Thirsty Monkeys Café & Bistro Taman Desa Old Klang Road German Bavarian Pork Feast Review

 

One of my favourite German Dishes is Pork Knuckles. When Best Restaurant To Eat got this invitation to review a new restaurant that serves Pork Knuckles, we jump in without any hesitation. The new restaurant which serves German Bavarian cuisine is the Thirsty Monkeys Café & Bistro located at No.2, Jalan 4/109e, Desa Business Centre, Taman Desa, Old Klang Road, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Established in July 2014, the newly opened Thirsty Monkeys Café & Bistro is a restaurant serving the German food and beers.

Thirsty Monkeys Café & Bistro Taman Desa was a combined idea of 3 partners who saw the potential of bringing quality German food and beers culture to Malaysia. Why is it called Thirsty Monkeys? Simply put, all three owners are all born in the Year of the Monkey!

As the restaurant is at a corner shop, the décor is one of bistro setup with open spaces along the sides of the restaurant giving diners option to chill and dine in natural ventilation. Foods that are served here are suitable for family dine in or chill out with friends.

Our review started with a simple salad that comes with Thousand Island dressings.

Next, comes one of my favourite, which is Lamb Shanks. I have eaten many lamb shanks from many other restaurants previously and I find the sauce that was used to braise this Lamb Shanks to the right tender texture (the meat are easily removed without great effort) was very delicious and lip smacking as those that I have previously eaten. 

The meat was very tender and there were no gamey lamb taste which can be a great turn off for Lamb Shanks. The Lamb Shanks was served with mashed potatoes and salad.

The next main course for us was the Baked Pork Belly which was served with mashed potatoes, fresh vegetables and apple sauce. 

The Pork Belly was baked to ensure the layers of fats are fully gelled up to the tender meat with a slight crisp of the pork skin. The Pork Belly is then layered on top of a chef created Apple Sauce which gives it a special sweet and tangy taste to match the slightly salted Pork Belly.

In any German Bavarian cuisine, you can never miss the sausage and here at Thirsty Monkeys Café and Bistro at Taman Desa, the sausages are served in a Sausage Platter Set meant for sharing and it has 6 popular sausages in it. The sausages in the platter are the Farmer’s Bratwurst, Nuemberger, Emmenthaler, Hungarian, Thueringer, Chorizo and slices of bacon to topped up to this dish. 

The sausages are very meaty and firm which I liked, Although a tad of saltiness was evident, it is a very nice pairing to the Hoegaarden cold beer that we had. The Sausage Platter is served with garlic mayo, habanera mayo, mustard, sauerkraut and mashed potatoes.

Another dish which is a signature for German Bavarian restaurant is the Pork Knuckles. One of the your truly favourite dish. I find the meats and fat was nicely roasted and was flavourful but to me the skin was not to the crisp which I yearn for. A check with the chef says that some of the customers preferred it this way.

For those who love the skin to be roasted to a more crisp, please let the chef knows about it during your order. The Roasted Pork Knuckles are served with mashed potatoes, sauerkraut and pork sauce.

At, Thirsty Monkeys Café and Bistro @ Taman Desa, they do serve a variety of German Beer and the one we had was Hoegaarden – a very smooth beer and nice pairing for the meat dishes that we had earlier.

and Konig Ludwig Dunkel. For fans of German Beer, Thirsty Monkeys Café and Bistro @ Taman Desa is having a promotional German beer which is the German Bucket Promotion ie. RM120.00, you can have choose any 5 bottle of the German Beer. 

Thirsty Monkeys also serves some snack food, which are suitable dishes for the Beer for example Tender Chicken, Squids Ring and the one we had was the Spicy Mutton. The Spicy Mutton has a very strong spice infused aroma and taste, which was ideal as a side to the beers.

Lastly, we had 2 desserts to end the night, the first of which, was the Fried Banana Fritter Ala Mode – The banana are battered and deep fried with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and caramel syrup, it is a combination of something hot and something cold which is a mix taste to our taste bud.

and the Apple Crumble. The apple crumble was soft, fluffy and crusty and with the layer of zesty apple sauce in between the crust, it was a sweet ending for our dinner at Thirsty Monkeys Café and Bistro.

