NEW OUTLET
VANNIYA SRIANGURA
Three days ago I had the best patty melt and mushroom Swiss burger in years. No, it was not at some fine burger joint on 16th Street in downtown Denver that I used to frequent during my years in the States. But it was right here in the middle of Bangkok, on the second floor of Siam Center shopping mall.
Launched two weeks ago, DQ Grill & Chill is a new restaurant concept by USA's Dairy Queen brand. The Bangkok version, with a seating capacity of 140, is one of more than 200 outlets worldwide (most of which are in the States and Canada) but the first in Asia.
The chilli cheese dog. |
Blending DQ's internationally-known soft-serve line with innovative American-style quick-service design and food, the restaurant offers a comprehensive selection of treats from burgers, sandwiches and salads to ice creams, smoothies and milk shakes. All are prepared according to exclusive recipes, with state-of-the art machines and premium-grade ingredients (mostly imported), and only to order.
It's a pretty good job for a sweet treat parlour that morphs into a burger eatery. Actually, with 16 selections of sandwiches and hotdogs, DQ has a lot more variety from the broiler on offer than most dominant burger brands do.
My mushroom Swiss (89 baht) presented a quarter-pound beef patty, as fragrant and juicy as those found at a gourmet sandwich shop in the US, topped with melted Swiss cheese and sauteed mushrooms in a warm bun. It was quite a disappointment at first to see the cheese came in a strange yellowish colour and without holes. So I raised the question and the answer was that it was a local version of Swiss cheese. The burger proved to be so scrumptious that the little defect was soon forgiven.
All sandwiches can be ordered individually or as a meal. An extra 50 baht will get you a choice of french fries, onion rings or salad as well as a free-refillable cup of soft drink. And let me tell you, their rings are good!
Even though the patty melt (85 baht) is a basic sandwich anyone can make at home, I couldn't afford not to order my long-time favourite. The breads, which are a bit thicker and firmer than normal, are toasted on an iron grill then stuffed with sauteed red and white onions, cheese and a grilled sixth-pound beef patty. Of course, it was good right to the last bite.
However, the real highlight was supposed to be the Flame Thrower (89 baht), which is the signature dish of the restaurant. A juicy quarter-pounder together with strips of bacon, lettuce, tomato and pickle slices came topped with fresh natural cheddar instead of the processed variety and splashed with spicy Tabasco-mix sauce on a gourmet bun. I've never really been a fan of bacon on my sandwich, so next time I'll stick to my mushroom Swiss.
Here, you can also find the bacon cheddar (89 baht), BLT (85 baht) and chilli cheese dog (59 baht). The first two were fine, while the latter was pretty forgettable. After craving a chilli dog for years, I found that the chilli sauce here tasted like mild meat sauce and far from authentic.
For those who shun red meat, there are several other sandwich and entree options. Your sandwich can be prepared with grilled or deep-fried battered chicken strips (89 baht). Or you can have the chicken on its own with just fries or rings (99-139 baht), or in your salad (89 baht).
Another impressive treat to be noted was a basket of crispy shrimp (159 baht). The order, which came with your choice of fries, rings or salad and dipping sauce, was well worth every baht. The deep-fried bread-crumb coated shrimps were succulent and flavourful and the dipping sauce was spicy and distinctive (ask if they have other kinds of sauce if you don't like the spiciness. I think the crispy shrimp is also good with ketchup).
Kids also love crispy shrimp. But if they want to have something else, like grilled cheese sandwich (79 baht), ask to see the kids' menu.
It's quite hard to decide what to have for dessert because there's a lot! But finally the five of us agreed to skip milkshakes and Blizzards and share the Fab Fudge (69 baht) and caramel almond waffle treat (69 baht) and were pleased.
To drink, I had caramel Moolatte (25 baht for a seven-oz cup and 49 baht for a 12 oz) and was delighted. My son loved the blue-colour icy drink called blue raspberry Arctic Rush (39 baht) and my friend's thick and smooth mango passion smoothie (69 baht) was just marvellous.
All in all, DQ Grill & Chill is a nice spot for a classic American quick meal that wouldn't burn your pocket. But don't expect naturally friendly and highly effective American-style service.
The iron-grilled patty melt with onion rings. |
DQ's signature Flame Thrower burger. |
The caramel almond waffle treat. |
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