I had no idea that the pandemic had killed off Sizzler, at least in Australia, but apparently the last slab of cheese toast will get plated up at the nine surviving restaurants today. After that, you're on your own.
I can't remember the last time I went into a Sizzler, but I think it might have been some time in the early 1990s. It might have been with some flatmates. We might have pushed the legal limits of the phrase all-you-can-eat.
I do sort of wonder how the chain survived so long. Who the hell wants to pay nearly thirty bucks for all of the coleslaw and carrot and sultana salad you can eat? I guess the closest thing remaining to the Sizzler experience would be something like a hotel buffet or maybe the all-you-can-eat deal at a casino. Or maybe the feeding troughs at the Qantas Club, when it reopens.
My family largely ignored the Sizzler menu. We were there for the buffet alone (we are Asian, need I say more), for which we always had a game plan: start with the pumpkin soup and spaghetti bolognese, move on to the potato skins and salads, before a brief adjournment to the restrooms to clear out the digestive tract for dessert.
So long, Sizzler – your all-you-can-eat cheese toast made me so happy
My greatest Sizzler joy was creating a monstrous sundae overflowing with sprinkles, smarties, wafers and mini marshmallows. Afterwards, my siblings and I would collaborate on what I like to call a “kid’s king cup”, which involved mixing any leftover food and drink into a goopy mess and thrusting it into each other’s faces, before one or several of us would pass out in a booth while playing Game Boy. It was a magical time to be alive.
I don't suppose Sizzler will be missed much, but I do have vaguely fond memories of that cheese toast.
I’ve had good times at Sizzler with groups of kids. They had a terrific time. The freedom of being able to stack your own plate was pretty intoxicating for them. The favoured drink of 4 different fizzy drinks in one glass used to make my eyes widen though.
Oh god, Sizzler. I remember when the first Sizzler opened in Melbourne (we lived in Sydney at the time) and two sets of relatives took us there while we were down visiting two days apart (A lesson from my parents that if someone takes you somewhere you smile and thank them, a useful thing I have used at Olive Garden in the States). I suspect the relatives in question wouldn't be caught dead in one today; The 80s were so innocent.
I’ve had good times at Sizzler with groups of kids. They had a terrific time. The freedom of being able to stack your own plate was pretty intoxicating for them. The favoured drink of 4 different fizzy drinks in one glass used to make my eyes widen though.
Oh god, Sizzler. I remember when the first Sizzler opened in Melbourne (we lived in Sydney at the time) and two sets of relatives took us there while we were down visiting two days apart (A lesson from my parents that if someone takes you somewhere you smile and thank them, a useful thing I have used at Olive Garden in the States). I suspect the relatives in question wouldn't be caught dead in one today; The 80s were so innocent.
All is not lost, you can buy the cheese toast to have at home at supermarkets. It's just called Pan Bread https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/85423/la-famiglia-bread-pan-style-slices
With Sizzler’s final nine Australia restaurants closing their doors on November 15, the chain’s final parting gift is the precise recipe.
And behold, here it is:
Ingredients:
Thick sliced white bread
pecorino cheese
margarine
Method:
1. Combine equal amounts of margarine with pecorino cheese and mix to create a paste.
2. Spread the mixture on one side of the bread.
3. Cook it in your frying pan on a low to medium heat for about 60 seconds. When it’s golden brown, it’s ready to eat.