Attention! Monkey Bar’s New Menu Is Out And They Are Now Doing Pizzas Too

Deviating slightly from their usual route, this gastropub is weaving in regional flavours, and hidden ingredients to suddenly remind you of home.

We kicked things off with Mac n Cheese Croquettes, bringing two of our favourite comfort foods together. It was slightly bland but the piquant chilli mayo and salsa made us feel like happy campers. Then came Hot Wings in three variants — barbecue, bhut jolokia and sticky Korean Gochuajang. The Korean Gochuajang was our favourite as it was sweet and spicy with the drier bhut jolokia {it’s spicy, don’t be mistaken!} a close second. The barbecue hot wings paled in comparison, unfortunately. We also sampled the Kerala Rice Salad that was loaded with baby spinach, red rice, raw mango, coconut, peanuts and the unmistakable upmensinkai {deep-fried dried yogurt chilli} — oh so healthy.

For mains, we’re most delighted to report that they now do pizzas. We had the Smoked Harissa Chicken and Chicken Salami as well as the Pickled Prawn ones. The former was tasty and we’d have it again, but the almost-like-a-curry prawn won it for us. Apparently, it’s Mrs Pinto’s secret blend of spices with mozzarella. Adding to their repertoire of sinful burgers, the Greek Style Lamb was a lighter, more summery option. We quite liked the cilantro pesto slathered on it, though we’d have enjoyed it more if there was more tzatziki. The fries were on point though. The star of the new menu however was the Prawn Ghee Roast. Forget the diet, forget calorie counting. This is Kundapur-style spice ghee roast with fresh plump prawns. Served with a portion of Gobindo Bhog rice, we could eat it all day.

Looking for a drink instead? No worries, they’ve updated that menu too. Our current favourite is the Hipster Smash, a vodka-based cocktail with a refreshing cucumber and elderflower soda plus watermelon and mint. McSmokey, a blend of whiskey, pickle juice and lapshang souchang tea. A rather acquired taste, the tea adds a very strong smokey flavour. In fact, it was a bit overpowering for us. But it’s so intriguing, we’ll certainly have another go at it. We finished off with some churros drenched in chocolate sauce!