Pardon the rather unimaginative title, I realise myself that its cheesiness borders on the lousy puns commonly found in local English newspapers (not mentioning which newspaper, though). However, the only other title I could think of was “Pork It”, which I felt fares worse in terms of punch and impact than the current title.
I wonder if my current penchant for lame titles was a sign of pork withdrawal, considering today is day 3 after my excessive pork intake at Betty’s Midwest Kitchen, Aman Suria. Another possible exacerbating factor might be the excessive durian intake on that same day (before AND after the pork fest). That gastronomically challenging day began with attending a durian party at my friend’s gated community. The idea of indulging in the king of fruits before going for a pork feast seemed like a bad one, so ‘everything in moderation‘, I told myself. Moderation ended up as five above average-sized pieces of durian.
Appetizers done, off to dinner we went. Betty’s Midwest Kitchen is located in a rather quiet row of shops in Aman Suria. Yet, this diner reaffirms the notion that no matter where you are located, if your food is good the customers will naturally come. And in Betty’s case, they came in droves. The diner was full-house inside, and we had to wait (albeit briefly) for a free table.
The diner inside was charmingly decorated with American paraphernalia, and a ‘wall of fame’ of cartoon-y pigs indicated that this was the ‘go-to’ place for some pork-lovin’. The tables and chairs were simple but neat, which I took as a good indication that we were going to be served good food without having to pay through our noses for a trendy ambiance.
The menu is decidedly and unashamedly a pork-majority affair. From bacon rashers to salads to pork chops to ribs, burgers and hotdogs, our delicious snout-nosed friend was undeniably the star attraction of this diner. We started off with bacon rashers in both its available incarnations, deep-fried bacon and crispy bacon (pictured here). When I tried the crispy bacon, I now understand why obesity and heart disease run high among Americans. It’s because of sinful foods like this! Initially I had expected it to taste like the regular bacon I had been eating since I was a child – salty and grimey. But once that rewarding taste arrives on your palate soon after you are done chewing and swallowing your first piece, you can’t help but to go for the next piece, then another…then another… A guilty pleasure that I expect would go very well if downed with a bottle of Bud (also served in the diner).
The deep-fried bacon was basically crispy bacon fried in batter. I didn’t get to try this, but I heard from my fellow diners that it was equally sinful.
Our first mains were the Baby Back Ribs. Served as 4 ribs at a price of RM28, this is considerably a very reasonable price for ribs as compared to the halal ones served in the bigger American family restaurants here in KL. The ribs were perfectly grilled, just adequately charred on the outside yet very tender on the inside. The meat could easily be teared off the bone, which for me is already a thumbs up. Love the juiciness of the ribs, although I would personally would have liked a bit more of a sweet edge coming from some honey or caramelized sugar.
Next came the Sloppy Joe’s. We were all having this for the first time, and were curious to find out. When this was served however, it got us all scratching our heads. While I imagined sloppy joe’s to have minced meat ATOP a regular burger patty, it turns out that the sloppy joe’s were JUST the minced meat inside the burger buns. At Betty’s, the minced pork was served on a separate bowl, presumably to prevent the burger buns from being soaked in gravy. Eating this, each of us on the table had a questionable reaction to it. Ultimately, we decided that this was akin to having burger buns with bolognaise sauce, except for the fact that there was sweetness from the ketchup and no Italian herbs were present (I think). Some quick Wiki-ing reveal that in the US sloppy joe’s are made with ground beef and not pork. I predict the beef version to be tastier considering its strong flavours and its compatibility with tomato-based sauces. As for now though, I think I give the sloppy joes a pass. 
Our meatloaf came after. I was also having this for the first time but I enjoyed it, especially with the tangy ketchup that topped the meatloaf. This came served with beer sauce, onion relish, some lovely peas that makes me wanna say “Look Ma, I have finished my peas for the first time”, and an excellent creamy mashed potato.
We also had the Country Fried Chicken, something I personally requested. The closest thing I had to Southern food was from the newly arrived fast food chain Popeyes Chicken and Biscuits, which albeit being very good had made me yearn for the real thing. In my mind I had been hoping for an authentic family-based recipe that would beat the generic ones I had tried. Unfortunately, the Country Fried Chicken came out rather dry and lacked the robust mishmash of flavours I had been expecting it to have. I guess I’ll stick to Popeyes for my fried chicken fix for now.
My friend and I, being the gluttons that we were, still wanted to try more pork items before we called for the bill. As he didn’t take beef we could not order the beef+pork burgers, so we opted for the American hotdog with pork bratwurst. The bratwurst certainly did not fail to deliver, and gave me and my fellow diner the pork satisfaction needed to close this a successful pork-filled meal. (Sorry there were no pictures of the hotdog, as the hotdog was served plain with the relish, mustard and ketchup set aside).
All in all, we had quite an awesome pork fest despite a few minor dislikes here and there. There were still so many items on the menu left to try, so many recommendations from others ( Pork Chop, Dog Food, Boston Butt, Juicy Lucy, lurid names no?). And the good thing is, the price allows for repeat visits without having to wait for the next paycheck to arrive 
Oh, to cap the night off, my fellow diners and I returned to the durian buffet to finish of what was left of the durians. Talk about overdose.
Betty’s Midwest Kitchen
A-G-40, Jalan PJU 1/43, Aman Suria Damansara
Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, 47410
Yummsssss
Great, I love meat loaf. But seldom see them on the menus.
Nothing beats another place that serves the most obscenely UN-1-Malaysia dishes.
yes yes, pork joy is joy like no other…!
a good pork shop around, better than Bellygood anyhoo!!! hope they expand to KL proper… so far away!
Bellygood huh? Yet another addition to the collection of pork-centric restaurants, sensing a trend here. Thanks for mentioning it, it’s great to get comments that guide me on where to go, and also where NOT to go next..