Outback Steakhouse's New Outlet at Kuningan City
It all started on a bright Tuesday morning,
You just can't say no when Outback Steakhouse invites you to a friendly blogger gathering, right? You put on a smile, empty your calendar, and prepare for a meat-vaganza feast. Outback is well-known for its Australian themed steakhouse, although it was originally founded in Tampa (FL), so it's basically an American casual dining restaurant that has hundreds of franchised chains across the world. In Indonesia, they started off in 2001 and now they have just opened their 3rd branch at Kuningan City, following their previous success at Ratu Plaza & Pondok Indah outlets.
This new branch in Kuningan City is more spacious than the other two, accommodates 45 tables & 180 guests at a time. Like any other Outback outlets, it has that contemporary decors inspired by Australian aboriginal art, giving quite an earthy & rustic ambiance while keeping their ceiling up high and windows surroundings that gives extra 'breathing room' & more lights; which I really love.
The best part from getting an invitation from restaurants, is that sometimes they allow you to see what's behind the curtain and to enter their kitchen. It's like high-school study tour all over. Entering professional kitchen which usually only seen on TV, and see how fresh the ingredients were, how foods were made by the hands of professional chefs.
I'm telling you, the kitchen of a steakhouse has the BEST ODOR, lol.
The scent of burnt charcoal, butter-glazed griddle, and the sound of sizzling meat, bubbly mushrooms, and looking into how they plate racks of beautiful steak cuts were just OH. MY. GOD, an awesome thing to see & hear on a Saturday :) I know we might be impeding their cooking speed at that time, so THANKS Outback management for being so kind & giving us the chance!
LET'S BEGIN WITH APPETIZERS:
Aussie Cheese Fries - Rp. 69.900
Aussie Fries topped with melted Monterey Jack, Cheddar, bits of fresh chopped beef bacon and served with a ranch dressing. Tip: eat while it's HOT. We took our time to do 'foodblogger thing', when we ate it wasn't as yummy as what the picture describes.
Crispy Fried Mushrooms - Rp. 69.900
Lightly breaded and fried mushrooms, served with ranch dressing. Great batter that makes perfect crunchy coating. Love it!
Kookaburra Wings® Full Rp. 79.900
Chicken wings tossed in a savory blend of secret spices with creamy mild Blue Cheese dressing and celery. Although I don't know what the celery's for. Mushrooms still win me over this.
MAIN COURSES:
Zagat could hardly be wrong. As the winner of the Best Steak category for three years in a row (’09, ’10 and ’11) in the Zagat Survey of National Full Service Restaurant Chains, Outback only serves USDA “Choice” Certified Angus beef. One tip for enjoying perfectly cooked steak is to never well-done them. Let the ingredients shine & speak for themselves!
Toowoomba Topped Filet -Rp. 329.900
Sautéed shrimp and button mushrooms tossed in a tomato cream sauce and served over a seasoned and seared 6 oz. filet, with potatoes & veggies on the side. Tried this one, it has a rich but subtle flavor, thanks to its lovely tomato cream sauce. If it were my order I'd lick them clean and finished with mashed potato!
BBQ Beef Ribs - Rp. 249.900
My order. Only for the hungry ones. USDA "Choice" Certified Angus beef. The ribs are succulent enough, but not really that juicy & 'fall-off-the-bone' type. The meat was in fact a tad dry, and needs more of its fingerlickingly good BBQ sauce. Served with Aussie Fries on the BOTTOM. Which makes it messy because when we tuck in to slice the ribs, the fries also got cut off into small messy chunks :( I've definitely had better rack. Maybe should have ordered its signature steak instead. Nice to try for the big appetite, though.
Alice Springs Chicken® - Rp. 125.900
Chicken breast flame-grilled and topped with sautéed mushrooms, crisp strips of beef bacon, melted Monterey Jack and Cheddar and finished with honey mustard sauce. Cheese everywhere!
Outback Special® - 8 oz. Rp. 199.900
Finally, Outback's signature steak that was seasoned with bold spices and seared just right. Nice, thick cut. Tips: should order medium rare or medium, and if you insist on ordering well-done, you're practically ruining its perfect taste.
Ribeye 8 oz. Rp. 209.900 | 10 oz. Rp. 239.900
One of my favorite cuts! Well-marbled, juicy and savory. Seasoned and seared with Outback's secret 17 seasoning blend and char-grilled over an open flame. BIG CUTS!
New York Strip - 10 oz. Rp. 249.900
One of the most flavorful steak, but I'd prefer Victoria's Filet (Filet mignon) or rib-eye over this particular cut.
Prime Rib 8 oz. Rp. 229.900 | 10 oz. Rp. 259.900
Meticulously aged, then slow-roasted to seal in the savory beef flavor and to ensure tenderness, hand-carved to order and served with mouth-watering au jus. Perfect if you like a bit more fat layer in your steak cuts. For me, not so much :)
Victoria's Filet - Rp 299.000
a.k.a filet mignon, the most tender and juicy 8 oz. thick cut filet! Please don't order a well-done steak for this cut, it's best served medium rare of medium, seriously melts in your mouth.
DESSERTS!
Chocolate Thunder from Down Under®* - Rp. 69.900
Fresh-baked pecan brownies crowned with rich vanilla ice cream, drizzled with warm chocolate sauce and whipped cream. I personally like this one better.
Banana Nut Cake* - Rp. 55.900
Similar to the chocolate thunder, this one uses a combination of banana, toffee, whipped cream, nuts and cinnamon.
Overall, it was indeed a happy Saturday. Loads of protein (and fat :p) overdose, tried different steak-cuts to taste their subtle difference, and good catching up with fellow foodbloggers. Next time I'm going to Outback I'm definitely trying their Seared Ahi Tuna! Too good to be missed. (image taken from their website)
Outback Steakhouse Kuningan City
Kuningan City Mall,
Ground Floor, Unit G 028 Jakarta 12940
Opening hours: 11:30
am to 10:00 pm
Phone:
6221.3048.0505
www.outback-sea.com
FB: Outback
Steakhouse Indonesia
Twitter: @OutbackIN