So, for those that stay around the Taman Desa or Old Klang Road, you need not travel far to enjoy nice German Bavarian style dishes and beers. Thirsty Monkeys Café and Bistro is just a stone throw away and will be able to satisfy your yearning for German food.

Cristallo Di Luna @Pacific Regency Hotel Suites Kuala Lumpur - A Romantic Italian Christmas Celebration Review

Christmas Season is round the corner and what better way to celebrate this festive holiday with your loved ones in one of a hidden upscale restaurant that has a gorgeous panoramic city view of Kuala Lumpur.

Best Restaurant To Eat was invited to a special fine dining Christmas Special at Cristallo Di Luna which is strategically located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur on the 34th Floor Pacific Regency Hotel Suites at Jalan Puncak Kuala Lumpur.

The decor is one that exudes a great ambience and romantic setting, an ideal place to wine and dine Italian Style with your other half.

The place has a stylish interior with a pleasant and lovely atmosphere to de-stress oneself.

Dinner started with a light Pumpkin Soup, which has a smooth creamy texture and a strong pumpkin flavour.

Featuring a culinary creation of the head chef, he uses the free Range Capon Chicken as the Christmas Main Theme dish, with Giblet Gravy and Cranberry Compote. As a substitute to the ever popular Turkey, which have a much more tougher meat, the Capon Chicken was indeed a splendid change with its tender, smooth and juicy meat. 

The Capon Chicken is stuffed with blended Chestnut with breadcrumbs and then sent to the roaster to be roasted for a good 45 minutes. The mash stuffing are then taken out and moulded before being fried and served as a side dish.with sauteed brussel sprout with potatoes and braised red cabbage.

The Special Giblet Sauce was made from Mirepoix, juice of the Roast Chicken and Chicken innards to produce a very delicious sauce that was thicken to give you a nice glaze which complemented with the natural taste of the Capon Chicken. The Roast Capon Chicken was very well paired with a glass of white wine.

For Desserts, we had the Apple Crumble, 

Thai Rainbow Jelly In Shooter Glass

and Christmas Fruit Cake 

followed by a cuppa of hot Cappucino to end the lovely evening.

Cristallo @ Pacific Regency Hotel Suite is having a Christmas Eve Buffet. The full details are as below with their Signature Roast Capon Chicken as the highlights.

Sumptuous ‘Jolly Christmas’ Buffet Spread at Cristallo Di Luna 

Teamed with the culinary experts, headed by Chef Eddie Yap, Cristallo experienced chefs are set to prepare extravagant flavours of sumptuous spread, a delicious combination of fusion and traditional Christmas fare to please every palate. A wide range of delicious, lip-smacking cuisines featuring Roasted Free Range Capon Chicken with Chestnut Stuffing, Steamed Black Cod with Ginger and Scallion Emulsion, Fresh Seafood Parade on Ice, Roasted Lamb Leg and more will be served. 

Not to forget, the finale to a sumptuous feast with a luscious combination of very traditional desserts. One must not miss the sinful Chocolate Fondue, Apple Crumble, English Trifle and Christmas Fruit Cake among others.

For those preferring to stay at home for the occasion, we have our Roasted Free Range Capon Chicken available for takeaway! Served with Gilblet Gravy and Cranberry Compote, our Capon Chicken is priced at RM 180++ (Half Roasted) and RM 380++ (Whole Roasted) and a healthier alternative to the traditional Roasted Turkey.

The Christmas specials’ are priced at RM158.00++ per person (Cristallo Di Luna). The buffet offerings inclusive of a glass of sparkling wine, party pack and free entry to Luna Bar’s Christmas Eve Party. For more information and reservation, please call us at +603 2332 7777 ext 6804 or email us at fnbadmin@pacific-regency.com

2013 BBT One Restaurant & Bar @Bandar Bukit Tinggi Klang – New Hangout Place & Superb Fusion Food in Klang Review

These days new café are opening up offering unique fusion dishes specially created to excite one’s taste-bud, Best Restaurant To Eat was invited to review this new café which is, 2013 BBT One Restaurant & Bar @Bandar Bukit Tinggi located at Unit No. B-G-2 BBT One Boulevard, Lebuh Batu Nilam 2, Bandar Bukit Tinggi 41200 Klang Selangor that whipped up specially created dishes.

