Johnny Rockets Gurney Paragon

Johnny Rockets is an American franchise restaurant with a fiftiesh decor. It opened its first outlet in Penang at Gurney Paragon Mall. Yes, I have known of Johnny Rockets for quite some time (particularly after Howard Wolowitz mentioned it on The Big Bang Theory), and was eager to try it out when it arrives on my fair shores. But rather than join the opening crowds, my wife and I decided to wait a bit till the opening excitement has worn out.



9 December, 2015: My wife and I decided to try Johnny Rockets for dinner. It is part of Urban Food Hall, a new upscale eatery that puts together five different outlets (the others being - in alphabetical order - Ichiban The Izakaya, Quiznos Cafe, The Library Coffee Bar and The South East.

The food hall was almost completely empty, a total difference from what it was when it opened, when customers were filling into every table available, and long queues lined the front. We were ushered in and we selected a spot against the wall, so that we could get a good view of the food hall. Well, it was quite empty, and was to remain the same throughout our being there.

Not a patron in sight at Urban Food Hall, Gurney Paragon Mall (9 December 2015)


The above photo was taken from where I was seated. There are some customers to my left and right, but other than that, the place was almost empty. To my left was a group of Westerners who were perusing their menu throughout my meal. (I have expected that they are sufficiently familiar with Johnny Rockets to be able to place their order faster, but I guess not.)

The menu was quite hefty, and we spent the next 5 minutes or so perusing it. Johnny Rockets is popular for its burgers, but neither my wife nor I am keen on burgers that evening, so we ordered the pasta. My wife ordered the Arrabiata (RM24.90) while I ordered the Pesto Seafood (RM29.90).

Our order at Johnny Rockets (9 December 2015)


After some waiting, my wife's Arrabiata arrived. Our immediate impression was the size. It was quite small for a plate of pasta at RM24.90. The Arrabiata doesn't need more than few mouthful to be dismissed as poor value for money. My wife has a sharp eye when it comes to food and is very sensitive to taste, and she quickly spotted that what we got did not resemble what was stated on the menu. I am fine if you are not using penne pasta, but I am not fine if ingredients mentioned on the menu are not in the dish. "Where's the green capsicum?" she said. I didn't notice that, but when I rechecked the menu of what we ordered, I saw that she was right. I don't see any capsicum, and come to think of it, I don't recall any shimeiji mushrooms either. And the chicken frankfurters was nothing to shout about. We could easily make pasta Arrabiata at home ourselves, with more "stuff", and it will cost at most RM10 a plate.

Here's a picture of the pasta Arrabiata. Yes, that's all. Just a few mouthful and it's finished. See if you can find those ingredients I mentioned on the plate. (At the same time, google for pasta Arrabiata and see how it should look like!)

The Pasta Arrabiata at Johnny Rockets (9 December 2015)


Now, who are you trying to fool?

My Pesto Seafood still didn't make an appearance. Completely unimpressed with the Arrabiata served to her, my wife suggested that if my pasta doesn't appear when she finished her meal, we should pay and leave. And no, it did not appear. So we checked on our order, and learned that the waiter had failed to key in my Pesto Seafood. What? In a practically empty restaurant, you couldn't get the order right for two diners? I could not imagine why the waiter did not recheck whether I am ordering anything. What was he thinking?

The waiter apologized for missing out the order, but alas, the damage is done. In a way, I am pleased that the order did not materialize. Judging from the pasta Arrabiata at RM24.90, I am doubtful my Pesto Seafood at RM29.90 will impress me.

We paid for my wife's pasta and the drinks and told them not to bother with my Pesto Seafood. So what did I have for dinner last night? I ended up buying a hot dog from a Malay stall by the road side. Cost me just RM5 but delicious to the last bite.

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Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

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