Top Hat Restaurant @ Jalan Stonor, KL

Update: this restaurant has ceased operations

If you have been to the KLCC Convention Centre or the Aquaria, most likely you would have parked at the adjoining outdoor car park. If you did, then you should have noticed Top Hat Restaurant before. It is located along Jalan Stonor, somewhere near the car park’s exit. I had always wondered about the restaurant but never really made a point to make a visit because it looked pricey. But after gathering positive feedbacks from friends who dined there before, we were finally convinced to try.

Set in a colonial bungalow that used to be a school in the past, the restaurant is filled with natural light from the side windows and oozes classical elegance. The menu that rotates every three months is a delightful blend of Western Dishes and Asian flavours, with the latter focused more on local Malaysian and distinctive Nyonya cuisines. Prices here are expectedly above average but not exorbitantly expensive.

Top Hats (Kuih Pai Tee) @ RM10 for half a dozen, a signature dish here that also matches the restaurant’s name. These bite-sized appetizers were prepared fresh and arrived at the table warm. The ‘hat’ was light but crispy and the shredded radish filling was surprisingly more delicious than anticipated considering it is vegetarian. They go very well with the homemade chili coriander sauce too, in fact a must for Pai Tee.

As much as we would like to try the Nyonya dishes like the Nyonya Laksa, we just couldn’t justify the price (RM28 a bowl!) so we went for the Western selections which seemed more value for money. SL wanted to try the Grilled Chicken initially but since they were out of chicken that day she had the Panfried Norwegian Salmon with Lime Leaf Sauce @ RM65 instead.
Overall it was not bad, the salmon tasted fresh, mashed potato was creamy and lovely and the sauce was a perfect compliment. The only thing that prevented us from rating it better was that the salmon was overcooked and the skin was burnt.

And as usual I would always go for the steaks – Char Grilled Rib Eye with Cepe Mushroom Sauce @ RM65. Even though the beef is not from any premium breed of cattle, the medium rare meat was enjoyably juicy and tender. But it was lacking in the natural flavour department so the creamy Cepe Mushroom sauce was very much welcomed to provide the extra flavor.

Top Hat also has quite an extensive list of desserts and cakes, it will surely please those who have a sweet tooth. Among the many, one that caught both of our attention was the Signature Tiramisu Cake served with Fresh Strawberry Sauce @ RM16.
We were quite skeptical of the combination at first but once we tried it, we were hooked! The cake is quite moist and rich yet it does not taste as dense as it looks. And you got to love the crunchy and buttery sweet almonds on top, just delicious. It is easily one of the best cakes we have had so far.

Good food, great dessert and plenty of space and privacy – you will find them here at Top Hat. I do have to admit though, that a full meal here will not be easy on the wallet.

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