Tony Roma’s Top Favorite Set Lunch @ Pavilion
April 1, 2008I have been wanting to try Tony Roma’s for long already, so I took the chance when I was in Pavilion a while ago. I don’t know much about Tony Roma’s actually, I thought it should be similar to other Western food restaurant like TGIF or Chilis. The biggest difference I notice among them would be the atmosphere. Tony Roma’s is quiet and somewhat formal, TGIF is party-like while Chilis is somewhere between them. Food wise, it is definitely more upscale and same goes for the price. Ordering ala carte would be too expensive. So, I decided to take the set lunch which is advertised as costing less than RM20 instead.
The set lunch starts from RM16.90 and comes with an entree (main course), soup of the day and beverage. For the entrees, there are a lot to choose from like BBQ 1/4 Chicken, Fish & Chips, Ribeye Steak, Beef Ribs, etc. The most expensive set lunch can go as high as RM44. After much consideration.. we decided to order the cheapest two of all, lol. This is BBQ 1/4 Chicken.
The other one was BBQ Chicken Sandwich. Honestly I didn’t expect it to look like this when I placed my order. But what’s there to complain? It was the cheapest.. cannot expect too much. Salad and fries are also served along with the main course.
BBQ Chicken is the better tasting if compared to the chicken sandwich. Simply because the chicken sandwich was not good at all.
The chicken strips are of breast meat so it was quite tough. Then the BBQ sauce has only one taste, sweet. And you are given more BBQ sauce, all four of them. Only difference with the four BBQ sauces are the spiciness and sweetness. Honestly I didn’t really enjoy it, damn regret for ordering this.
Beverage of our choice, ice lemon tea. Squeezing the fresh lemon juice into the drink actually makes it nicer.
Soup of the day was either cream corn soup or chicken noodle soup. We chose cream corn soup because we never tried it before. It came with a small packet of crackers to dip in the soup, nice.
Overall, quite disappointed with the meal due to high expectations. Maybe I shouldn’t have ordered the cheapest food but what’s the point of serving good food only at the most expensive price? Not everyone can afford it.. I really believe food can be good even though being the cheapest, and it all depends on the restaurant. It seems unlikely I will return to Tony Roma’s. Unless I got cash to order the nicer food lah lol.
Technorati Tags: Pavilion, Western food, BBQ Chicken, Tony Roma’s
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Nah, it’s the price that’s the problem, it is that the Tony Romas in Malaysia is not up to par compared to the one in other countries such as our neighbour, Singapore.
Simon Seow’s last blog post..Happy Birthday Ringo!
Finally! A restaurant review that is near to where I live!
Disappointed ah? Expensive? Okay I will avoid this one. -_-
I want more KL restaurant reviews!
Deimos Tel`Arin’s last blog post..義言難盡 - Some words are hard to say
just had it the other day in midvalley..looks like you beat me to it in blogging about it..
lotsofcravings’s last blog post..Pick n’ Brew @ 1 Utama
I find that Tony Roma’s food is below par, if you asked me. I’ve tried the ones in Pavillion and Sunway Pyramid and I don’t really favour its quality as if the food was cooked by amateurs. The service is pretty bad too to a point where my colleagues gave ‘WTF?!!’ look. All in all, I think I prefer to dine in TGiF or Chilis rather than in Tony Roma’s. If you realise, the portion for set lunch is smaller than ala carte. Maybe it’s because of the price they offer.
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Yea…Expensive and it’s not worth it. I only enjoyed the biscuits and the soup…zzzzz……
e-Leng’s last blog post..Sunway Pyramid Suites & Studio
The French Fries look horrible - thass a Bad sign right there!! Fresh Cut Fries Deep Fried are the only way to go!!
One place i like in the States is Benigans - the Food is really good for that Roadhouse type o dealio*
;))
BillyWarhol’s last blog post..Bill
Heard a lot about Tony Roma, unfortunately it’s only in KL.
Don’t worry, it’s not that good.. Penang got many better western food
I went to the one in the Gardens. Sadly, service was below par. When the service staff can’t even recommend you what’s good in the menu, that’s a problem.
