Category: American

When we think about American food, it would be something extravagant and over the top. We hear the tripling size of a burger or a bun-less burger.

Lone Star Rib House – Top Ryde

Lone Star Rib House – Top Ryde Review:

We were walking around in Top Ryde Shopping Centre when I saw a signboard with my biggest weakness written on it: All-you-can-eat. That’s when we decided we should give Lone Star Rib House a try.

Upon arrival, you were given a bucket of free peanuts. Not a bad start, we thought.

Big Spring Beer Battered Onion Ring Tower – $16.95 – Feed the whole dang posse with a Tall Tower of Onion Rings

The onion ring tower was quite massive. They were also super crunchy with very nice sauce.

Unfortunately, it also turned out to be the best dish of the day.

All You Can Eat Ribs & Wings – $29.95

With the all you can eat ribs&wings, you are required to finish everything that they gave you before you move on to the next plate. It’s quite challenging as the ribs also came with wings and chips.

The wings have quite a few different sauces that you can try: BBQ, Sweet Chilli, Satay, Coriander Ginger & Lime, Hot, “Hot Ass” sauce. Despite the sauce, they were super dry. The chips were also chunky and a bit much. I guess it’s much cheaper to serve a bucket of chips than risking people ordering the second plate.

Little Kids’ Beef Ribs – $8.95 – with chips and all you can eat ice cream.

Interestingly, our little one could not eat the beef ribs as it was super dry and hard. It was very different than our ones.

Brownie Blast – $12.50 – Homemade Brownie Fudge Sundae, Crowned with Creamy Vanilla Ice Cream, Hot Chocolate Fudge, Whipped Cream and a Maraschino Cherry

The brownie was pretty decent. However, the rest was just stock standard.

Long Island Ice Tea – $12.95 – Tequila, Rum, Gin, Vodka, Triple Sec, Lemon Juice, Topped with Cola

I reckon this has got to be the cheapest long island ice tea I have ever seen. Either way, you get what you paid for.

The final verdict for Lone Star Rib House – Top Ryde

I guess Lone Star would be worth it if you could finish at least two plates of all-you-can-eat ribs, wings, and chips. However, given it’s a fixed set menu, I think most people would be reluctant to order a second serving.

Do you think I should go?
If you can eat a whole bunch of ribs, wings and chips… then yes. However, quality-wise, there are a lot of better rib houses out there.

Rating for Lone Star Rib House – Top Ryde:

6.0 / 10

Taste: 5.5 / 10

Price: $29.95 all-you-can-eat ribs, wings and chips

Place: 7.0 / 10

Details:

Top Ryde Shopping Centre
Devlin St & Blaxland Rd, Ryde 2112

+61 2 9808 2939

http://lonestarribhouse.com.au/

Apr 1, 2018
Doughbox Diner

Doughbox Diner Review:

Halloween is usually one of the most celebrated holidays in the United States. Our visit to an American Restaurant, Doughbox Diner, on Halloween’s day was no different. They had a tombstone at the entrance and a few halloween-inspired dishes.

Burgers, crepes and lots of desserts dominated their menu. They also had a few hot dogs and starters.

As a starter, they gave out complimentary bowl of popcorn.

Buffalo Wings (10 pieces) – $18.99 – Fried Chicken Wings tossed in our Spicy Buffalo Sauce served with Celery Sticks and Ranch Dressing

The first dish to arrive on the day was buffalo wings. They warned us about how spicy the wings was with three chilis symbol right next to the list. However, it was not hotter than our usual chili sauce. The wings were nice and super saucy.

Onion Rings – $12.99 – Crispy Battered Rings served with our Zesty Dipping Sauce

Their onion rings were quite thin and super crispy. The dipping sauce really made it zesty!

Johnny B Goode – $17.99 – 2 Beef Patties, 3 Slices of Cheddar, House Relish, Red Onion, Lettuce, American Mustard, Sweet BBQ Sauce

Our original order was a burger called Sloppy Joe. However, they said it was not available on that day. We then focused our attention to Johnny B Goode (named after a song by Chuck Berry). It has all the hallmarks of something American with stacks of burgers and cheese. It is the second largest burger in the menu.

Avocado Bite – $14.99 – Chicken, Bacon, Mushrooms, Spring Onion, Fresh Tomato, Avocado & Sour Cream, Cheese

Avocado bite is part of their crepe cone range. They claimed their crepe cone to be highly addictive…. and we did not blame them. I used to eat a savoury crepe when I was a child with a lot less fillings in them. So, a massive cone with lots of fillings is like a dream come true!

We had to ask for a takeaway box as we were quite full and we knew the dessert would come next.

Scream Sundae – $12.99

The only halloween-themed item on the menu that we ordered on the day. The sundae came in a skull goblet with LOTS of halloween candies. It was not probably our best move, considering it’s only Tuesday!

