Back to the 60s
It’s Happy Days all over again at the only Ed’s Diner restaurant to be opened outside the UK
THERE’S something about Ed’s Diner … a vibrant charge in the air. Is it the bright red-white tables and chairs? Or the black-white chequered floor tiles. Perhaps it is the rock ‘n’ roll music blaring out from a juke box in one corner. I am thinking of Happy Days with the Cunningham Family and the Fonz.
And, oh, look. There’s a Wurlitzer juke box and customers can pick their favourite songs to play … for free.
The Americanastyled Ed’s Diner originated in England, and there are 15 restaurants in the United Kingdom today. On Dec 1, 2019, it opened its first international franchise and only halal-compliant outlet at Resorts World Genting.
After placing our orders, we filled up our hot drinks (RM8 per cup) of coffee, Milo and tea as well as bottomless glasses of soft drinks (RM10). It’s self-service.
The menu reflects the American diner concept, so there are beef or chicken burgers with skinny fries, foot-long sausages and fried
chicken.
Big Ed’s Burger (RM35) is a double beef patty with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, gherkin and streaky beef bacon with Ed’s burger sauce.
I had the Nashville Hot (RM19) with a fried boneless chicken thigh with hot sauce, fried onion
ring, cheese, lettuce, tomato, coriander, cheese sauce, chilli seasoning and mayonnaise.
The chilli seasoning gives it a pretty good kick but the Nashville Super Hot promises to be twice as spicy. Then there’s Chicken & Waffle (RM24) if you don’t like burger buns.
Ed’s serves foot long sausages (beef and chicken). There’s Classic, Coney Island, Sambal and our pick, All-In Foot Long (RM25/beef; RM23/chicken). The sausage in the centre is topped with minced chicken chilli, cheese sauce, diced onion, gherkins, crispy shallot, green chilli pickle and ketchup.
It is quite well-balanced, though I’d have loved more minced chicken chilli.
We shared two salads (RM18 each). The Chicken Caesar Salad has a delicious Caesar dressing and grated parmesan on romaine lettuce, halved cherry tomato and croutons. The grilled and deboned chicken thigh is flavoursome too.
I preferred this to the Southern Salad, a combination of mixed salad leaves with tomato, kyuri, carrot and roasted peppers drizzled with pineapple and ranch dressing. Arranged on the side are corn tortillas.
Corn tortillas shine in Nachos To Share (RM39). There’s just too much for one person, and anyway, it’s more fun to share the tortilla chips topped with minced chicken chilli, cheese sauce, tomato salsa and chilli seasoning.
Spread on some guacamole and sour cream, add a piece of green chilli pickle and it’s a mouthful of joy.
Fried Chicken Wings (RM18) are marinated with Madras Curry seasoning. Delicious. Crispy on the outside and so juicy inside.
Vegetarians can have Falafel Burgers (RM19) and Falafel Bites (RM10), served with chilli seasoning and (a word of warning) garlic aioli and onion.
Ed’s Freaky Shakes (RM28) are worth spending an hour over. Served in tall stainless steel mugs are Chocolate Brownie Oreo Shake, Strawberry Donut Shake and Buko Coconut Pandan Cake Shake.
Or just have a regular creamy Straight-Up Shake (RM19 for vanilla, strawberry and chocolate) or a Deluxe Shake (RM24 for Oreo/peanut butter/salted caramel).