I like their ribs, though. That was the only reason we went there. Fish & Chips - definitely not worth trying. I think they just bought the chips from the nearby Carrefour.
lina’s last blog post..At Kak Aini’s House
Never been to TGIF, never been to Chilis, never been to Tony Romas!
Wuwuwawa~
chingy’s last blog post..Hey people.
So cham! >.<
Higher than Band 7…… I think we are all interested in that.
In the words of Italiannes, So good, so share lor….
Empowering Youth
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Hmm…it looks quite normal huh. Lose out to TGIF and Chillis on food presentation and portion.
buzzingbee’s last blog post..One is never enough…
Yeah, the worst part is, even the taste also LOSE!
Tony Roma’s in UK is good! I am so excited when i see it in Malaysia but like what everybody comments here, it disappointed me la..
Eh, are you someone I know? Hehe.. Ah Ling??
Mmm..well I haven’t tried it myself but I’d tend to go for TGIF if I were paying that much, or Chilli’s just for their mexican stuff!
Eunice’s last blog post..I actually made a poll!
Exactly, after the meal I thought to myself.. Geez isn’t TGIF’s three course meal much nicer??!
Yummy! Great looking (and I bet tasting!) Photos! Now I’m hungry…
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the set menu caters to a wider circle, if you think about it. Pavilion restaurants are mostly priced at higher end, by setting prices from RM16.90 onwards for a SET meal, who wouldn’t be tempted? I tried the burger with fries set RM21+ i think, and nothing too memorable. But I think Friday’s burger was quite dry the last time i ate at Queensbay. But the fries were definitely WAY better in Friday’s. THICK cut fries, extremely generous serving….
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but i must say, you make the food look purdy good!!
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The last time and also the first time I went, was in Sunway… the beef looks good but not the chicken.. hard and tough.
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anything that comes to Msia becomes below par. No?
That’s true! <_ < A sad sad thing
quite “cheap”..
i can cook the instant chicken/mushroom soup(cost RM 1.45) and the biscuits i think we can buy it at nearest store, like Pcf and Tc. Just RM 3.99 for 30 packets
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Tony Roma is definitely more upscale where ever u go. n their speciality is the bbq pork ribs. this obviously is a problem in m’sia..
Hmm, i always wanted to try this Tony Roma but dare not stepped in. scared later i need to wash plates lar.. hehe..
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i tried tony roma’s and chillis restaurant at mid valley Megamall…if compare the quality of their steak still cannot beat San Francisco steakhouse…Wagyu Beef and Angus Beef were superb…
I have actually tried 3 Tony Roma outlets in and arround KL. And I have these to say:
1. They are actually famous for their Pork Ribs back in the USA. And because of the social environment in Malaysia, they had to switch to Beef Ribs. Thus, their specialty is the ribs, humburgers, and steaks.
2. The best outlet in terms of food and service, I would still prefer the outlet in Sunway Pyramid. This doesn’t mean that the other 2 outlets don’t provide good service.
3. I find that the service provided by the attending waitor or waitress allocated to our table to be polite and friendly, which I rarely see even in more respectable restaurants. They were actually even helpfull in suggesting what was best in their menu and warn us of certain ingredients that might not go down well with us, the blue cheese burger.
4. As for price wise, you say that it is a bit more expensive, but you must judge according to the portion served. The last trip I went with my friend to the outlet in The Curve, we spent RM 68 for their blue cheese burger, onion loaf and grill chicken with garlic. At an earlier trip to the one at The Garden, 4 of us spent arround RM 136 on 2 set lunch (ribs & steak), 1 ala carte main course and 1 starter.
I will be putting up some comments and pictures in my blog, http://gourmet-garden.blogspot.com/, on Tony Romas’ soon. May be you could drop by and leave some comments.
I went toTony Romas in Curve and Sunway and it is very disappointing - food is normal - normal special but comparatively, to others, the prices are on the high side… they also got my orders wrong at Curve
Try Chicago Rib House at Juru Autocity, right behind Pelita for good pork ribs.
vk: Been there, ate it. Nothing spectacular.. Ribs at Burma Road is much better
I dunno u guys, bt I visit the 1 in The Curve was OK…
Environment nice, staffs service was good (gd recommendation), price was reasonable too.
