Thu, 2010-07-01 14:09 — admin

Frankly my dear, I don't give a darn about football.But if it means getting to eat football-inspired dishes with a cold pint of beer, then 'cheers' I say!

By Pauline Wong, Pictures by Aris Zaril

The World Cup has taken over the world. Quite literally. From morning office explosions (depending on which team had lost or won) to excited reenactments of thrilling goals by animated old 'uncles', this footie-frenzy has resulted in a nation of crazies, eyes glued on the screen for the next goal.

(And not to mention, burnt roti canai because the roti-guy would be fixated on the screen)

But irked though I may be, there is one silver lining to this testosterone-fueled cloud: Bentley's Pub, the English-inspired pub located inside KL's Hotel Nikko, has come up with a World Cup menu that has me and a colleague drooling at its mere memory.

Featuring snacks that are inspired by various countries, Bentleys' Pub invites men and women to dig into five selections: The German Curry Sausages, Tex-Mex Soccer Fries, Samba Brazil Striker, South African Warrior, and the Blue Azuri, all at RM 20 ++.

The German Curry Sausages came highly recommended, and no wonder. With every bite, liquid flavour burst inside our mouths - all at once savoury, salty and robust with a billion different tastes. The curry powder used in this dish is imported directly from Germany, believe it or not!

And if sausages aren't quite your thing, try the Tex-Mex Soccer Fries for size: Crispy, golden potato wedges slathered generously with Jack cheese, sour cream, tomato salsa and guacamole.

Every bite is sinful and satisfying, and if that still isn't your cup of tea, there is the Samba Brazil Striker - six ground beef croquettes with a tangy mango salsa and side salad. Kudos to the mango salsa, because it was the perfect complement to the crunchy-on-the-outside, soft-on-inside croquettes.

And perhaps my favourite of the lot - the Blue Azuri, which is a dish of warm pizza baguettes with a tomato base, topped off with spicy beef salami and melted mozzarella cheese.

All cheesy, all calories, all so worth the gym hours afterwards; so if you've wondered what indulgence tastes like, you'll find that out when you pay a visit to Bentley's. And you must, because the World Cup snacks are only available until July 11. And if you come dressed in your favourite team jersey, you get to have a free beer to go with it.

But you'll be wrong to think that's all they have to offer - how about you take a bite into their Asparagus Smoked Salmon Wrap (RM 16++)? Served with the creamy, sour-and-spicy Bombay Dip, it's a "MOAR (more) please" kind of dish.

If by now you're thinking: "Good lord, these journalists can eat", then we'll shock you further - we also polished off a plate of Bratwurst Sausages and Mash (RM 22++). How do we even describe this dish, dear readers? Perhaps we can say: Don't leave the pub, because you'll want to eat the sausages over and over again? Yeap, that will be about right.

Bentley's also offers the Carvery Lunch, priced at RM 45++ per person, from 12pm to 3pm. It is a buffet with a modest selection of typically English fare, from beautiful cuts of roast beef (or chicken) to Yorkshire pudding and a free flow of starters, soups and desserts.

Note: The Bread and Butter Pudding is the best I've ever eaten. I fancy myself a bit of an expert in that area - I am mad about this warm, buttery, egg-y, sweet pudding and I devour it at every chance I get.

And here's the icing over the cake: Saturdays are Ladies' Nights, and ladies drink for free from 4pm to 8pm, and from 8pm onwards is buy-one-free-one for ladies only.

So don't be a skeptic and assume that hotel food is over-rated and over-priced. Even though that holds true sometimes, it doesn't hold true here. Eat, peeps, and be merry.

Bentley's Pub
1st Floor, Hotel Nikko Kuala Lumpur,
165, Jalan Ampang,
50450 Kuala Lumpur