It has been a while since I wrote an elaborate blog post. As always, time is the constraint. However, I felt this elaborate experience at Monkey Bar deserved a detailed write-up.
Sunday evenings, generally tend to be quiet in anticipation of the Monday ahead! 🙂 However, one of our classmates had come over from Bangalore and a couple of us from here decided to catch up over a few drinks. I zeroed in on Monkey Bar as the destination as it has been on my to-do list for a really long time.
Located on the third floor of VR Mall in Anna Nagar, it is located quite in a corner, as friend reached earlier, he gave us directions and it wasn’t as much a problem locating the place. As we entered, the place was wonderful! Very nice interiors and the neon lights making it look very classy. Definitely looked posh and not just like any other restobar.
We settled down and after a quick glance at the menu, decided to order one Cranberry Long Island Iced Tea and two Peach Long Island Iced Tea even before we took a detailed look at the cocktails and food sections.
After a more detailed look, we decided to try their House specials. I have heard this from friends before that some of their cocktails are definitely worth checking out.
The first round of experiment, we ordered Madras Men, Mangaa and Rasam Mary listed in my order of preference. I’d pick Madras Men as my favorite among these three.
Posted below in this order –
Rasam Mary – Vodka, tomato-pepper-rasam and curry leaf-lemon, salt rim.
Mangaa – Vodka, aam panna, sweet lime, cumin and salt.
Madras Men – Whiskey, coffee shrub, orange juice, rosemary mist and tonic water.
For the side, we ordered Paneer and Tarkari Sashlik and Chicken Sukka Arancini. Paneer was soft, well-marinated and looked like tawa grilled. I had very little of it, tasted good. Chicken Sukka Arancini was brilliant. I was a bit confused initially thinking how chicken sukka would be stuffed into an arancini, however, we got the arancini balls on a bed of boneless chicken sukka. Tasted amazing!
Second round of experiment, we ordered Pied Piper, Sip Me Tender, and Hipster Smash, listed in my order of preference. I’d pick Pied Piper as my favorite among these three.
Posted below in this order –
Sip Me Tender – White Rum, tender coconut, anardaana churan, pomegranate seeds and sweet and sour.
Pied Piper – Jeera-infused Whiskey, cinnamon and sweet and sour, topped with Ginger Ale.
Hipster Smash – Vodka, cucumber-elderflower spritz, watermelon and mint.
For the side, we ordered Secretary’s special peanuts. It was good, like how you’d normally expect it anywhere. Portion size was generous.
Finally, after we were done with experiments, we decided to finish with more familiar flavors hitting the palate. While a friend opted for a regular Long Island Iced Tea, the other friend and I chose a Large of Black Label, each. Now, after a sip of it, the other drinks felt like kids stuff ! 🙂 Enjoyed it with ice and soda.
For the side, we ordered Veg Loaded Nachos. This was wonderful with the sour cream and salsa. If I have to be picky, too many broken ones inside. That’s not how you serve nachos. I should be able to pull one out from the bowl and have it. These pieces needed a spoon/fork.
Since we were done with the drink and still not done with the nachos, decided to order a couple of pints! 🙂 Two chilled Kingfisher pints, and we were good to leave.
Overall, had a fantastic evening, and the place had wonderful music playing. Even though the beats were thumping, it was good and non-intrusive. It wasn’t a nuisance to our conversation even once, not a slightest jarring. Fantastic music system, I suppose. Service was very courteous throughout the time we were there.
Now this is where Swiggy Dineout GIRF 50% Off voucher is a blessing! I had already booked for 3 pax and informed in advance, and there was absolutely no hassle using it either. The total bill amount was Rs. 10,715 and we had to pay Rs. 5358 only. A steal for what we had, without a doubt! Thank you, Swiggy Dineout! 🙂
Certainly one of the places I’d like to come back and recommend. Check out for the Swiggy DineOut GIRF vouchers, makes the experience even better!
Swiggy Dineout’s Great Indian Restaurant Festival (GIRF) 2024 will be held from September 5 to October 27, 2024
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