American-born but Down Under Flavours: Outback Steakhouse

Prior to writing this post, I didn't know that 'outback' actually refers to a vast, remote and arid areas of inland Australia, the outback is not to be mistaken with a desert though, as the massive expanse of land is not made of sand dunes (still, you wouldn't want to wander too far inland into nothingness).

Outback Steakhouse on the other hand, is a steakhouse concept that actually came from Florida in the USA back in 1988. Today, its restaurants are scattered over 1,000 locations spanning 22 countries including 3 restaurants in Jakarta, Indonesia. Despite the American roots, Outback Steakhouse is envisioned as a place that embodies the spirit of the Australian Outback. I'm not sure what 'Australian outback spirit' is supposed to be, what matters is that Outback serves Australian steak grilled-to-order with occasional down-under-sounding names like 'toowomba', 'kookaburra', etc.

Outback Steakhouse first opened in Indonesia in year 2000 and 13 years later, it opened the 3rd outlet at one of Jakarta's shiny new and absurdly located at a 24/7 traffic jam hotspot shopping mall, Kuningan City. Be warned, the images below may be considered explicit for vegetarians (I'm sorry), but for the omnivores and carnivores, masturbate feast on these delectable foodporn ;)

Cut me open

The Place
Pictured here are the interior of the Kuningan City branch. Sort of reminds one of the cowboy bars located in the wild west, except these are well polished and clean.

Drinks

Left: (from L-R) Flavoured Iced Tea (IDR 32,900) Cherry Limeade (IDR 32,900), Peach Mojito (IDR 32,900) & Coco-Berry Smoothie (IDR 32,900)
Right: (from top-bottom) Lychee Iced Tea & Coco-Berry Smoothie

Appetizers

Left: Crispy Fried Mushrooms IDR 69,900
Right: Aussie Cheese Fries IDR 69,900

Kookaburra Wings IDR 79,900 (full portion) | IDR 52,900 (half-portion)

Main Course

In my opinion, out of these, the best was the Toowomba Topped Fillet, the creamy sauce with shrimp and mushroom are quite a unique change from the classic mushroom or black pepper sauce. Whereas the BBQ sauce of the ribs tend to be sweeter than my liking, so I would request for less BBQ marinade on my ribs next time.

Baby Back Ribs IDR 339,900 (14oz.) | IDR 179,900 (7oz.)

Left: Outback's Signature Steak, Ribeye IDR 209,900 (8oz.) | IDR 239,900 (10oz.)
Right: Alice Springs Chicken IDR 125,900

Left: Toowomba Topped Fillet IDR 329,900
Right: BBQ Beef Ribs IDR 249,900

Dessert

The dessert was brutally calorie overloaded, if you fear of feeling guilty afterwards, just scrape off the whipped cream on top and you're left with the real deal. Lovely sweet endings, if you are not-into-sweets kind of person, you may not like these, so opt for the Apple Pie instead, which I reckon would not be as sweet because of the apple.

Left: Banana Nut Cake IDR 55,900
Right: Chocolate Thunder from Down Under IDR 69,900

Apparently, the Australian factor is not just in the name or the meat, but in the portion too! So, if your carnivorous pangs suddenly appears, head up to Outback Steakhouse for a filling steak-y fix. Top it off with the Signature Cocktail and the Dessert. Don't mind the excess calories, diet always starts tomorrow no?

Outback Steakhouse Indonesia
1. Pondok Indah Mall 1 | 1st Floor Unit 153 B | JL. Metro Pondok Indah Blok III B | South Jakarta | Ph: +6221 7506771
2. Ratu Plaza | Ground Floor Unit G010 | JL. Jend. Sudirman No. 9 | Central Jakarta | Ph: +6221 7252188
3. Kuningan City | Ground Floor Unit G11-G15 | JL. Prof. Dr. Satrio Kav 18 | South Jakarta | Ph: +6221 30480505