Hooters, Penrith

My friend is leaving for exchange for Korea at the end of the week and we decided to go to Hooters for his farewell. Mainly because it's close to his house and also because we've never been. American TV and film makes Hooters out to be a somewhat seedy place. Perhaps the Australian version is a little more tame. You walk into the restaurant, this one still having the new furniture smell, and are greeted with a chorus of "Welcome to Hooters!" from pretty female waitresses wearing white tank tops with the word HOOTERS across the chest and fluro orange short shorts.

You'd think, from stereotypes, that it'd be occupied with just guys, but there were families there dining with their children. Seems like a wholesome kind of place. Intermittently during the night they break into some dancing, which is a little sub-par and awkward to watch, but in general nothing seedy about it. Our waitress was so so nice. Really good customer service which made it a really nice experience.

Fried pickles (Lightly bread sliced pickles)

I just wanted to try it because I've never had it before. The fried pickles on their own were kind of bland. Less salty than if you  had them raw. Dip it in sauce for more flavour.

Onion rings

I love onion rings and look how giant and amazing these are!

Cheese sticks (fried mozzarella cheese sticks with marinara sauce)

Wish there were more of these in the one serving. 

Chicken wings (10 pieces), 911-HOT

They give you a choice of spiciness and types of sauce and this one was the hottest.  There was lots of sweat and wiping of foreheads and ordering of water. The buffalo platter (below) was the same. We decided to get through all the spicy foods first before we got to eat the ribs. It was hard to enjoy it because it was so so spicy!

Buffalo platter. Includes prawns, boneless chicken as well as chicken wings and drumsticks.

1 kilo of beef ribs with curly fries

We shared this among the four of us since we were still full from the entrees. I love ribs and these were amazing and not spicy. Giving our tongues and sweat glands some relief. I tried eating the ribs with a knife and fork then decided to just use my hands. 

We wanted balloons so we asked the waitress for some and they obliged! How nice! Don't know what I'll do with it though. Overall, it was a really fun dining experience. Trying all these fried and spicy foods on a cold winter night was just right. Not seedy at all and really good customer service which is a giant plus!

• Find Hooters, Penrith at 261 Mulgoa Road, Penrith NSW 2750. For other locations see here.