TGI Friday's

TGI Friday’s – 260 Orchard Road #03-K5 The Heeren

After an almost decade-long hiatus, TGI Friday’s is making a comeback just across the street from their former premises at the glass house. I was anxious to try out this restaurant chain which holds so many fond memories from my childhood and was a little disappointed to find a creature somewhat different from what I remembered back in the 90s. Bring your appetite for typical American tex-mex fare of burgers, ribs and appetisers that are stuffed, coated or topped with cheese. While the food was decent, there was a mudpie-shaped emptiness in my heart left unfilled as they did not bring their signature dessert back. Don't forget your Benjamins along with your cholesterol pills for the damage came up to $134.65 for a table of 3.

We got the ball rolling with a small order of Loaded Potato Skins (10.90 for 4) which were average and a good size to whet the appetite. I liked that it was not too salty unlike most things with bacon and cheese. The ‘taters’ relied on the sour cream for richness as the cheese was light. A little on the bland side, a dusting of cayenne pepper would have done a lot of good but chilli sauce sufficed in this pinch.

The Jack Daniel’s Glazed Ribs (24.90 for a half rack) was surprisingly lean but a little dry as a result. The famed marinade accorded a smoky sweetness reminiscent of Chinese barbecued pork in this setting; critics could say this was just fancy char siew. The caramelised onion dip had an interesting twist in the form of molasses instead of sugar which gave it depth and character. This made up for the fries which were – across all the board – overseasoned in the way the potato skins were underseasoned.

The Cheesy Bacon Cheeseburger ($19.90) stole the show. The medium rare patty was juicy and moist accompanied by a good balance of creaminess from the fried mozzarella, sweetness from the red onions and tanginess from the piquant pickles. I would have preferred it if they had not buttered the sesame seed bun though.

The Jack Daniel’s Burger ($18.90) was far less fantastic that the cheeseburger. Done medium, it turned out on the far side of dry and the marinade did not perform as well on the beef patty as it did on the pork ribs earlier.

The Grilled Salmon ($25.90) was the biggest disappointment. The fish was dry, bland and overcooked; priced a step above the burgers, it could be considered a rip-off. In general, if you’re eating at an American-themed place, I would advise you to stick to the terrestrial offerings.

In the absence of a mudpie, I opted for the Brownie Obsession ($13.90) which epitomised the adage “if you’re gonna do something wrong, do it right”. The devilishly sweet, rich and moist cake was topped with vanilla ice cream that was gloriously creamy and not sweet in comparison (the cake made up the sugar quota really). This sizable mass was finished with a dusting of crunchy Oreo crumbs and toasted nuts as a tasteful textural flourish. I would have preferred it if the gooey caramel sauce were replaced with chocolate fudge which was tragically missing from an otherwise fantastic dessert.