Outback Steakhouse Revisited
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Hui-chen and I decided to go out for some Western style food last night. We like steak and in nearby Jhubei is the Outback. We’ve blogged on it before and we’re convinced that this will be the last time, unless they seriously upgrade their menu and service.
First, I ordered their “jacked potato” which is a stuff baked potato. 10 minutes later I was told that they were out of all potato items except “chips” (french fries). He asked me what I wanted.
“I want you to go out and buy some fucking potatoes!” was my literal response. I was pissed mostly because it wouldn’t occur to the waitstaff to check with the kitchen first so they can rely that information to the customers as they are ordering. When he asked me what other stuff I wanted instead I told him I didn’t care (in Chinese). Also, in Taiwan, restaurants are always going out and getting more stuff from the local grocery store. I guess it was just too much to ask for them to have what I want, get what I want, or tell me when I’m ordering that they don’t have what I want.
The really weird part is that all of their boned steak items are gone. You cannot get a T-bone or a Porterhouse steak at Outback. This is stupid! A butcher told me that Taiwan cannot import steak from the US with bone. OK, so give me a choice! I’ll take an Australian T-bone or Porterhouse steak over a NY strip any day of the week. Out of desperation, Hui-chen and I ordered prime rib. OMG, that was an exercise in diplomacy in itself. You can’t get the grilled prime rib medium rare because the base roasting is medium. We spent almost 10 minutes in 2 languages to finally figure out what combination of crap we needed to order so we could get a couple of decent medium rare steaks. I was ready to go to My Home Steak and get some shitty T-bone fried on an iron plate and buried with pepper sauce, like our Monday night market.
What arrived on my plate was a quivering mass of fatty flesh that looked so awful, I shall spare you any photographic evidence.
Next time we’ll blog on Ruth’s Chris in Kaohsiung!
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April 2nd, 2008 at 7:13 pm
MJ don’t worry the Outback over in NJ sucks too. I haven’t gone to that place in 7 or 8 years.
I don’t think there is a single Outback restaurant in Australia. Never saw or heard of one in the 3 plus years we lived there. It’s not authentic Aussie food, like most Asian restaurants are in the US are not authentic.
Real Aussie food has beet root on it’s burgers!! Something I thought was odd at first, but grew to appreciate and now miss back in the US.
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April 2nd, 2008 at 9:01 pm
I went to an Outback in Taipei once (I’ve never been to one in the US)… I think one time was enough.
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April 2nd, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Makes me glad I don’t eat meat.
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April 2nd, 2008 at 9:47 pm
I didn’t have a problem with the Outback in Taipei. It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t bad, either. I loved the food at Ruth Chris’ in Taipei, however: Delicious. Good luck at the one in Kaohsiung.
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April 2nd, 2008 at 11:18 pm
MJ. There is nothing worse than a shit steak. It should be a crime. The only way to eat a true steak is medium rare. It is the only way to get the full flavour of the meat.
My mother likes her steak cooked until it is a weapon, you then need a top steak knife to try and cut the thing.
A real Aussie T-Bone steak or top prime rib with a real mushroom adn pepper sauce. I wish I could buy a real steak here in Ubon as well MJ.
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April 2nd, 2008 at 11:26 pm
i think i already said this the last time you posted about outback, but our experience at outback (in taipei) was by far one of the worst ever at any restaurant anywhere in the world. crappy food and even crappier service. guess those traits run throughout all the outbacks. what can i say… same shit, different toilet.
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April 3rd, 2008 at 10:14 am
Todd, glad to know it’s not just me!
Craig, while i was looking at the quivering mass of flesh i was wishing i didn’t either!
Poagao, the problem that i have is the lack of boned steak cuts, and that the chef in Hsinchu is a wuss who turns the heat of the grill down and that is a huge no-no. HC and i have eaten in the Taipei restaurant a few times and had an enjoyable experience. but if one hasn’t been there in awhile, the menu is completely different. i’ve eaten at the Ruth Chris’ steakhouse in Taipei on my first trip to Taiwan and i was very impressed. i wonder how they have responded to the Taiwan ban on bones from the US? i would serve Australian beef instead.
Brunty, it’s always a pleasure to talk with a man who knows the proper way to cook a steak! when i’m in Thailand, i shop for T-bones at Tesco. i’d have a few steak parties in the Khonkaen area and the Tesco steaks are better than expected. they are always frozen into a big brick so be sure to get them the day before you want to cook them. i cannot tell you how great it was to have a T-bone and eggs breakfast in the early morning light at the resort!
andres, yes i do recall. we keep holding out hope that they will go back to where they used to be, but i guess the marketing jocks know better!
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April 6th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
I’ve been to a few Outback’s in the Boston area… and they’ve all been quite good. There is a Ruth Chris steakhouse that opened about a year ago (I want to say Brookline but not 100% sure). I haven’t been there… but I’ve heard GREAT things about the place.
Maybe a Hilltop Steakhouse will open up there
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April 7th, 2008 at 8:06 am
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April 8th, 2008 at 10:05 am
I avoid chain restaurants. Red Lobster serves lousy fish. I can always do better than Black Angus for steaks. I go on to chowhound.com and yelp.com to find highly rated restaurants from other people.
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April 8th, 2008 at 10:25 am
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