LONGHORN - THE NEW 'MEAT'ING PLACE

Size does matter at LongHorn...the signature Porterhouse is a fine example

Weighing in at a whopping 565g, the LongHorn Porterhouse (RM169.90) isn't something to be trifled with. But to carnivores who wanna sink their teeth into a substantial slab of steak, this thicker cut of T-bone with a good slab of fillet to boot should measure up.

LongHorn Steakhouse which was founded in 1981 in Atlanta, Georgia in the USA. Now part of the Darden Restaurants Inc group, LongHorn is brought into Malaysia by master franchisee of Darden Restaurants and CEO of Secret Recipe Cakes & Café, Dato Steven Sim (pic below). Another Darden Restaurants’ brand – Red Lobster is already making headway in the local F&B scene and the 3rd brand, Olive Garden will enter the scene sometime in May.

The flagship LongHorn Steakhouse is located at Quill City Mall; the ideal 'meat'ing place for steak lovers to savour LongHorn's legendary aged steaks. While the grain-fed beef comes from Australia, Darden Intl (Asia) Sdn Bhd MD Franchise Ops, Asia Raymond Bauer emphasises that the meat is hand-trimmed to specific US-style cuts and aged.

Proof of the pudding (or should that be steaks?) is evident from the signature Porterhouse and Ribeye (200g – RM89.90 / 310g – RM119.90). The hefty cut is grilled to medium rare, rendering it warm red with pink centre hue; nicely charred and oozing with voluptuous juiciness. It was ever so flavourful thanks to the meat's rich marbling.

Each steak is complemented by a choice of potato (available as a side dishes at RM7.50 each), steamed broccoli and unlimited honey wheat bread. You can choose from Loaded Baked Russet Potato, Sweet Potato with Cinnamon Sugar & Butter (our top choice), Seasoned French Fries or Mashed Potato. Alternative carbo choices (RM7.50 each) include Seasoned Rice Pilaf, Steak house Mac & Cheese, Steamed Broccoli or Roasted Vegetable Medley.

If you like surf & turf combos, I suggest going for Flo’s Fillet and Lobster Tail (RM112.90) - a dream pairing of perfectly aged tenderloin with a succulent lobster tail.

Earlier we had sampled several appetisers and starters while waiting for our steaks to be ready. Go easy on the Wild West Shrimp (personal - RM17.90/ sharing - RM31.90) as overindulging on these crispy, hand-battered shrimp dusted with spicy pepper, garlic butter and house ranch dressing is far too easy.

Decked with four types of melted cheese on each baby portobello, the sinfully good Grilled White Cheddar Stuffed Mushrooms (RM18.90) is another sneaky diet-destroyer. It's kinda hard to stop at one so remember to spread the fat of this yummy treat around.

More devilish temptation beckons in the shape of LongHorn's warm Honey Wheat Bread. Beware if you've a weakness for all things bread and crusty. Throw in a serving of Chili Beef Soup (Cup - RM12.90/ Bowl - RM20.90) topped with onion and cheddar cheese and your resolve will melt away like the butter spread on those sublime buns.

Luckily, it's not all steaks and no prey for non-beef eaters at LongHorn. Our girlfriend was thrilled to chew on the scrumptious bone-in Grilled Lamb Chops (RM55.90). Propped up like a wigwam, the superbly tender chops is enlivened with mint-infused bordelaise sauce, whipped mashed potato and wilted spinach.

More into seafood? No fear, the Longhorn Salmon (RM45.90) - grilled Atlantic salmon suffused with a secret house marinade, served over rice with roasted mixed vegetable should reel you in. It was a substantial piece too but expertly flame-grilled to retain its pink core.

Local tastebuds raised on hot piquant flavours will gladly embrace the Spicy Redrock Shrimp Pasta (RM33.90). Two skewers of nicely grilled shrimp adorn a generous portion of macaroni (a tad too soft for my personal liking) that's tossed in spicy tomato sauce. Dig in and you'd find sweet roasted garlic pips mingling with diced roasted red and green capsicum as well as bits of chilli.

Prefer to play it safe? Then the Spinach Feta Chicken (RM30.90) - tender grilled chicken breast with spinach and grilled red capsicum in garlic jus, liberally sprinkled with feta cheese should be right down your lane. It's a complete meal with side servings of rice and roasted veg. I'm not a big fan of chicken breast but it's great if you're into beef or seafood.

Only chocoholics would understand the decadent idea of merging six types of chocolate with vanilla ice cream to create the aptly named Chocolate Stampede (RM18.50). Suffice to say it's enough to leave you on a chocolate-induced stupor after downing this.

Instead of Granny Smith which can be quite tart for apple pie filling, LongHorn's version uses sweet Fuji apples. Cooked and stuffed into a buttery, slightly crumbly pie crust, we warmed up to the Apple Gold Rush (RM18.50) at once, with lashings of caramel and raspberry sauce giving it the heavenly finishing touch.  

For reservations, please call LONGHORN STEAKHOUSE, tel: 03 2602 0871. Address: Ground Floor, Quill City Mall, 1018, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur. 

MAKE IT BIG!

You have a choice of two side dishes to complete your order of roast chicken...I opted for roast potatoes and grilled vegetables

From Plan B and Ben's to Ricetaurant and Canoodling, there seems to be no stopping the BIG group. Its surfeit of good food and drinks is now extended to the area of food retailing via Ben's Independent Grocer at Solaris Dutamas.

Imagine you can pluck fresh lettuce off their hydroponic shelves and shop for a wide selection of imported food that includes Jamie Oliver's range of condiments and pasta sauces, Koko Black's fine chocolates and Suga's candies, and premium Wagyu steaks all in one place.

If you feel peckish, make a beeline for Ben's General Food Store where you can relish in deli-style pastas and pies, scrumptious roast chicken hot off the rotisserie, hearty salads, oven-fresh pizzas and luscious dessert.

On my last visit, I literally drooled when I spied a couple seated at an adjoining table hungrily wolfed down a whole roast chicken by themselves. So this time it was my turn to zoom straight in to the juicy poultry which tasted as stunning as they look.

Yummy roast chicken available in whole or half portion...simply satisfying!

My friend's portion of Moroccan Lamb Pie was delish but the scant filling encased within the rather thick puff pastry really didn't do it justice. It came with a choice of one side dish so my pal plumped for the surprisingly delectable Orecchiette Pasta Salad with grated cheese.

Love the buttery and flaky pie crust despite its scant but flavourful filling. The tiny ear-shaped pasta with peas, rocket and grated cheese went down quite a treat with us.

We love the indulgent Mushroom Lasagna with Corn Salad as do my daughter who devoured her portion of Macaroni and Cheese within minutes!

The layers of lasagna packed with earthy mushrooms came with a generous serving of pesto sauce

I adore the golden, tender corn niblets in this scrumptious salad that accompany the lasagna

Cheesey but nice...you can't go wrong with this Mac & Cheese