We ordered Lamb ribs set & fish N chips, soup & drinks… all taste delicious.
Price was reasonable coz it was really a big portion. (Bill come out abt $130+)
Will go there there again w/ my frens 4 celebrating bday soon.
*Only felt sad coz no pork wil b serve here -_-”
[...] Bernsy Vkeong [...]
I had tried a western food with cheapest price i ever try b4( of course not include hawker center one) it taste very nice but their place very small only serve spaghetti, some snack and desert. i tried spaghetti with tomato sc with home made chicken, my gal friends try chicken in a brown sc with rice. then we oso order their signature drink yellow paradise and choco-chilos(something like that la forget the name alrdy) Very nice and oni RM28.00. More than what we expect. the kiosk(i think is kiosk la bcos oni have 3 table. the kiosk located at The Mines shopping fair level 1 near the Sushi king. i think the kiosk name is aprilcheese. (my gal friend said is april’s cheese what ever la )
Had my first taste of Tony Roma’s in Las Vegas. It was superb.. but its a different story here
why are you so rich to taste so much things? who are you in fact?
food comment?
vk: Emm.. I am not rich at all. Just a normal person who likes to eat and blogs at the same time…
I’m a fan of Tony Romas @ The Curve… i was once disappointed by the Sunway outlet but The Curve outlet has brought me back to Tony Romas. I yet to try the Pavilion and The Garden…
Try the Tony Romas outlet @ The curve … It’s good!
Ate a couple times at Tony Romas, all the set lunch sucks, the chicken hard and dry, the lamb ribs at RM35 was the worst.. Tiny riblets griled to bone dry and the meat hard as jerky. No more Tony Romas. My fav lunch place is now Jack’sPlace at One Utama or Sunway which is located outside the main entrance next to Starbucks. The food taste so much better. Prices start from RM15 for chicken or fish and RM19.50 for the most succulent beef steak I have ever tasted at this price. The set lunch is available 7 days week.
Please do try it out if you enjoy good food. Beef steak can be prepared to your liking, medium rare, rare (??), well done, whatever you like. If you love beef and dont want to pay up to RM50 a steak, do check out Jack’s Place.
Hello?? Tony Roma’s is famous for their ribs! And you end up eating sandwich and chicken. In the US, everyone goes to Tony Roma’s for their Ribs! If you can, try the ribs next time. Its much more better. Well, price wise, i know it isn’t cheap, but you can share as the portion is quite big! I personally like Tony Roma’s better then TGIF.
[...] Similar Review [...]
Dear,
i would have to totally disagree with you. Tony Roma’s are famous for its ribs(knowing that famous pork ribs cab be serve here) and the other meals too are great. I dined there many times and for my 1st time I dined in sunway (btw, i’ve tried in all locations in malaysia)the famous ribs it was outstanding. TGI or Chillis or even victoria station don’t serve ribs as good as Tony’s Roma. the next many visits I tried different menus like steaks, chickens as i like to try everthing in a good restaurant to know was are the best among the best. Even so, you had the chicken which i tried it too i like it, my friend like it and even my sister like it. The chicken was tender and juicy with 4 homemade sauce to dip with even for the ribs. The atmosphere was nice, cozy and the service was marvellous. Time to time the waiter will check my table asking if everything was fine, once the chef came to my table asking if the food was ok to my liking. It was nice to know that still there is a dining place where customers view are being valued to provide better and better food to people to enjoy. I think i would suggest you to tried the ribs and know the difference. Things don’ go famous for no reason or by itself. Surely, there’s a reason why the ribs are so famous. It’s worth for what you paid for. For food lovers like me out there who never triedbefore, do go for the ribs best in town. =)
vk: Hi Sudha, rest assured I will return to try their ribs. Lets see if the next meal will change my thoughts towards Tony Roma’s
hello:)
your blog is good^^
i love food very much…
but i din agree with ya that Tony Roma’s food was bad..
i agree with Sudha oso….
i tried fridays , chillis but i think the food there lose to Tony Roma…i love Tony Roma’s salad:)
I tend to disagree that Tony Roma’s food is not good. Yes, I have to say it is a bit on the pricey side, but so is TGIF or Chilli’s when it comes to set meals, or ala carte.
