Johnny Rockets @ Avenue K

After reading about its massive reception since its opening at The Curve in October 2013, I decided to check out what the fuss was all about at its 2nd outlet, Johnny Rockets @ Avenue K.    The opening of a 3rd and 4th outlet in KLIA2 and Sunway Pyramid (their biggest) is next.
 

The setting is nostalgic with a cool retro red and white themed interior, checkered black and white floor tiles and a fun service brigade (their dancing crew known as rocketeers) that breaks into dance routines to the tunes from the 1950s to 1980s (supposedly every 30 minutes).
 

Johnny Rockets is a classic all-American diner serving feel-good American comfort food of juicy hand-made burgers, sandwiches, crisp American fries and their world-famous hand-spun milkshakes.

First up, my order of Route 66 @ RM 24.90 is an authentic American burger and fan favourite named after the infamous highway in USA.  It is made up of a beef patty topped with Swiss cheese, grilled mushrooms, onions and mayonnaise.  You can also request for chicken patty if you don't eat beef.

As I don't like cheese, I told then 'to hold' the cheese but forgot to tell them 'to hold' the mustard as well.  So, unfortunately (for me), the mustard taste was all over the potato bun and I took only one bite of the bun.....it seemed fairly soft.

At Johnny Rockets, the beef patties are cooked till well done but it did not have the nice sear that I was looking for.  The onions (although softened) were not caramelised enough to my liking.  Although I'm no 'authority' on burgers as they're among my least favourite things to eat, I do know when it's not that good.  The burger was still edible but average tasting at best.

It was served with a side order of rustic fries (with skins on) and coleslaw.  The fries were nice and crisp and the best thing on the plate for me.  The coleslaw needed a bit more thousand island dressing, so that you won't end up eating a lot of bland shredded crisp cabbage and carrots.

This is the BBQ Chicken Melt @ RM19.90 which is made up of grilled chicken thigh, cheddar cheese, beef bacon, crispy onion rings and tangy barbecue sauce on grilled white bread.  It comes with a side of coleslaw and fries which you can upgrade to sweet potato fries (as is the case here) or fried onion rings for an additional RM2.50.  The sandwich was again 'run-of-the-mill' in taste while the sweet potato fries could be better.

They also stay true to their slogan "Serving Smiles Everyday" by serving you ketchup in the form of a smiley face.....ahem, trying (note the emphasis on the word 'trying') to put a smile on your face in case the food doesn't measure up?

Our drinks were Pink Guava Juice @ RM8.90 (which I did enjoy as there was a distinct guava taste in the juice) and Iced Lemon Tea @ RM6.90.  I did love the Coca-Cola glass though...does that count?

Their milkshakes, which have garnered rave reviews, are very popular (though not cheap) but since I don't drink milkshakes, I guess I'll never know how good they are.

My Personal Opinion
 

Obviously, the standout of Johnny Rockets' dining experience is the 'hype' surrounding the dance routines by the rocketeers (if you like that kind of stuff) because it's certainly not their food!  But, once this nostalgia wanes, what is Johnny Rockets left with?
 

If you're someone who likes to dine in peace and quiet, this is definitely not the place for you as the noise gets to you after a while from all the dancing and (loud) greeting (when diners enter and leave the premises).  [#Note: When I was there, the rocketeers danced to the tune of "Shake Your Groove Thing" and it was a bit awkward to watch after a while (and I felt some of their rocketeers actually looked embarrassed to perform as well plus most diners weren't even looking anyway)!  I may be a fan of 'Dancing with the Stars' but not quite this type of dancing in an eatery...kinda weird (and lame) if you ask me.]
 

We ate quickly and left before they could break into another dance routine.  [#Note: Seriously, I would much rather just listen to feel-good tunes from the 50's - 80's than seeing their dancing servers.]  Suffice to say, it was not a 'happy meal'.  Would I be back?  Hell....no!!  I can think of many better things to eat with RM73.20!

It seems they plan to open 20 outlets in the next 10 years...well, good luck with that!

Likes:  Nothing really (except maybe the cool retro vibe and music from the 70s/80s)!  Though I heard that if diners do return, it's usually because of the milkshakes.

Disliked (immensely):  The regular (loud) greetings, the (embarrassing) dancing....and the (overhyped) food!

Johnny Rockets

Lot G-8A Ground Floor Avenue K

156 Jalan Ampang

50450 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-2181 5466