Our gastronomical adventure takes us to the American Midwest. Okay not really, it’s in Aman Suria Damansara facing the New Klang Valley Expressway that heads to the Subang area. The designation of interest is Betty’s Midwest Kitchen.

Following the directions of Google Maps, it was relatively easy in finding the place as one of my friends worked around the area. The only confusing part at first when we got to that area was determining which one-way street led to the place.

We actually tried to make reservations for the six of us but they couldn’t promise us a table, as there was already a reservation for a party of 40 people that took up more than half of the available tables. Fortunately we did not have to wait long. As entered the place was filled with a loud atmosphere mainly contributed by the large crowd that occupied at least 4 tables and half the place. The restaurant had red walls with framed pictures of crop fields and on the uncaptured wall, a bunch of pig ornaments by the cashier. I think it was attempting to look homely. Although the shop looked small from the outside, they had managed the space really well inside. It was rather spacious.

According to Wikipedia, Midwestern home cooking generally showcases simple and hearty dishes that make use of the abundance of locally grown foods. Its culinary profiles may seem synonymous with “American Food.”

The attraction of Betty’s is not only that it serves Midwestern American food which is still something of a rarity in Malaysia. The menu is also loaded on stuff with pork in it. One of the signature dishes of the Midwest is the meatloaf. Not the singer.

For starters we had the Chicken Noodle Soup, Pigs in a Blanket and Dog Food. Details are as follows; so don’t be grossed out by the latter just yet.

The Chicken Noodle Soup is not like Campbell’s Cream of Chicken. Instead, it is a clear type of soup, more akin to the Chinese style. The soup came with two pieces of garlic toast. I noticed that they used a lot of parsley in the soup and its taste dominated the entire flavour. The only word able to describe it was no other than “hearty.” Unlike most Chinese soup you get outside these days, this wasn’t salty at all. In fact its herbs and broth of the chicken gave it a very nice flavourful taste. It would be good on a cold rainy day. Though I would prefer less parsley.

Pigs in a blanket are basically bacon wrapped sausages. The bacon was juicy while the sausages were tender. Probably because these sausages had real meat. Could have been more generous with the amount for its price in my opinion.

Next in line is the Dog Food. I have to admit, calling it that didn’t really help especially with the appearance of how it was presented. This is one of the rare cases where it tasted better than it looked! It is fries topped with melted cheese and gravy. Sadly this was the closest thing yet to Canadian poutine.

The main courses for the night comprised of the signature Meatloaf, Cheeseburger and Grilled Baby Back Ribs. All pork. No kidding.

The Meatloaf was just right in moisture, not too dry. It was accompanied with green peas and mash potatoes. The Meatloaf was made of mostly minced pork meat with a mixture of vegetables and yet again parsley.

The Cheeseburger had pork patty instead of the common beef in most places. It was topped with cheese and caramelised onions that gave it an aromatic fragrance. It was served with fries.

The Grilled Baby Back Ribs were prepared really well. The meat was succulent and tender that it came off the bones without much effort. The ribs had more meat than most other places I have been which was a significant difference. The ribs were accompanied by coleslaw and fries.

At this point of time we were all stuffed good but were still tempted to try their Apple Crumble. Seeing there were six of us, we decided to take it up.

The Apple Crumble came with two scoops of vanilla ice cream. Not one, but two. Much to our pleasant surprise, the Apple Crumble was very light and was not too sweet so it went down just fine. Since it wasn’t diabetically sweet, it went well with the ice cream too. Neither of them fought for rights over the sweet sensations our tongues.

Personally I felt that the prices were reasonable for the quality and portion served, except for the Pigs in the Blanket. Betty’s definitely deserves many more visits in the future. For more pictures of what the shop looks like outside, as well as the interior, go here!