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Wednesday 4 December 2013

Top Hat Restaurant @ Jalan Stonor

My friends and I have not dined at this place before but, from the photos I have seen online, this restaurant, that is housed in a colonial bungalow, has an air of classical elegance and charm about it.  For those who love the cosy ambience and stylish décor, first and foremost in a restaurant, and food second, Top Hat @ Jalan Stonor is the place for you.

So, when the opportunity presented itself, by way of vouchers from a group buying site, we did not hesitate to buy as we really wanted to try their food since their prices are a bit pricier than the norm.  They offer classic Western dishes, with a blend of local Malaysian and Nyonya dishes, and their menu changes every 3 months.

We started with their Signature Top Hats (or otherwise known as 'kuih pie tee') @ RM12 for half a dozen.  Luckily, this signature dish of theirs turned out to be the dish of the day, otherwise they may have to change their restaurant's name...lol.  The 'hat' was light and crispy with a delicious filling of shredded 'sengkuang' (as it is known locally or 'jicama' in English or 'saa got' in Cantonese) and carrots with a garnish of chopped spring onions.  It went very well with the homemade sweet and sour chilli sauce.

We also ordered another starter, for sharing, the Grilled Prawn Salad @ RM38, which tasted ok.  The salad, comprising of thinly sliced red bell peppers, cucumbers, onions, etc., was refreshing but the prawns were meagre (both in size and amount) for the price we paid.

Next, came the mains, the first of which was the Pan-fried Salmon Fillet @ RM65, served with mushrooms and eggplant.  I found the salmon a tad overdone and the portion measly.

The Spaghetti Olio, served with tiger prawns @ RM45, was decent though nothing great.

Our third main of the day was the Grilled Rib Eye @ RM78, served with mashed potatoes and mushrooms.  This was "hands down" the worst dish of the day.  The piece of steak, to me, was of a low quality and didn't have any flavour to it (I can get a cheaper and more flavourful piece of meat, for less than this, from any steakhouse).  Worst still, it was overcooked to almost "well done" when I had actually asked for it to be done "medium" as there was no 'pink hue' whatsoever when I cut the meat open.  The only edible thing on the plate was the creamy mashed potatoes.

Our final main was the Grilled Lemongrass Chicken @ RM48, served with Nyonya fried rice and vegetables (a bit like gado-gado which is a mixture of bean sprouts, long beans, onions in a peanut sauce).  The chicken was chargrilled and you could smell the lemongrass as soon as the dish hit the table.  This turned out to be the best main of the day and, because it turned out so well, we ordered one more.

For dessert, we tried the Signature Tiramisu Cake @ RM18, served with fresh strawberry sauce.  It was a decadent dessert, super luscious and one of the best I have had.  The cake was moist and rich but yet light.  This was probably due to the strawberry sauce, which was a welcome delight, as its tartness cuts through the richness of the cream cheese.

The other dessert we tried was the Warm Chocolate Pudding @ RM18 with homemade orange ice-cream.  What can I say, it's a "sinful" dessert, and all my friends loved it, though I'm not a big fan of chocolate myself.  It was chocolaty as it should be and the slight sourness of the orange ice-cream provided the acidity needed to cut through the rich chocolate flavour.

We also had a local dessert, the Sago Gula Melaka @ RM10 (no pic), which was decent and not too sweet as you can control the amount of gula melaka you put in it.

Drinks are quite pricey too, the Watermelon Juice costs RM15, Orange Juice is RM17 and Iced Capuccino is RM16.

My Personal Opinion

The prices at Top Hat are above average, so eating here may cause a 'dent' in your wallet.  The food was so-so only (although they seemed to fair better with local and Nyonya dishes) but the desserts saved the day.  Come here, if not just for the ambience and décor, and the desserts, of course.

What I liked:  The desserts were great.

What I disliked:  The western dishes did not live up to expectations.

Top Hat Restaurant
No 3 Jalan Stonor
50450 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2142 8611/2144 1863 

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