Applebee's at TripleOne Somerset

I finally managed to make my way to Applebee's last Friday. It was a last minute decision and it was around 8:10pm when we got there. I was surprised to see a huge crowd and quite a few groups of people waiting for their tables. We left our names and found out it would take another 20minutes before our turn.

Darn! We should have left our name first before heading to the Candy Empire where we spent close to half an hour in there choosing our snacks and sweets.

The place had a homely feel and was mid-size. It was not huge and was not too tiny. It was the only place which was busy in TripleOne Somerset.
A menu with some selection of food items were displayed on the wall so people can have a look while waiting. We also noticed the opening hours had been reduced. I guess people did not hang out there after hours at the moment.
We were seated by the bar (shorter wait time) and I quite enjoyed it. The bar was where the action was. You could see what was happening and could be a good place for a cozy chit chat if there were only two of you.

I had the perfect margarita ($18! But it came in its own shaker and I could get about 3 glasses of it) while Celest had the Bahama Mama. Somehow the Bahama Mama was not as potent as the one I had when I was in Bahamas. Or maybe I was much younger then and could not really drink so the rum was just too strong for me. This Bahama Mama was actually sweet and tasty. Nice.
The bartender who would take our food/drink order. He was really nice. Topping up the glass when it was almost empty. Changing to a new glass when he felt the salt was not enough, and also bringing over glasses of cold water for us when I only requested for one (Celest actually wanted warm water but we did not order that). The service staff was fab. Very friendly and attentive.

The bar with all the alcohol and glasses and a tv turned on the sports channel so you won't ever be bored if you are there on your own.

We decided to share the appetizer trio (choose 3 items from a list) and a slider plate. We chose the tortilla chips with artichoke, spinach and cheese dip. The chips were crispy and the dip was nice. It got a bit too cheesy in the end though.

Spinach & Artichoke Dip

A dish that made us famous. A warm crock of creamy spinach, tender artichokes, and melted Asiago and Parmesan cheeses, with salsa and tortilla chips for dipping.

We also selected the buffalo wings and steak quesadillas tower. Somehow the tower had collapsed and rested on the plate. Lol.

Steak Quesadilla Towers

Sirloin steak topped with onions, pico de gallo, peppers, and cheese. Rolled in a grilled tortilla and served with salsa.

The buffalo wings were good, like those you get in North America. Tangy spicy coating the chicken. I wished they gave more celery sticks and the blue cheese dip could be less watery too.

The steak quesadilla was not too bad. Maybe it was some time before I got to them, but the cheese had melted and the tortilla was a bit too thick. The salsa was good. Spicy and not watered down.

The cheeseburger silders were surprisingly good. They looked plain and boring but the beef patties were moist and juicy. The mini buns were lightly toasted and the simple humble burger was once again very satisfying.
We were quite stuffed and did not finish everything. I would have love to try the dessert shooters or even the maple butter blondie. I saw quite a number of tables ordering that. Maple butter was always my weakness. I hope their version was really as good as the one I had in Quebec. That was out of this world. Sweet maple butter spread over a thick toast of freshly baked bread which was actually baked outside in a kiln.

I do like Applebee's for the atmosphere and wonderful service staff, and found the food to be decent. It was not fantastic but it was ok. I think the food at Chili's is so much better, but maybe I need to try the mains before I can make a fair comparison too. The place started to thin out after 9.30pm so when we left at around 10.15pm, we were one of the last few customers there.