Something light & yummy for ladies who lunch

There’s something fishy going on at Outback Restaurant, and women are flocking to the place like birds.

The reason? A selection of female-friendly dishes especially designed for ladies who lunch and do dinners as well.

Dubbed the Botany Bay Catch, Outback offers two new dishes to tease the palate sans the heavy after-meal feeling, not to mention the extra calories: Shrimp and Grouper Fra Diablo, and Botany Bay Marsala.

The Shrimp and Grouper Fra Diablo are sautéed grouper fillet and shrimp topped with spinach in creamy tomato sauce and pine nuts. Don’t let the name fool you. Though the name suggests spiciness, it’s really a mild treat for female diners who want an honest-to-goodness flavorful meal.

The Botany Bay Marsala, seasoned grouper pan-fried and drizzled generously with mushrooms, spinach, and Marsala wine sauce, playfully awakens the taste buds with its layers of textures and waves of flavors. And just when you thought you’d tasted all there was to be savored in that one bite, here comes another pleasant twist in the end – a savory concerto of even more flavors that bring the exercise to a satisfying end.

Both dishes are served with steamed veggies and one of the most tasty rice pilafs this side of the world. Wash all this down with a sweet and light Beringer White Zinfandel and you have that perfect, heart-friendly meal that even the usual beef eaters will love.

There are four special "catch of the day" dishes at Outback that diners can try if they want to take a break from the heavy beef platters that the steak franchise is known for. Another popular dish is the North Atlantic Salmon, lightly seasoned and grilled and served with Outback’s remoulade sauce. Soft, flaky and moist, the salmon dish is perfect when washed down with a glass of Sensi Chianti DOCC.

Another Outback best-seller is the Darling Point Crab Cakes, a delicious tempting treat of four golden lump crabmeat cakes lightly seasoned with a refreshing medley of fresh tomato basil. A perfect complement to this dish is the Tahuna Sauvignon Blanc for that added flair.

"What we want is to promote a total dining experience, not only for men with hearty appetites, but also for ladies who want to get out of the ‘time crunch.’ Those who don’t usually go to Outback now have more options from the menu with such palate-friendly dishes," says Outback Restaurant operating partner Eduardo de los Santos.

According to director for marketing Lisa Ronquillo, the new set of dishes is mainly aimed toward female diners, who comprise 45 percent of Outback diners.

"They are the ones who normally find steaks heavy and who end up giving their portions to their male companions," she says. From what they have observed, Filipina diners usually share their order of steak with their companions and at times ask the servers if Outback has smaller cuts of steak, not aware that the steak dishes come in standard cuts and portions and therefore can’t be "reduced" to meet individual preferences.

The restaurant’s R&D department opted to use grouper – lapu-lapu for you local fish lovers – for its delicate and tasteful flavor and flaky texture. Well, they were right as usual – the diners loved it. In fact, it’s creating quite a stir among health buffs and those who don’t eat red meat. Now, you don’t have to wait for the Lenten season to enjoy these special dishes.

There are plans to bring back another Outback original – the king crab – to local branches, and you can bet the restaurant’s culinary R&D experts are continuously working to bring out other equally great-tasting fish and seafood dishes.

As if this tribute to the ladies wasn’t enough, Outback is thinking of yet another treat for its female diners. For one, the restaurant is planning on holding a bottomless margarita and martini night every Wednesday.

"It’s a good midweek treat for women who want to relax and bond with friends and loved ones," says De los Santos.

And why not? It’s a welcome break for women who juggle their time between career and home life. It’s time they were given a healthy option come mealtime, and have fun at it, too.

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Outback Restaurant has branches in Glorietta 4, Alabang Town Center, and Libis, Quezon City.