Tony Roma's Ribs, Seafood and Steaks @ Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur

Since lately I've been posting haphazardly, with most posts hanging without an ending, and the words "to be continued ...." rather misleading and somewhat abused, I pledge to conclude all the infamous sagas, before starting anew.

Good. With that out of my chest, let's backtrack slightly to the Moussandra post and move on from there, shall we?

Privacy ensured in the sense that the high seats hinder the nosy neighbours from prying on your meal ... or eavesdropping on your conversation. =P

Since the last visit to Tony Roma's was sometime during the Jurassic age (ie : when they opened their 1st outlet in Pavilion, and offering 'cheap' set lunches from RM16.90 onwards), I proposed (no, not THAT form of proposing) to have dinner at Tony Roma's over at Pavilion, again. Of course, I can't be selfish since the other 4 pretties (loosely used term, this one) have not stepped into the joint yet.

Fish & Chips (RM26.90)

I still remember my 1st visit to Tony Roma's back then. The service was chaotic, the staff who was on duty to usher the patrons was rather lost in the cloud, walking behind us, instead of showing us to our seats. And no, she was not helping and left us wandering all over before settling down on a table closest to us. Hmm. But surprisingly, she's improved, by leaps and bounds (again, another loosely-used term here) this time around. Yup, she's still there, better than ever! (I'm hopeless here) Of course, her performance scored higher marks when paired with not one, not two, not three, but a WHOLE LOTTA usherers welcoming us at the door! I felt as though the red carpet was awaiting to be rolled out and 'kompang' to be sounded any minute then!

But of course, I was being hopeful, and delusional. But they sure were cheery that evening!

Onion Loaf (Half portion : RM12.90)

We started off with half an onion loaf, which was suitably greasy enough to be indulging, yet tasty at the same time, especially when dipped into the accompanying BBQ sauce. But a little soggy, when ideally the rings should have been crispy. Half a loaf would do the trick, thus don't go overboard if you're not fond of fried, and filling starters.

Complimentary Loaf with Garlic Butter

Their serving of bread which resembled baguette was soft and fluffy when warm, but turned hard rather fast. Highly advisable to eat them while they're still warm.

Shrimp Scampi Pasta (RM31.90)

The portions at Tony Roma's are HUGE. Just like any other American diners out there, eg. Friday's and Chili's. Definitely meant for sharing for light eaters. If the meats don't stuff the hell outta you, the accompanying fries definitely would!

But do take note that the serving will be downsized considerably if you're ordering their set lunches. Understandable, as the sets come with other bells and whistles (soup, and desserts), and at rather reasonable prices.

Chicken Tenderloin Platter (RM28.90)

The chicken tenderloin platter came in a shocking serving of FIVE pieces of palm-sized batter-fried chicken meat. With tonnes of fries (with hints of skins; a good sign as they're not using the average shoestrings from the supermarket), a bowl of coleslaw to balance out the cholesterol (haha .. as if) and a dipping sauce of honey mustard. Though from the appearance the meat looked dry and bland, they were pleasantly juicy, and crispy at the same time. If only they offer a half portion instead .....

The Fish & Chips was equally good, though far from spectacular. With half a wedge of lemon, and the compulsory mayo and chilli (or was it tomato?) sauce.

The shrimp scampi pasta (real name forgotten, sorry!) arrived in its splendour, with more shrimps thrown in than one could count! They were really generous with their ingredients, and not mere small, frozen shrimps, but succulent, M-sized ones were served.

Bountiful Beef Ribs (Roma Rack : RM49.90)

But of course, Tony Roma's famous for their ribs. No, not the staff's, but the grilled ones. Though the outlets in Malaysia are branded HALAL, thus no pork ribs are served. Only beef, which surprisingly managed to irk most of the foodies over here, given the fact that the pork version has garnered quite a following in neighbouring countries.

The beef ribs can be served in two ways. Full rack, or Roma rack. The latter came in smaller portion, 3 gigantic pieces of Char-grilled 'Carnivorous'-wet-dreams-come-true' beef ribs, smothered with their signature sweet and smoky BBQ sauce, and served with plentiful of fries and coleslaw. Tastewise? The tender meat falling off the bone? Checked. Hunger pangs satiated? Checked. Carnivorous appetite appeased? Checked. Juicy and succulent flesh? Checked. Wait, make that half-checked. Though the meat was far from dry, they could've smothered the ribs with more sauce, OR provided a side serving of the BBQ sauce, to 'moisten' the meat, so to speak.

Imagine lying on one's bed, with a almost picture perfect view of KL's skyline. Enlightened?

On the whole, the meal was beyond satisfactory. And I came away feeling as bloated as a puffer. Or something along the line ...

Location : Tony Roma's Ribs, Seafood, Steaks Restaurant @ Lot No LG1.15, Level 1, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, 168, Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel No : 603-2143 3378.

KLCC - Still the tallest TWIN buildings in the world. Boleh eh?


The renewed interest in travelling options for the KL-IPOH route. Thanks to KTM Berhad

A short note : The journey by train from KL Sentral to Ipoh takes approximately 3 hours. Yup, right on time, no delays or other nonsense. No pestering from hawkers selling their 'kuih-muih' on board, but instead the staff from the cafeteria in the train will push their cart ala flight attendants. And they even showed Harry Potter (forgot which chapter though) on the LCD screen throughout the journey. Not bad, considering I paid a mere RM18 for the one-way trip. Go to www.ktmb.com.my for more information.