The name 2013 BBT One Restaurant & Bar @Bandar Bukit Tinggi was a little peculiar for a restaurant and we found out later that this was the year the restaurant was established and henceforth the 2013. 

The restaurant décor is one of a bistro/ pub setting where it will be transformed during the course of the night. For patrons, who love to dine al-fresco, there is an open area.

2013 BBT One Restaurant & Bar @Bandar Bukit Tinggi serves a menu melding out Western and Asian culinary techniques into a broad ranging selection of dishes to please all tastes.

We started off our food review with the appetizer, the first of which was the finger licking goodness of the Belacan Chicken Wings (2 set). The belacan infused chicken wing were very mesmerising and you can taste it right to the bone. 

The mouth watering chicken wing were pre-marinated for at least 2 days in order for the belacan to totally permeates deep into the meat to give you this special taste.

2013 SALAD – It is a nice salad with the fresh Romaine lettuce as the base and with a tinge of vinegar dressing. We enjoyed the salad, which was crisp, fresh and slightly savoury, with a drizzle of grated cheese, freshly toasted shrimp and a generous serving of smoked bacon strips.

Next we had, the POTATO CROQUETTE – the potato was prepared in –house and smash to a superbly fine silky texture. The crust was very crispy while the potato was induced with the buttery flavours of the smash potatoes.

After that, it was the OVEN BAKED CRAB - this stuffed crab dish is a special house delicacy, with the right mix of meat blended with the sweet taste of the crab. Its aromatic and flavourful meat filling was topped with a layer of melted cheese that enhances the overall taste experience.

GRILLED SALMON WITH WHITE MUSHROOM CREAM SAUCE – grilled to perfect bright pink coloured with a firm textured and served with a bed of in-house smash potato 

and topped with a unique fried salmon skin.

This was then followed by the MUTTON CURRY WITH TOASTED BREAD – This dish is from an age old recipe from the chef uncle which was from India and takes a lot of skills to cook this simple looking mutton dish which have no gamey smell and taste.

The aromatic curry gravy soaked perfectly to the toasted bread with just the right level of spiciness. You can taste the fragrant spices that was used to cook this dish.

The next signature dish is the LAMB PASTA MAMAK-STYLE – This dish is inspired by the popular “Mee Mamak”. With the creative use of spaghetti instead of the normal yellow noodles and an in-house special spicy sauce, you have this excellent fusion dish.

Coupled with the cutlet of lamb fillet (no gamey) as a main ingredient, it was an exceptional combination of the ingredient to give you this unique taste. Thumb up.

The next dish is the PORK CHOP – it is a different variant of pork chop with a strong tinge of lemon grass. It is charred on the crisp skin while the meat was tender and well marinated which enhance the natural taste of the pork chop.

The accompanied sauce with the pork chop was the garlic cream sauce.

LAMB PIZZA – This is the Star of the night. It is a fresh new idea to use lamb as the key ingredient for a Pizza, it was wonderfully done with the right proportion of capsicum, pineapple, cheese and lamb as the main ingredient to make such lovely and tasty pizza. It tastes so wonderful you are still fantasising about it hours and days afterwards.

GREEN PASSION MOCKTAIL – A concoction of apple sauce, orange juice, lemon and fizzy soda.

Sipping this refreshing Mocktail, while enjoying the smooth crooning of the some oldies number reminds me of the good old time.

This “LIVE” performance are available on every Friday and Saturday. It is the perfect mini getaway to wind down your stressful weekday and rejuvenate you for the following next week.

2013 BBT One Restaurant & Bar @Bandar Bukit Tinggi emphasises on the quality & taste of its food. It offers diverse food choices and new dishes which are coming on from time to time. If you are game for some exciting new dishes, just head over to their facebook page on some new offering which are not found on their standard menu.

2013 BBT One Facebook Page