3LayeredTummy

Dallas Restaurant and Bar

Its been a pretty long while since i last set foot at Boat Quay. The last time i stepped foot here, prolly a year back, was for an interview session with the bank next door. I’ve always harbored the impression that Boat Quay was nothing more than a tourist destination and a street lined with pubs. If not for LIC’s food outing, i doubt i’d even find myself here on an early Saturday afternoon.

Dallas Restaurant and Bar, that’s where 40 foodies gathered for a lunch outing organized by the man himself, LadyIronChef.

Shame on myself but its actually my first food outing! =)

Salt and Pepper Calamari

I love calamari. I love it even more when the batter is fried to a perfect golden crisp. With more salt than pepper, Dallas’ rendition steered towards the salty side. Nevertheless, it was still an enjoyable appetizer.

Chicken and Cheese Quesadillas

Mexican Tacos served with tender chicken pieces and melted cheese. This is best eaten warm. The tacos came across as rather dry and being a non-wrap lover, i didn’t really enjoy the wraps. The gooey cheese was awesome but the quesadillas could have done with more.

Shredded Pork Tacos

With the pork tasting more like tuna, this dish fell below expectations. But then again, i don’t like wraps. Unlike popiah skins, wraps are thick, starchy and dry, and that’s exactly why i eat my popiah and not my wraps.

Baby Back Pork Ribs

I love my carbs and i love my meats. Don’t be fooled, I’m quite a carnivore actually. The baby back pork ribs were done 3 ways – Fiery, Alabama and Smoked Hickory BBQ. There was no clear distinction between the 3 flavors. But one thing was clear, the meats were succulent and tender. In fact, i kinda enjoyed this dish the most. I wished i could have more…

Dallas Wings

Another one of their signatures, Dallas Wings. They look really crisp and deep fried but sadly, the chicken meat was dry and rather bland. They lacked marination and the sauce didn’t serve to enhance its taste.

Tempura Barramundi

Deep fried fish pieces served with Thai Herbs and Naan Jim. Fanciful as the name may be but I wasn’t totally “wow-ed” by this dish. Firstly, the batter was soggy and could have been fried longer. Secondly, the fish tasted very ordinary. IMHO, fish should not be deep fried in order to retain its natural sweetness.

Corn and Crab Fritters

Truth be told, when i chanced upon the word “fritters”, goreng pisang was what i pictured. I detected no crab, i tasted no corn. It was more like fried mashed potato patties to me. Did anyone mention that yours truely dont-eat-potatoes?

Beef Fajitas with Guacamole and Sour Cream

What can i say? We finally have a very photogenic dish! We were told that this was 120-day old grain fed beef. Don’t ask me what is 120-day old grain fed beef, i can only assume that its a 120 day old cow who has been feeding on grains for a good 120 days of his/her life. The beef slices were surprisingly soft and tender! I find it hard to describe the initial taste but it got rather tasteless towards the end. Again, we were supposed to eat the beef with wraps, which were apparently, left untouched.

Breaded Mushrooms

They may look like Corn and Crab Fritters but no, you are not seeing double. I found it odd to end the meal with breaded mushrooms. Firstly, aren’t these your typical pub-grub appetizers? And secondly, ending a meal with something as deep fried as this just doesn’t seem logical. But overall, i must say that these were pretty good. They were extremely juicy and the gooey cheese within provided a twist to it. However, I still prefer the ones from Molly Malone’s though.

$27/pax for a 9 course lunch isn’t exactly expensive. Service could have been better though. For example, I asked for iced-tea and it never came at all. Food wise, i felt that there was certainly room for improvement. Then again, mexican fare is something that might call for an acquired taste. Either you love it or you hate it. Its a matter of getting used to and taste can be rather subjective as well.

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