Applebee's

I believe most of you who will pass by the old Singapore Power Building at Somerset might have noticed this brightly-lit restaurant standing at its place. This is a pretty famous chain in the US, which has decided to open its 1st Singapore outlet there. Unmistakable for its red and green neon lights, there have been mixed reviews for this one-of-many "new kids on the block", so i decided to try it for myself.

Applebee's Honey BBQ half rack ribs

Steak & grilled prawns combo (1st half)

Steak & grilled prawns combo (2nd half)

Tried abit of the ribs and the fries, its not too bad, the ribs are relatively soft enough to remove it from the bone and the fries have a slight cajun taste to it. However, the fries tend to harden up overtime probably due to the aircon. The steak and combo is pretty sufficient for a male eater, with 10 pcs of grilled prawns, 1 ribeye steak (210 grm), some sauteed seasonal vegetables and a mini-mountain of garlic mashed potatoes. The prawns are pretty succulent, however a little salty. Upon serving, the waitress will politely ask you to slice the steak to check if it is done to your requested well-ness, and if it is not, she will send it back to the kitchen to be redone. A plus point for a casual diner! But i feel they can learn to grasp the doneness of steak a little better, mine was first a little more raw, but after i sent it back, it came a little too well-done. Other than that, no complains. The vegetables were too salty. The garlic mash was something different, and they used red potatoes which is commonly used in salads, so its sweeter and slightly less starchy. Overall, satisfactory, just a little too oily and salty.

Prices can be a little too steep for most items, but the Half rack ribs @ $21.90 and the Steak & prawns combo @ $24.90 is one of the relatively acceptably-priced ones.

Applebee's Restaurant

Tripleone Somerset (behind 313@Somerset)