Outback Steakhouse Review - Extensive, Decent New American Favourites

Strawberry Basil Lemonade ($13.90), Watermelon Margarita ($14.90) and Apple Mojito ($12.90)

Throughout the meal, we were served 3 different new-on-the-menu cocktails in sampling portions. Out of the 3, the strawberry basil lemonade fared best. There were juicy strawberry bits within and the drink was blended to a right without the alcohol being overpowering.

Watermelon Margarita

All the 3 cocktails were good and though this wasn't our favourite, it stood out in presentation because of the little sugar crystals going around the tip of the glass. Talk about customising your sugar level on a whole new level.

Typhoon Bloom ($14.90)

Featuring thick hand-cut slices of onion rings, this is good if you want to enjoy the succulence of onions along with the crispiness of the flavoured batter. I prefer the usual thinner and smaller onion rings, but this is really interesting and worth a try.

Spinach Artichoke Dip ($13.90)

For lovers of nachos and cheese, this is a shoo-in. The warm dip is the magic, with the addictive mix of Monterey Jack Cheese, Parmesan Cheese, spinach and artichoke. So very good.

Baked Sweet Potato with Cinnamon and Honey Butter

Outback also offers 9 kinds of sides for picking to go with the mains. The newly introduced Baked Sweet Potato with Honey Butter and Cinnamon Sugar is such an obvious yet brilliant combination. You wonder why no one ever thought of it sooner as an alternative to our baked potato with sour cream. The butter melted on the sweet potato and the cinnamon sugar on it left us wanting for more.

New York Strip ($36.90)

Sadly, the New York Strip, which I had high expectations for, didn't live up. The steak was underwhelming in flavour with none of the smokiness I was looking for in grilled steaks. It did not have much juiciness as well.

Alice Springs Chicken ($25.90)

Much better was this Alice Springs Chicken. Even though it's grilled chicken breast, the result wasn't dry thankfully. From then on, it's hard to go wrong in flavour with the sauteed mushrooms covered by the bacon and cheese combination. Be prepared to burst the calorie count on this one.

Tilapia with Pure Lump Crab Meat ($27.90)

This was another better than average dish. Special mention to the delicious, savoury lemon chablis sauce on top of the crabmeat and crab stuffing. It gave the dish a lift in taste. The crabmeat was dry, but still retained its sweetness.

Baby Back Ribs (half  $19.90, full $32.90)