The final verdict for Doughbox Diner

Doughbox diner was definitely a fun restaurant to visit. They had quite a reasonable price and we were super nourished!

Do you think I should go?
If you enjoy themed restaurant that will make you full and happy… Of course!

Rating for Doughbox Diner:

7.5 / 10

Taste: 7.5 / 10

Price: $15 – $22 burgers

Place: 7.5 / 10

Details:

137 Enmore Rd, Enmore 2042

+61 2 9565 1995

http://doughboxdiner.com.au/doughbox/

Nov 6, 2017
The Holy Crab

The Holy Crab Review:

Seafood in Indonesia is in abundance and is usually quite reasonably-priced. That’s why for this week’s review we went to a nice seafood place in Jakarta called The Holy Crab. The Holy Crab borrowed its seafood concept from Louisiana seafood boil.

However, we actually did not pay close attention to the price in the menu and missed the ‘little’ detail of price per 100 gr for the first 8 items (not just the top 4) in the menu. As a consequence, those 2 mud crabs were costing us more than half of the total bill!

Their menu can be divided into two: fried or boiled. Obviously their main attraction was the boiled one. You can select from the two sauces: Original Cajun or Garlic Pepper. There are four different hotness levels: Mild, Medium, Spicy, and Holy Moly!

Cajun Fries – 28k

Cajun fries is the staples that you need to order. You would get corn in some of the dishes below, but it’s not chips!

Onion Rings – 35k

Onion rings is one of my favourite dishes and I will always try to order them whenever I see one.

Mud Crab – 48k / 100gr

I love a good mud crab. However at $48 / kg, their price is almost on par with Sydney’s Mud Crab.

Shrimps – 40k / 100gr

We ordered the shrimps, that’s how the Americans said it, in garlic pepper sauce. It also came with corn cobs.

Crawfish – 48k / 100gr

I like crawfish, or what we call yabbies here in Australia, a lot more than lobster.

Hooks Telescope – 30k

The Hooks Telescope is the name they gave for a hot dog. It is part of the kids menu. The hot dog was quite plain and you had to put in the sauce separately. This is a big no-no for kids (my son especially). It wasn’t as exciting as the rest of the dishes.

The final verdict for The Holy Crab

Outside the little pricing ‘surprise’, we actually quite enjoyed our dinner at The Holy Crab.

Did you know?

The Holy Crab group has a few different restaurants in its group, Ersons Group. One of the more notable restaurants is the Holy Smokes.

Rating for The Holy Crab:

6.5 / 10

Taste: 7.0 / 10

Price: ~ $200 for 3 adults + 1 kid

Place: 7.0 / 10

Details:

Jl Gunawarman no. 55, Jakarta Selatan 12110

+62 21 2923 6155

http://theholycrab.co.id/

Mar 21, 2017
Super Simple American Smoky Beef Brisket with BBQ Sauce

Recently, there is a surge of burger joints in Sydney that serve American-style burger that looks pretty messy and possibly disregard any health concern. I tried a couple of them, especially the smoky beef brisket, and was instantly loving it. Coupled that with a tv show called “Man Fire Food” and here I am searching a way to make smoky beef brisket!

I read a recipe from Taste.com.au on how to make smoky beef brisket and tweaked it a bit. This way, I don’t need to purchase additional ingredients that I might not need in the near future.

What do we need to make Smoky Beef Brisket?

This is the original recipe:
1. 1/2 cup smoky bbq sauce
2. 1/4 cup bourbon
3. 3 garlic cloves, crushed
4. 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
5. 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6. 1.3kg beef brisket

I substituted the sauce and bourbon to 3/4 cup of McCormick Grill Mates Brown Sugar Bourbon BBQ sauce (because this is the one I currently have at home). I also use Mexican chili instead of cayenne pepper.

The preparation for making Smoky Beef Brisket

Combine all of the ingredients above in a baking dish (quite a big one). Make sure you coat every part of the beef brisket (turn several times if needed). Once the beef brisket is fully immersed in the marinade, cover the dish with cling wrap. Leave it in the fridge overnight (or a minimum of four hours in the fridge).

You might also want to buy burger buns and coleslaw for the salad.

How do we make the Smoky Beef Brisket using conventional oven?

1. Preheat oven to 160 °C or 140 °C fan-forced.
2. Cover the baking dish with aluminium foil.
3. Bake for 2.5 hours.
4. Turn the beef upside down. Be careful when taking the dish out as it is very hot.
5. Bake for another 2 hours or until you can easily scoop the beef with fork.

Half way

A little tips to make your perfect Smoky Beef Brisket

1. For the cup measurement, I use the standard kitchen cup (possibly something around 237 ml).
2. Be generous with the marinade sauce. Be VERY generous!
3. Add extra chili for extra kick!

Jul 12, 2016
Choco Corner

My Choco Corner Experience:

Located in Mal Artha Gading (North East Jakarta), I must admit that I would not normally visit the area as I tend to stick to Central or South Jakarta (due to the traffic). However if you are around the area, I can say that Choco Corner truly worth your visit.

