Moussandra – Mediterranean & Tapas Restaurant @ KL Plaza, Bukit Bintang

Moussandra is a Mediterranean restaurant located in the now quiet KL Plaza that serves authentic Greek, Spanish and Italian cuisine. And from what I have read in one of the articles displayed at the entrance, Moussandra is actually the Greek word for a type of wooden chest. Interesting.
So, a few weeks ago I had an invitation from the restaurant’s owner, Alphonse to Moussandra to have a meal there. By looking at their restaurant’s online menu, it was nothing short of excitement knowing that I will be trying many new dishes that I have neither seen nor heard before.

We actually struggled a little while ordering the food, because we really didn’t have any clue what to order. For Tapas (Spanish appetizers) alone, there are more than 30 of them available like Seafood Tapas, Meat Tapas and Vegetarian Tapas.
So, we took the waitress’ recommendation for all the Tapas, and for soup we chose Creamy Pumpkin Soup (SL’s latest favorite!) and Creamy Mushroom Soup. Sola de Calabaza – Creamy Pumpkin Soup @ RM15 had a pretty huge serving enough to be shared between two. Thick and flavorsome, it was impossible not to be liked.

Sola de Setas – Creamy Mushroom Soup @ RM15 was nice as well but we preferred the pumpkin soup a whole lot more.

At first I was thinking of just having some fruit juice but the waitress said that I should give their specialty drinks like Sangria (wine punch) or Virgin Mojito (a mint flavored cocktail) a try. I had the latter, which was lower in alcohol content because I am not a drinker lol.
Virgin Mojito is the drink in the middle, served with lime and mint. To give you a rough picture of how it tasted – Imagine drinking less sweetened 7UP or Sprite with a hint of lime and some mint flavor, minus the gas.
Can you ‘picture’ the taste? Refreshing right? That’s exactly how the drink felt like. But like any other cocktails, it was quite pricey.

The first Meat Tapas served was Albondigas St Climient – Lamb Meatballs in Brandy Sauce @ RM15. Albeit having a rather gamey taste, I thought the ping pong ball-sized meatballs were pretty good with a firm texture.
If you are not a hardcore lamb lover like me and cannot tolerate the lamb smell, my suggestion for you is not to order this.

Next Meat Tapas we had was Ternera Con Vino Tinto – Sauteed Beef Rib-eye in Red Wine Sauce @ RM19. The tender and juicy rib-eye was great to chew on, with its intense flavor released with each and every chew.

We also had a Vegetarian Tapas – Berenjas Picantes or translated to Pan-fried Eggplant with Chili & Tomato @ RM9. Although chili was one of the named ingredients, the spiciness was mild and shouldn’t be a problem for Malaysian taste buds.

From the Mezze (Mediterranean appetizer) menu, this is Hevos Cocidos Con Anchoas or Boiled Eggs with Pimiento & Anchovies @ RM9. We didn’t order for this but it was served to us directly from the kitchen by the chef personally.
To me, that signified a good level of confidence he had in the dish. And I am glad to say, the taste was great although very simple ingredients like boiled eggs, flavored mayonnaise, cherry pepper and anchovies were used. Very recommended.

Queso Frito Con Anchoas @ RM16 was another Mezze we tried. It was basically Deep-fried Mozzarella Cheese with Spanish Anchovy Sauce. It was OK and tends to make you full easily.

The vibrant colors of the Tapas and Mezze.

After having so many different types of Tapas and Mezze, finally it was time for our one and only main course – Paella Valenciana (Saffron Flavored Rice with Seafood, Chicken, Chicken Sausage & Vegetables) @ RM38. I have seen this dish a few times before and it’s just too attractive.
Just look at the seafood (prawn, squid, mussel, clam) in the flamboyant Paella, don’t tell me you’re not a little amazed lol. So, I just had to try it once. And if you didn’t know, Paella is a rice dish originated from Spain.

Too bad I didn’t like the taste as much as I liked the presentation mainly due to the rice’s sogginess. I don’t know if the rice was intended to be that way though.. I guess Paella is still a dish too new for me to accept (too Spanish?)
Anyway, I did a little research on Seafood Paella‘s recipe and it seems that the simmering of the rice in the seafood broth until it is cooked could be the reason for the moistness. Then, it’s time for desserts yeah!

Affogato, which means ‘choked‘ in Italian @ RM12 is a coffee based dessert. At Moussandra, Affogato is prepared by topping their home made vanilla ice cream with espresso. If you are looking for sweet tasting dessert, you can skip this and go for the others because well, espresso is not even sweet to begin with lol.

It was my third time having Creme Brulee and I have to say it was a very different experience. The entire custard’s surface was first sprinkled with sugar then burned with a torch until the it caramelized, resulting in a thin crunchy layer on the outside. Moussandra’s Vanilla Creme Brulee is priced at RM6.

The last dessert, and also the MOST AWESOME one – Torta de Chocolate (Freshly Baked Chocolate Cake with Home Made Vanilla Ice Cream) @ RM20. It was the bomb and sinfully delicious! The waffle shaped chocolate cake alone was already heavenly, not soft but a little biscuit-like (crunchy). When coupled together with the cold vanilla ice cream, they created an interesting warm and cold sensation in your mouth.. words simply cannot describe the yumminess. The chef’s creativity is evident by looking at the arrangement of this dessert.. the addition of fruits like strawberries and sliced mango pieces and the sprinkling of custard sugar really gave the presentation a huge boost.

It’s such a great dessert I don’t mind posting it again.

And again, lol. Seriously though, Torta de Chocolate alone is more than enough reasons for you to try Moussandra, trust me lah.

Moussandra is a restaurant with a warm, rustic feel just like described by Alphonse.

At the corner of the restaurant is an old telephone.. I wonder if any of you used this type of rotary dial telephone before? I did when I was a boy.

Another corner of Moussandra. I read that the restaurant has a very romantic ambiance at night with candle lights lit on huge wine bottles, perfect for bringing your other half to enjoy a nice evening.

Moussandra Mediterranean & Tapas Restaurant
Sub Lot B-8, Mezzanine Floor,
KL Plaza
179, Jalan Bukit Bintang,
55100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03 2144 0775
Open daily from 12-3pm, 6-11pm except Sunday.
Website: Moussandra