Outback Steakhouse - Basildon

If you are an Australian, an Australian groupie, or just plain hungry the Outback Steakhouse is the place for you. The days of the Six o' clock Swill in Australia are over, perhaps replaced by the British Happy Hour, and the essential business here is ample quantities of food cooked and served in Aussie style.

The only house rule is 'No rules, Just Right', which means that everything is done with a heartiness that brooks no deflection, designed to keep hairy critters at bay whilst we enjoy ourselves. Such matters as the thickness of the steaks, the tenderness of the chicken, the juiciness of the burgers are all - Just Right!

Their BBQ chicken and bacon sandwich and grilled chicken and Swiss sandwiches are mini-meals in themselves and The No Rules burger, for instance, is supplied with a choice of toppings; bacon, grilled onions, sautéed mushrooms, Swiss cheese, lettuce and tomato, American cheese, BBQ sauce, pickles and more onions, with a bleu cheese dressing, and is served - you've guessed - Just Right!

Not surprising that you have a choice of chocolate thunder from Down Under, or Sydney's sinful sundae when it comes to the puds. Nor are the littlies - I quote - forgotten as they tuck in to Joey ribs, kookaburra chicken fingers (eat your heart out, Jamie) all good hearty stuff, and keep the car windows open on the way home. But Dad has the last word with an Aussie-sized Big Bloke Draft in a frozen mug, maybe two when he gets into the spirit of things, which condemns the entire family to Mum's driving for the rest of the trip.

No, there's no denying that a visit to Outback is the basis for a whole lot of fun, particularly as you don't always have to take the kids, and there's a case for a pretty wild adult night out in amongst all that heartiness.