Soi 23 @ Pacific Regency Hotel KL

I think I've been taking one too many reviews lately, to a point that the monotonous regularity simply made me lose the enjoyment of penning down my experience in this blog. I guess this is what they call a writers block.

While I am penning this down, days after shying away from words, I'm back! This is going to be real easy. Right?

Soi Twenty Three

For those unfamiliar with Pacific Regency Hotel, this is where Luna Bar is. I've briefly wrote about the place some time back, you can read about it here. While I've been to Luna Bar a fair number of times, I've yet to step foot into any of their restaurants. Thus, I'm psyched at what awaits!

There are two restaurants in Pacific Regency Hotel. Cristallo Di Luna, which boost an impressive menu of fine Western cuisine and Soi 23, an award winning Thai restaurant. 

Things were rather quiet when I stepped into Soi 23 that Friday evening - it was deserted. For a moment there, it felt as though I booked the entire restaurant. Perfect opportunity to explore and take pictures of every corner of the place however - its quite a huge restaurant you see.

Tonight, Executive Chef Eddie Yap will be rolling out some of Soi 23's newly launched menu offerings, while maintaining the elements of Soi 23's traditional favorites. 

On that note, the menu you will be seeing later is Halal. 

Som Tam Soi Thai. RM12++.

This is one of the best mango and papaya salad I've had in awhile. It left me with a burning tongue but it was totally worth it - addictive even. Crunchy, fresh and with very well balanced flavors.

Tom Yam Prawn Bisque. RM25++.

The tom yum was equally scrumptious. The soup had intense flavors and was fiery no doubt, but I just kept on going back for more. And the prawns - those slid right off the shell. 

Organic Pandan Chicken. RM35++.

The pandan chicken is one of Soi 23's best seller. It was delightful and simply not enough for both of us to share - the spring chicken was so tiny! On that note, the price tag felt hefty for the portion given.

Steamed Cod Fish with Ginger and Coriander. RM68++.

An exquisite slice of cod that had melt in the mouth textures and was perfectly flaked. Nevertheless, I thought the cod overpowered the rest of the condiments on the plate. The sauce was undermined and essentially made the fish taste well - a little too-fishy. I liked it but my friend thought otherwise.

Black Angus Beef Ribs in Dry Curry. RM48++.

I really enjoyed the lemongrass infused dry curry - it was rich, savory and sweet. We cleaned the curry up greedily, but was forced to leave the beef ribs half eaten. That, tasted a little off.

Mango Sticky Rice Sushi. RM18++.

What dainty little desserts! I had fun indulging in the coconut ice cream, it was refreshing to have something cold after such a rich meal. A tweak: a splash of coconut milk would do the rice balls great justice.

Teh Tarik Panna Cota with Kaya Toast. RM18++.

This would probably pleased the teh-tarik fans. My friend was raving on-and-on on how fantastic the panna cotta is - this was the star of her meal she said. If you're wondering, those are kaya butter toast on the side.

Overall Rating: 6/10. The dishes that I sampled tonight was decent but could have been better with the premium ingredients used. At a glimpse, Soi 23 would probably served better as a lunch hot spot. They are currently running a 50% off Weekday lunch promotion. On the other hand, Cristello would probably be more exclusive for the dinner crowd, with settings that leaned towards the fine-dining side. Very sunset friendly too! I shall give that place a go next time.

Soi 23 is located at:
Address: Pacific Regency Hotel Suites, 23rd Floor, KH Tower, Jalan Punchak, Off Jalan P Ramlee, 50250 KL.
Phone: 03 2332 7777 ext 6804
Email: fnbadmin@pacific-regency.com