The world is a complicated place. Sometimes, the taste of a sweet onion ring provides a safe harbor in the midst of storms. It is my quest to find these harbors, and pass on the crucial knowledge to others. There are always storms, and always opportunities to find more onion rings. Recently, I went out to lunch with some coworkers. As luck would have it, they had onion rings! Two birds, one stone.
Presentation and Appearance: 3.5/5
The onion rings have a classic pub style appearance. A bit irregular on the breading, the shape bulges and twists. This is not, however, unappealing. It works, in its own way. I will say that most of the breading was a bit dark, indicative of some overcooking. One onion ring, buried beneath the heap, was lighter in complexion, and not overdone.
The presentation is nothing special. The onion rings were twisted together in a heaping mass, almost inextricably tied together. The plate was a bit small, and crowded (with my gyro and pickle jockeying for space as well). Beyond that, I had no serious complaints.
Taste: 3/5
The taste of these onion rings was fairly complex (for an onion ring). The breading had a surprising depth and flavor. Clearly well seasoned, thought out, and well prepared, it was the highlight of the taste. The onion interior only had a mild taste, though it was present. I would have liked a more prominent onion flavor.
Overall, the taste only had two serious flaws. The first was the weakness of many pub-style onion rings; an overwhelming, overpowering, and a somewhat disturbing permeation of grease. To a certain extent, this is unavoidable on an onion ring, even good ones. However, it was just a bit too the excess for my liking. In addition, the breading, while flavorful, was clearly and blatantly overcooked. Though this had more dramatic ramifications for texture, the taste suffered as a result.
Texture: 2.5/5
At first bite, the texture is fine, even good! With a delightful crunch, and no slippage of the onion, it seems fine. Indeed, they tend to maintain their shape with ease.
Of course, all of these factors are explained by one horrible cause; the onion rings were dreadfully overcooked. It makes sense that an overdone onion ring would be crunchy, and shrivel up on itself to prevent any slippage of the onion. Of course the shape would be maintained.
In truth, the overcooked nature of these onion rings completely ruins all the positive attributes of texture. Crunch, no slippage, and shape maintenance are only good if they're derived from a proper frying, not from excessive time in the fryer.
Value: 3.5/5
These onion rings were not particularly expensive, but they were low in quantity, and overcooked. All in all, they're a worthy side dish, but certainly not worth getting on their own.
Total: 12.5/20
