It was April 7, 2012. My family and I went to Makati Shangri-La hotel for my sister’s birthday and for our vacation. We ate lunch at Dad’s and after that we went shopping and went back to the hotel.
We went swimming and we were there for about an hour or more. We took a bath, rested and went out to look for a place to eat dinner.
The Place
Australia
We dropped by at Outback Steakhouse at Glorietta 4, Ayala Center for Zia’s birthday dinner.
At first I thought it was a bar but when we went upstairs I was surprised to see a big restaurant . We sat at the window in front of the S.M. food court.
Australia
Outback Steakhouse has a wonderful theme and great pictures. The outback is a home land for many Australian animals like dingoes and wombats. Kangaroos and dingoes hide in the bushes to rest when the weather is really hot.
Australia
There are also birds who fly at the crack of dawn. Snakes and other reptiles bask in the sun .
The pictures on the wall show road signs , animals, and geography of Australia.
The bathroom doors had “Blokes” and “Shielas” on them rather than Men and Ladies. The toilets were really clean and smelled good.
Toilet
The waiters and waitresses also wore hats, vest and shorts used in the Australian outback.
The Food
Bushman's bread
Combo Appetizer
First, we ordered appetizer and water. They gave us Bushman’s bread , which is made with wheat and honey. It’s brown and served with butter. The inside is soft and the outside is crunchy.
We ordered the Combination Appetizer, which includes Kookabura Wings, Aussie Cheese Fries and Crispy Calamari.
Kookabura Wings tasted like buffalo wings. It is deep-fried and crunchy. My little sister found it too spicy but I didn’t think so. The fries had cheese and bacon, and tasted like it was homemade .The calamari is crunchy and tasted fresh. The combination platter also had four slices of celery, which was as fresh as if it was only plucked from the ground the same night.
Alice Springs Chicken
The Baby back ribs
Grilled Chicken and Swiss sandwich
Fish sandwich
Garlic rib eye steak
Next, we ordered our main dishes. I ordered Alice Springs chicken.
The Alice Springs chicken is a flame grilled chicken breast that has mushrooms, bacon, Monterey jack and Cheddar. It also has honey mustard sauce. It’s cheesy, flavorful and cooked properly.
Mom ordered 1/2 slab of Baby Back Ribs . My mom was surprised and happy because the serving was bigger than she thought it would be. There were about 5 ribs on the half slab, but it had lots of meat. Knowing that I love ribs too, my mom gave me a piece so I could describe its taste. The ribs are tender. I could taste the smoky flavor on the barbecue sauce and ribs.
My sister got the Grilled Chicken and Swiss Sandwich. I had a piece too because mom wanted me to taste everything. It’s made of chicken breast, caramelized onions, Swiss cheese, lettuce and tomato, and buns.
It also came with fries. It wasn’t very tasty , but I think you’re supposed to add some salt when you eat it.
My younger sister ordered the Fish Sandwich . It had breaded fish and cheese, with tartar sauce , lettuce, tomato and burger buns. Like the Grilled Chicken sandwich, it , too needs a little more salt and pepper. The bread is soft and crunchy. The vegetables are fresh and still crunchy.
Papa ordered the Garlic Rib Eye steak, which also came with vegetables and baked potato. Papa said it was cooked perfectly and tasted really good.
The servings were generous and we were all full. Right after dinner, the crew burst out of the kitchen, singing Happy Birthday to my sister, Zia. They brought her a serving of ice cream with chocolate drizzle and a candle on top.
This surprised us but made us and Zia happy.
The food is worth the price because it’s delicious and the servings were more than enough.
The Service
The place was kid friendly. When we arrived, we were given coloring papers and crayons to keep us busy. They had high chairs for little kids. The waiters and waitresses also talked to us.
Say CHEESE!
The service crew are very friendly and were very helpful all the time. They are smiling every time they came to our table. We always got water refills once our water run out.
It was great that they remembered when my mom mentioned it was my sister’s birthday so that they sang her happy birthday after our meal.
Outback Restaurant is a great place. I wish we’d go back there again.
Here are my ratings (5 is the highest):
5 stars for the food
5 stars for the place
5 stars for the kid friendliness
5 stars for the service
See you all next time! Adios!
