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This restaurant review was undertaken on
Thursday 04th February 2010
Thank God it's Friday is the meaning to TGI's restaurants - well
thank God this was a Thursday as we needed some good food and
sexy cocktails a day early. TGI's started as a new singles bar
in New York back in 1965 and is still going strong as a
successful restaurant brand. When I think about TGI Fridays, I
think about their variety of cocktails, ribs covered in sticky
Jack Daniels sauce and their sizzling fajitas, not to mention
the great selection of burgers and stupendously large desserts.
We booked the our table at the theatre district for 7:30pm.
Décor
As soon as we arrived we were asked if we would like to take
a seat at the bar, we accepted instantly. A groovy cocktail in
the centre of the restaurant is always a good place to start the
evening. The bar staff like to put on a show whilst creating the
cocktails.
The furnishings seem very random at first. Why does every
restaurant feature a giant Mars Bar, a picture of Abraham
Lincoln, a circus elephant on a ball, a huge pair of spectacles
and a silver trophy? This is not the start of a bad joke, The
random items represent the brands values. The giant Mars Bar
reflects – enjoyment. Abraham Lincoln - integrity from it's
staff. Circus elephant – balance in work and play. Spectacles –
recognition to the customer and the staff. Trophy - excellence
in service.
Service
Our waitress for the evening was Victoria, a bubbly
character with lots of enthusiasm. Victoria was much like the
other staff who were clearly having a good time working at TGI'S.
Donned in the famous red and white stripes inspired by the all
American circus tour, Victoria and her buddies made sure we were
relaxed in our booth and recommended some good dishes throughout
the evening. We could see that it was a busy evening so maybe
waited a little longer for our food and drinks than usual.
Atmosphere
TGI's is certainly a place to celebrate and have a party. Whilst
we dined, four birthday songs were sang out loud by all of the
staff. The idea is to have fun and probably embarrass a lot of
people as everyone turns to look. The music in the restaurant is
a mix of classic tunes and up-to-date pop and rock.
Food
Crispy breaded
mozzarella was one of our starters for the evening £3.99, golden
on the outside and hot & gooey on the inside and served with
marinara sauce for dipping. We order this starter every time to
share with Jack Daniels sesame chicken strips
£4.99 which arrive golden brown and layered in bread
crumbs, tossed in sesame seeds to give it that extra crunch. The
JD sauce is amazing - sticky, salty and mouth watering. A couple
of pieces of chicken tasted a little watery as though they were
cooked from frozen which was disappointing. But never mind as
the rest of the dish was enjoyed.
 A
half rack of baby back pork ribs
£8.99
expertly cooked to ensure they fall-off-the-bone was my choice
for my mains. Although this comment is normally quite true in
Fridays it wasn't on this occasion. The well fired ribs arrived
dry and lacked their tangy signature smoky BBQ sauce. The
Cajun-battered onion rings were also over cooked and
disappointing. The good news was the crispy fries were not too
bad. I can only put it down to how busy the restaurant was.
My Guest selected the sizzling fajitas £13.69, Marinated
sliced chicken and beef served on a skillet with peppers and
sautéed onions. This comes with warm flour tortillas, guacamole,
pico de gallo, sour cream and Colby cheese on the side. The
chicken was divine along with the beef. The sizzling skillet is
a part of the theatre as it burst alive from the kitchen through
the restaurant. My guest was unable to finish this main course
as was on the large side. There always seem to be too many
tortillas so these were left.
Desserts
We finished off our meal with the mini delights to share! We
selected the full range - key lime pie, blueberry cheesecake,
chocolate, mint chocolate chip and raspberry. These are a great
idea for a sharing option. The mini puds arrive in cute double
shot glasses. The key lime pie was sweet and refreshing, the
chocolate features a chocolate biscuit and is quite creamy and
rich, the mint choc chip reminded of my younger years where the
excitement comes in locating the chocolate pips - there were
many. The blueberry lacked in crunchy texture and the raspberry
lacked excitement.
Choose Three
£5.49
Choose Five
£6.99
TGI's is a nice place to eat and I would recommend a visit for a
party and a gathering with friends, family or work colleagues.
Tonight however, it failed to live up to our expectations.
Hopefully this is not the norm. |