Established in 2010, Choco Corner have quite a large variety of food on their menu, from classical Indonesian, Indonesian fusion, Spanish, and other – what Indonesians called – the ‘Western’ food.

Beef Nachos Grande might not be as ‘grande’ (large in Spanish) as one would expect. However, it was actually big for Indonesian standards. When you order Nachos in Indonesia, you usually get a few pieces of tortilla with half-heartedly put tiny pieces of meat. So looking at this serving made me quite happy.

Beef Nachos Grande – 43.9k

Our next entree is a hidden gem. It is also appropriately named as the Exotic Delight! The image might not do justice as it only showed French fries and capsicums. However, I can tell you that they are not your usual French fries.

Exotic Delight – 34.9k

I ordered Nasi Goreng Kambing (lamb fried rice) because I wanted to make a comparison (that might sound a little bit unfair) to the legendary Nasi Goreng Kambing Kebon Sirih. In terms of aesthetic, there was no doubt that their fried rice fared a lot better than the legendary site. It was still a good alternative if you didn’t want to travel to Central Jakarta.

Nasi Goreng Kambing – 35.9k

They also have decent-sized ribs, such as Iga bakar balado or Rib original barbecue. Iga bakar balado had quite a unique taste to it as it was meant to be hot and spicy (not your typical ribs, eh?). Rib (notice that it is only one rib) original barbecue on the other hand resembled your typical ribs with slightly juicy twist, Indonesian-style.

Iga bakar balado – 78.9k

Rib original barbecue – 78.9k

The dish that I actually ordered myself was smoked chicken with creamy mushroom sauce. You get nearly half a chicken with a hint of salsa and green veggies at the top. The chicken was perfectly cooked (well, in this case, smoked) and I was impressed with the combination of mushroom sauce and sweet and sour. They also have other flavours for the smoked chicken you are welcomed to try!

Smoked chicken with creamy mushroom sauce – 69.9k

I didn’t get to try the next two dishes. Its Spaghetti Bolognaise was nicely presented with two edible curiously-looking things sticking out of the noodles. If you look at its Lasagna alforno you have to admire its juicy and messy feel to it! Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty in it!

Spaghetti Bolognaise – 36.9k

Lasagna alforno – 36.9k

The final verdict for Choco Corner

All of the dishes were beautifully presented and done at Choco Corner Mal Artha Gading. Our favourites of the day were the Exotic Delight and Smoked Chicken. They were exotically different than other dishes I’ve eaten in Indonesia.

Did you know?

Choco Corner was a brainchild in 2009 of a reunion of classmates from Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB – Bogor Agricultural University) that wanted to promote cacao commodity. From a simple coffee corner, they expanded to full-blown restaurant service without leaving their core cocoa values!

Details:

Mal Artha Gading – Ground Floor

+62 21 458 641 99

Oct 24, 2014
Chilis American Grill Bar – Singapore

Rating:

6.5 / 10

Taste: 6.5 / 10

Price: S$23 – S$35 main course

Place: 7 / 10

Review:

Chilis American Grill Bar is located strategically right at the heart of Resorts World Sentosa. We went there just after a visit to Universal Studio Singapore because it was just around the corner!

I recommend you to try their Triple Dipper (S$24) as a starter. You could choose three dishes between their starter choices. It would then be placed on a share plate with three sauces of your choice. On this occasion, we chose Texas cheese poppers, Wings over Buffalo, and Southwestern eggrolls. The cheese poppers were pretty exciting with the additional pop from the jalapenos every now and then. The other two were okay.

Chili Shrimp Quesadillas (S$23) was our second dish of the day. Since it is American, they tend to use the word shrimp instead of prawn. Served with house-made pico de gallo and a side of sour cream, the quesadillas could have a little bit more time on the pan. However, the dish was presented pretty nicely.

There is a whole lot of Cs in our next dish: Crispy Honey-Chipotle Chicken Crispers (S$25). It was a spiced up version (with the addition of smoky honey-chipotle sauce) of the regular chicken crispers that came with sweet corn on the cob and homestyle fries. This dish was my personal favourite in the restaurant.

For the last dish, the name escapes me, it could have been Fajita trio (apologies for that). However, I can tell you that it is sort of a hybrid between quesadillas and fajitas with rice. They also have ribs and burgers which we didn’t try this time.

The final verdict for Chili’s American Grill Bar

Being at the heart of Resorts World Sentosa certainly enticed us to visit Chilis American Grill Bar, especially after a full day of fun at the Universal Studio Singapore. The Triple Dipper would certainly get things a bit more exciting to start with.

Details:

Resorts World Sentosa

26 Sentosa Gateway, #01 – 072-074 Singapore 098138

+65 6835-9077

http://www.chilis.sg/index.php

Mar 28, 2014