The Place When I first heard that Dallas Restaurant & Bar has been around for ten years, it came as a surprise to me due to the thriving and competitive F&B scene in Singapore. My next thought was that there must be something right that this restaurant has been doing in the past decade. In addition to its first outlet at Boat Quay in 2006 and part of its 10^th anniversary, Dallas has opened its second outlet at Suntec City Sky Garden and has launched several new menu items in both outlets recently.

I was drawn to the beautiful and contemporary look of its Suntec outlet, with its inviting bar taking centrestage in the nicely divided restaurant, with half the space in a more private and enclosed setting. The glass house design adds a natural light charm to the ambience, especially during sunset, metamorphosing into a chill-lax and cosy dimly lit ambience at nightfall.

The Food Be sure to try the starters at Dallas, I was pleasantly surprised by how good they are. My favourite is the Snapper Fish Tacos ($22/$8 for additional piece), somewhat like a mini Fish and Chips set to be without the chips. This is so addictive largely because of the homemade pineapple chutney infused in the fried snapper, which gave it a tinge of spicy kick. It really whetted my appetite.

The Crispy Pork Belly Tacos ($14/$5 for additional piece) is a close tie with the snapper fish. The taco comes with a guacamole spread and slices of jalapeno, which complimented well with the tender pork belly and its crackling skin.

Another noteworthy side is the Grilled Corn ($6), which is unlike the usual plain grilled corn. The corn here is topped with Chipotle mayonnaise and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, so you can imagine the richness in flavor for this simple dish.

On to the mains, the highlight is no doubt the Dallas Meat Platter ($70 for two / $130 for four), which comes in generous serving even for two pax. This is my recommended dish to order if you fancy a variety of meats – Grilled Australian lamb cutlets, Pork ribs, Rotisserie chicken and Prime rib steak. I was torn between the fall-off-the-bone pork ribs marinated in tangy sweet berry glaze and the succulent medium-rare Prime rib steak. Overall, I must say that the flavours of all the meats were on point. To top it off, each platter comes with a generous bed of roasted potatoes, and accompanied by a mushroom or black pepper sauce and choice of mustards.

On weekends, there is an ongoing promotion to enjoy free-flow Prime Rib Steak ($40) at $35 per person. Probably one of the best deals around for beef lovers?

The wine and cocktail offerings are quite varied as well, with Happy Hour everyday from 11am to 8pm where house pour wines and spirits go for $12++ and Stella Artois and San Miguel go for only $14++ per pint.

Rants Be prepared to be lost finding Dallas in Suntec. The previous sky garden in the mall has now been converted into an area of “roof-top” restaurants, and access to the area is restricted to a selected few obscure escalators.

Will I Return Again? I was not expecting much from Dallas Restaurant before my meal, but it definitely exceeded my expectations. I guess I can’t discount a name which has been around for a decade, and it’s not difficult to realise why. This is a great place to unwind after work at reasonable prices, or hop down on weekend for the free-flow Prime Rib Steak.

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 4/5
Hole in the pocket: 3/5
Ambience: 3.5/5
Overall Experience: 4/5

Dallas Restaurant & Bar (Suntec Sky Garden)
3 Temasek Boulevard
#03-302/303, Suntec City Sky Garden
Singapore 038983 (between Tower 1 and 5)
Tel: +65 6333 4068

Opening hours:
Monday to Wednesday & Saturday: 11.30am to 12am (last order 10.30pm)
Thursday & Friday: 11.30am to 1am (last order 11pm)
Sunday: 11.30am to 11pm (last order 10pm)

Ranted by The Ranter