Entree Kibbles: Tony Roma's Unforgettable Carolina Honeys Ribs @ Orchard Central [Singapore]

My mum had been to Tony Roma's twice whereas her gluttonous son (as in me) had never stepped foot into the international establishment famous for its ribs until two weeks ago!

Don't ask me why i took so long because i seriously have no idea; the motivation to patronise Tony Roma's wasn't strong then. Anyway, special thanks to my younger sister who finally allowed me to tag along for dinner together with my mom (yes, her third visit) at Orchard Central.

After our orders were taken by an extremely accommodating waitress, a complimentary serving of butter and freshly toasted French loaf was placed on our table; just right as i was in severe need for some food.

Tony Sampler

If i couldn't decide what to have for appetiser as everything looks good, i would opt for a sampler if it is available and in this case, they were the spicy BBQ Boneless Bites, Spinach Artichoke Dip and Half Onion Loaf!

Boneless bites were too spicy for me and reminded me of buffalo wings; albeit a less memorable version. The onion loaf was amazingly nice; a thin, light batter encapsulated each piece of onion ring and the natural sweetness of onions burst as my teeth sank through its crispy skin.

The spinach artichoke dip came with nacho chips and despite its vomit-like appearance, was a surprise hit on our table! It was cheesy, it was creamy and excellent with nacho chips; this is coming from a guy who has no affection for nachos!

And i think we managed to clean up the entire dip!

The Roma Feast

Dishes with more variety usually attract my attention and there's a higher chance i might place an order for it. This was no exception and the Roma Feast consisted of Carolina Honeys Ribs, Grilled Sausage, BBQ Chicken, Coleslaw and Corn on the Cob.

Chicken was tender even though it could benefit from a sweeter marination while the sausage was grilled just right for that soft, yummy texture! Coleslaw had a special favour that seemed familiar yet i couldn't pinpoint what it was! Blame it on ageing!

For something so simple, the corn cob was a major disappointment; they had too much water content, resulting in soft and mushy corns that were almost tasteless.

The star of the show - the char-grilled ribs were so, so good. There was a sweet, smokey tinge to the meat that slipped off easily from the bone and the marination was simply put, perfect. Don't you think that in many restaurants, BBQ ribs were over-marinated and the taste eventually got too overbearing! Whatever the case, how i wish i could exchange the corn cobs for a bigger serving of Caroline Honeys Ribs!

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