Longhorn Steakhouse @ Quill City Mall

Big & Bold Flavours of America’s Steakhouse

Longhorn Steakhouse, a large American steakhouse chain has landed on our shores tailgating right after the success of its sister restaurant Red Lobster. Both restaurant chains are operated by Secret Recipe F&B Group in partnership with Darden Restaurants Inc.

Longhorn Steakhouse opened on 30 January at Quill City Mall in the heart of the city and has been serving up grilled steaks and seafood the Longhorn way. The legend of Longhorn started back in 1981 in Atlanta, Georgia but it really only took off in 1982 when a freak snowstorm hit the city and many had to flock to the restaurant. It was then that many had tasted the superb grilled steaks that the legend of the Longhorn was born and the rest they say is history…

With over 450 locations serving up the legendary Longhorn steaks and seafood worldwide, the American steakhouse offers some of the best signatures of premium quality grilled steaks as well as other meat and seafood. Besides grilled meat and seafood, there are hearty appetizers, salads, burgers, pasta and dessert as well. The ambiance of the steakhouse is kept simple with lots of wood, steer head, antler chandelier and other western paraphernalia.

Secret Recipe CEO Datuk Steven Sim was present during our visit and proceeded to give us an insight on this latest venture with Darden Restaurants Inc. He is confident that Malaysians are always adventurous when it comes to food and will enjoy all the three American restaurants of Red Lobster, Longhorn Steakhouse and Olive Garden with our constant exposures to travel nowadays. Olive Garden, coming soon as well, is another flagship that features Italian cuisine with hearty salad, bread, pasta and pizza as their signatures.

I had a gorgeously tall and refreshing Strawberry Smoothie to start off with and was really happy with it. The icy treat was deliciously refreshing and bursting with strawberry flavours.

Dinner started off and one simply must try Longhorn’s Honey Wheat Bread. It’s complimentary with your main course orders. Served warm, the buns are so fluffy and sweet. The wheat is finely ground so the texture of the bread is fine and light. The subtle undertone of honey is lovely as it contrasted with the slab of creamed butter I spread on the bread. It certainly takes sheer power to stop eating this… at least for me...

We had some appetizers before our mains arrive. There’s plenty signatures at Longhorn and some of these dishes comes in two sizes to allow everyone to enjoy them. Our Wild West Shrimp (personal - RM17.90/ sharing - RM31.90) may not be that wild but we certainly enjoyed the lightly battered and golden crispy shrimps. There were some spicy peppers on the shrimp which I really like as it spiced up the crustaceans while the side of ranch dressing is absolutely divine. I am a big fan of ranch dressing and this version tasted superb.

We also had another appetizer of Grilled White Cheddar Stuffed Mushrooms (RM18.90) which was equally as good as the shrimps. Whole baby bellos were stuffed with a four cheese filling and topped with breadcrumbs before being baked till golden brown. What a cheesy haven! Cheese and mushrooms goes so well together and these were juicy and delish.

Chili Beef Soup (Cup - RM12.90/ Bowl - RM20.90) was next and Longhorn Steakhouse makes a mean recipe. It’s robust with rich tomato and spice flavours. There were also some sliced jalapeno chilies to spice up the heat further. I would love more nacho chips with the chili please.

We were here for the beef, all grain-fed and aged a minimum of 21 days. The beef are shipped chilled from Australia to guarantee its beefy flavours and textures and are cut in-house to American specs to keep the quality as per the parent restaurants in the States. The grain-fed ensures that the steaks are well marbled and full of flavours. Longhorn offers various cuts from sirloin, strip steak to the luscious filet, ribeye and the impressive T-Bone and porterhouse. There are also various sizes so one can order to one’s heart content depending on your appetite. All steaks are served with your choice of potato, steamed broccoli and unlimited servings of Honey Wheat Bread.

The Longhorn Ribeye (200g – RM89.90 / 310g – RM119.90) is super flavourful and tender. It has a nice marbling that rendered more flavours than other cuts. The ribeye is very well-seasoned and grilled with a nice crusty char. Then it is covered with a rich buttery sauce.

It’s beautifully pink and every bite was juicy and tender. I enjoyed the seasoned ribeye on its own and didn’t think it needed any sauce. However, Longhorn also provides some sauces upon request since many Malaysians still loves our sauces with our dishes. There is an Asian Oriental sauce which has lovely tangy flavours that I enjoyed with the steak as it gives the meat another level of flavours. That said, true steak connoisseurs would still go for a piece of steak just seasoned with salt and pepper to appreciate the original flavours of the beef.