My first experience with Tony Roma’s was during my trip to Costa Rica (Central America) and they indeed had the best kick-ass ribs you can ever ask for! (Pork of course). But I tried the one at Pavillion, here are my comments:-
1. Mushroom soup - comes with chunky bits of mushroom and the biscuit - good combo
2. Kick Shrimp - altogether 32 shrimps (they counted before loading) - very nice and crunchy shrimps laid on top of a bed of salad - tasted exactly the same as those in Costa Rica
3. Beef ribs (the smallest portion - i forgot what term they call it) - there were only 4 ribs I think - but they are very nicely done and tasted nearly as good as those in Costa Rica, and very filling eventhough there are only 4 of them.
I must mention the impeccable service - from the moment we stepped in to Tony Roma’s until we step out of it, there was nothing but good service - they greeted us well, recommended food, showed us the different types of sauces they had - even poured some for us, asked how the food was - overall very attentive. We didn’t have to search high and low for someone to serve us anytime. And one last touch that I really liked - the waiter who served us most of the time wrote a “Thank You!” and drew a very cute smiley face beside it on our receipt - and this was nothing I have seen before. It’s something very simple to do yet it adds a nice touch for the customers.
To me - customer service is the first thing I look at wherever I go, so - I’d go back to Tony Roma’s at Pavillion anytime
[...] first visited Tony Roma’s early this year and left disappointed with the set lunch they were promoting. After that, many left [...]
Sometimes I am very annoyed by comments from some people…
Please bring in some common sense, if you have any.
Different rest. are speciality for different stuff, if you not willing to pay for the good food, stop judging their quality.
Gosh.. even if you go to the best hawker stall around your corner, not everything is nice ! just some !
i had the ribeye steak lunch set..they replace the baked potatoes wit those horrible fries..and small KFC style portion of coleslaw..
and yes i agree the steak was nothin to shout abt..i cud make better steaks than dat
but im coming back for da ribs since dats wat theyre great abt..
the waiter dint charge my coffee for (complimentary) at dat time so i wud say nice service i guess
Nice stuff bro keep it up!
seriously, i prefer chilli’s bar more..food serving is large and price are reasonable and the most important thing is it is damn TASTY!!!
@37
aww man she put the smiley on urs too? I thought I and the cute waitress had sumthing going…
going on this valentine, never try never know… hope it don’t disappoint me ….
For those who haven try Tony Roma’s IN PERSON, pls do so, it’s much more better than what you expect. it is NOT OVER-RATED, and i can assure u the quality of food the serves. =)
well, 1 thing i have to say, their set lunch’s portion is a bit smaller than the ala carte menu, but overall it’s fine.
try their beef— ribs, steak, burgers,etc. You’ll love it =)
some might complains about the side dishes, but their fries is simply nice, unless u hate potatoes. and even if u dun like to have ur fries, replace it with something else! u could just ask the servers for that.
I’m not so sure bout the other outlets, but the 1 in Pavillion is REALLY GOOD! and the 1 in Sunway is just…. nah~~
Make sure u try their ribs at least ONCE, or else u’ll nvr know wats so great bout tony roma’s ^^
have fun~
The first time I went, I tried their beef ribs which is the best I ever tasted!
But second time n 3rd, the food quality already gone down… so disappoint! I think it’s their management problem…
Since then, I never step in this restaurant…
Jean’s last blog post..Pavilion - Baskin Robbins - Ice Cream Fondue
your blog is good
i love food very much…
but i din agree with ya that Tony Roma’s food was bad..
i agree with Sudha.
i tried fridays , chillis but i think the food there lose to Tony Roma…i love Tony Roma’s salad:)
shahrulsaleh’s last blog post..Tony Roma’s open in Malaysia
Went to Tony Romas - this place is very expensive. The ribs are the worst i dunno how they can serve that a course and charge RM 39++ for two puny ribs which i argued is surely the smallest , mal nourish cows from Australia IF they are from there. Overall not a pleasant experience. Would not go back there ever again . Find better values in Chillies, Hard Rock , TGIF.