Walking through the mall can feel like you’re reliving a day that you thought you had left behind. So much that exists within the expansive space doesn’t change while the hours, days, and weeks may turn over. All the stores are the same from what you’ve remembered, the faces look the way you recalled, and the music coming through the speakers seem to pick up at the exact second you heard before. That’s the life of retail and anyone who has worked in it before would agree that it’s like Groundhogs Day, every day. Whether you’re in the mall for work as an employee or as the consumer grabbing a few items, the only thing that can break the monotony is food. At least that’s the case for me.

Last week I made a visit to the Glendale Galleria and while everything seemed the same to what I could recall from my previous stop, what stood out was the lunch I decided to have. I could have opted for a few familiar restaurants that were available and often predictable, but chose to try someplace new. That place was Sizzlin’ Steak. Unfamiliar with the restaurant? You’re not alone. I never heard of Sizzlin Steak until I walked inside and chances are you may not have either. In spite of that, the restaurant franchise has grown to have more than ten locations in the Philippines since starting in 2007 and recently opened their first U.S. location in the Glendale Galleria. While in the restaurant gazing over the interior the common theme to it all was the seemingly drab color. The brown walls with slate bricks, alongside the brown chairs, brown trays, and the bit of yellow and red in the logo was dreary. Opening up the restaurant with a bit more contrasting color could have livened up the space, but my attention quickly tuned to the food I had ordered.

I was excited to explore a different of food and restaurant and decided to dive into Sizzlin Steak with the recommendations given by the staff. I started with the Hibiscus Green Tea ($2.50) made with a blend of pineapple, black currant, elderberry, hibiscus, mango, and cornflower petals. Although I’m not a fan of iced tea, I wanted to give it a try since it was the highlighted drink of the restaurant. My initial thought was that it was a refreshing drink, but even though it had a plethora of exciting ingredients the taste was incredibly subtle. Since I favor drinks with robust and noticeable flavors and accents, this wasn’t one that I would choose to have a second glass. However, if a light and faint iced tea is enjoyable to you then this would be a good option. I would love if the restaurant could incorporate another signature drink, a Filipino inspired fruit juice for instance, that could be a sweet alternative to the tea while maintaining the originality of the restaurant.

As I finished taking a few photos of the green tea, I could hear my food arrive. You read that correctly, I could hear it. The restaurant lives up to its name as a crackling sizzles comes with each plate. The sound alone made me excited to try my order, but the scent was what made it almost impossible for me to be patient. A couple of photos of the classic Filipino favorite of the Sizzlin Tapa ($9.99) and I was ready to eat! Putting down my camera and grabbing my fork I took heed of the message upon the wooden platform supporting the skillet. Proceeding with prudence I sliced the egg. Only a small trickle of the yolk escaped as the rest had been fully cooked. Acting quickly, I took helpings of the steak and let it absorb the small pool of the golden yolk. The pairing of the tender and rich meat with the delicate and smooth yolk was delicious. I continued this mixture until I was only left with the solid yolk. At that point I took slices of the hardened yolk and egg, with the white rice, and the meat and still found a pleasant combination. The meat was nicely seasoned, the rice served as a filling companion, and the egg was the soft consistency to the whole dish. Was the plate spectacular? Not exactly, but it was a welcome change that I would order again.

The final plate to the lunch was dessert. The Cream Cheese Brownie a La Mode ($4.99). Another audible plate from the kitchen, the dessert had a large scoop of vanilla ice cream sprinkled with pecans, rested upon a thick brownie, which all waded in a pool of chocolate syrup. The syrup in the skillet bubbled like lava as I took photos and the scent of the heated chocolate was intoxicating. Grabbing the spoon I took a scoop of everything and the collaboration of it all was delicious. The sweet ice cream, the decadent brownie, and even the somewhat thin chocolate syrup was nice. I could have opted for a thicker syrup as this tasted more like Hersey’s Syrup but it was satisfactory. I would highly suggest that you carefully blow on each spoonful as the chocolate syrup is extremely hot. Yes, they warned me here that this dish too required caution, but the mere look of it all made me a little oblivious.

Leaving Sizzlin’ Steak and walking back into the Groundhog’s Day atmosphere of the mall left me with a feeling that I had a moment to take part in a pleasant lunch. I found an item or two at Sizzlin’ Steak that was unique to my everyday eats and offered a bit of excitement to the ordinary mall visit. On my next visit I will make sure to return to Sizzlin Steak to try a new dish and I’m sure I’ll be excited to hear it as it comes to my table.

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Address: 3213 Glendale Galleria Glendale, CA 91201
Phone: (818) 696-1299
Hours: Monday through Saturday – 11:00am to 9:00pm and Sunday 11:00am to 7:00pm
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