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.

List of Restaurants in Penang and Restaurants in Malaysia

Private Guided Tours of Penang

If you are seeking private guided tours of Penang, message Penang Tour Guides at penangtourguides@gmail.com and enquire with them.

 Buy, rent or sell properties in Penang

Do you have a property for sale or to rent out? Are you looking to buy or rent a property? Get in touch with me. WhatsApp me (Timothy Tye) at 012 429 9844, and I will assign one of my property agents to serve you. I will choose the agent for you, according to your property needs. So when you message me, provide me some details of what you need, whether to sell, to buy, to rent or to rent out, and what type of property, is it condo, apartment, house, shop, office or land.

Adakah anda mempunyai hartanah untuk dijual atau disewakan? Adakah anda ingin membeli atau menyewa hartanah? Hubungi saya. WhatsApp saya (Timothy Tye) di 012 429 9844, dan saya akan menugaskan salah seorang ejen hartanah saya untuk berkhidmat kepada anda. Saya akan pilih ejen untuk anda, mengikut keperluan hartanah anda. Oleh itu, apabila anda menghantar mesej kepada saya, berikan saya beberapa butiran tentang apa yang anda perlukan, sama ada untuk menjual, untuk membeli, untuk disewakan atau untuk disewakan, dan jenis hartanah apakah itu kondo, pangsapuri, rumah, kedai, pejabat atau tanah.

您有待出售或出租的房产吗？ 您想购买或租赁房产吗？ 与我联系。 WhatsApp 我 (Timothy Tye) 012 429 9844，我将指派一名房地产经纪人为您服务。 我会根据您的房产需求，为您选择代理。 因此，当您给我发消息时，请向我提供一些您需要的详细信息，无论是出售、购买、出租还是出租，以及房产类型，是公寓、公寓、房屋、商店、办公室还是土地。

 New Properties in Penang

Looking to buy property in Penang? Get the e-brochures right here without having to visit or contact individual developers.

 Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips

 Share your travels and/or ask a travel-related question

Join the Penang Travel Tips Facebook Group to share photos, tips and anything related to your travels, or ask travel-related questions.

Map of Roads in Penang

Looking for information on Penang? Use this Map of Roads in Penang to zoom in on information about Penang, brought to you road by road.

Discover with Timothy

Let me take you to explore and discover Penang through my series of walking tours on YouTube. You may use these videos as your virtual tour guide. At the beginning of each video, I provide the starting point coordinates which you may key into your GPS, Google Maps or Waze, to be navigated to where I start the walk, and use the video as your virtual tour guide.

Disclaimer

Please use the information on this page as guidance only. The author endeavours to update the information on this page from time to time, but regrets any inaccuracies if there be any.

Songs about Penang

About this website

Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.