink juicy centre. Diners get to choose 2 sides to go with the steaks.
We had a full slab of BBQ Beef Ribs (Full RM59.95; Half RM39.95). Glistening in the most mouth-watering way, the beef ribs had been smoked and grilled to perfection. They were then brushed with a thick tangy BBQ sauce and served with Aussie fries. Very typical American-style ribs and portion is big.
I like the Lamb Chops (RM49.95) which were evenly grilled and tender to the bite. There were 4 pieces of neatly trimmed chops served with mash and mixed vegetables.
No Rules Pasta (RM29.95) – I like the name of this item. Basically, it’s fettucini tossed in creamy parmesan cheese sauce with vegetables, chicken and shrimp or just any of the condiments – no rules at all.
Cinnamon Oblivion (RM17.95) is for those who like apples and cinnamon. There are warm cinnamon apples and cinnamon croutons – lots of them, in this dessert. There are crunchy pecans too and all these are combined with caramel sauce and whipped cream. A very rich dessert and certainly not for the faint-hearted. It’s a bit too sweet for me though.
Outback Steakhouse is a good place to head to when you are totally famished. The huge portions and reasonable pricing makes this cool casual restaurant a great choice to hang out with a group of fellow foodies. Yes, dining in a group is recommended as some of the generous portions definitely need to be shared.
Outback Steakhouse
LG-27 & 28, Nu Sentral Mall
No.201, Jalan Tun Sambanthan
50470 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: (603) 2276-6200
Website: www.outback-sea.com