Choice of potatoes runs from Loaded Baked Potato to French Fries, Mashed Potato and Sweet Potato with Cinnamon Sugar & Butter. I hightly recommend the Sweet Potato because it was my favorite that evening.

The Longhorn Porterhouse (565g – RM169.90) was a sight to behold! True to its Texan style, this cut showcases the best two cuts of beef of filet and NY strip. It is also a thicker cut compared to the T-Bone. I’d like to see someone finished this mega hunk of a meat on their own. Though the filet is very tender, I was impressed with the NY strip cut for its tender and superb flavourful characteristics. Each bite of the strip steak was heavenly. The ageing of the beef certainly also makes the flavours more pronounced. We had the Baked Loaded Potato with this one.

If you cannot decide on meat or seafood, then Flo’s Fillet and Lobster Tail (RM112.90) may be your answer. The lavish surf and turf features a cut of filet and a lobster tail, both grilled and broiled. The lobster tail is gorgeously sweet with a firm meat. All it needs is a quick dip into the side of clarified butter sauce to boost up more rich flavours. The filet was also decent and comes with the butter sauce as well. It’s a platter made for indulgence!

Grilled Lamb Chops (RM55.90) looked regal with all the chops beautifully trim, grilled and leaned against one another on the plate. Hidden beneath the chops were mashed potatoes and wilted spinach. The lamb was marinated in a mint-infused bordelaise sauce as per the menu. Indeed the lamb tasted sublime. The meat was tender and there were just enough bits of fat to keep the meat moist and tasty. I can taste the minty notes and was really enjoying the succulent lamb chops a lot. I would order this again.

We were recommended the Longhorn Salmon (RM45.90) as it is one of their best-sellers. A large piece of salmon is marinated in their secret marinade and grilled till just right. It is served with rice and steamed vegetables. The salmon is succulent and moreish. I like how it’s cooked just near done so it remained moist and tender. If steak is not your thing, then I would also recommend this salmon.

Both the Spicy Redrock Shrimp Pasta (RM33.90) and Redrock Grilled Shrimp (RM34.90) fared decent. The shrimps were smothered in smoky tomato butter and grilled. They were plump and tender with a soft sweetness and a subtle smoky aroma. One sat on spicy tomato macaroni pasta while the other sat on buttered rice and vegetables. I prefer the pasta as it has a good note of heat and tangy flavours that went well with the shrimps.

Our final savory dish was Spinach Feta Chicken (RM30.90), marinated chicken breast grilled and topped with spinach and feta cheese. It is served again with rice and steamed vegetables. This one paled in comparison to the steaks and seafood. It could also be that I took photos too long and the dish was cold so that didn’t help.

However, we did end our evening on a high note with two luscious desserts of Apple Gold Rush (RM18.50) and Chocolate Stampede (RM18.50).

Apple Gold Rush is Longhorn’s version of apple pie. The golden short crust pastry hid a wholesome filling of sweet Fuji apples and is accessorized with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, caramel and raspberry sauce. The pie was still warm and it contrasted beautifully with the ice cream. I enjoyed the short crust pastry as it melted in the mouth with a buttery richness. The filling was sweet and pleasant with light doses of spices.

It’s literally a charge of chocolates in the Longhorn’s signature Chocolate stampede. Six shots of chocolates of cake, chocolate mousse, fudge, cheese mousse, tiramisu and ganache are magically packed in layers, served with vanilla ice cream and huge dollop of fresh whipped cream. Talk about sexy desserts, this one just about takes the top place with all its heavenly temptations of chocolates. It’s very rich and sinful but so awesome in every spoonful. The portion is generous so sharing might be a good way to ease off the calories.

For those who work around the city, you might want to drop by for their value lunch menu for a taste of Longhorn Steakhouse.

Longhorn Steakhouse showed potentials in getting many Malaysians hooked on its steaks and seafood. While price is above average, portions are generous and quality is certainly on a higher end. Steaks are certainly their signatures and the Longhorn preparation of the steaks allows diners to enjoy the quality the beef well. Besides steaks, there are many other choices of meats and seafood that are equally delicious. Do try to save room for desserts as it is simply a delicious way to end a meal at Longhorn Steakhouse!

LONGHORN STEAKHOUSE

Ground Floor, Quill City Mall

1018, Jalan Sultan Ismail,

50250, Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03 2602 0871

Website: www.longhornsteakhouse.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/longhornsteakhousemalaysia