Monaco Dining Restaurant — Restaurant in Johor

Visited Monaco recently and while the place was pretty empty, the ambience was incredibly relaxing and welcoming – perfect for a chill night out. My friend and I were actually severely underdressed, but the staff didn’t make us feel awkward at all. In fact, they were warm and genuinely welcoming, which I really appreciated.

The service was top-notch – the servers were attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable, taking the time to explain each dish and the special menu for the day. They even engaged in small talk, which made the overall experience feel much more personal and comfortable. Honestly, I would give the environment and service a solid 10/10.

Unfortunately, when it came to the food, there was quite a bit of room for improvement.

We started with the foie gras, which was just okay – nothing particularly memorable except for the plating, which was nicely done. The escargot was disappointing for me. It came with breadcrumbs or some kind of stuffing, which absorbed all the garlic butter – arguably the best part of an escargot dish. The breadcrumbs also made the dish heavy and repetitive, especially if you’re having it on your own rather than sharing.

Next, we had the tomato soup, which leaned too heavily on the creamy side. I would’ve preferred it with a touch more acidity, especially since it’s meant to be a starter – as it stood, it was too rich and filling before even getting to the mains.

The seafood aglio olio had a strong seafood flavour, which some might enjoy, but for me, it overpowered the garlic, which should’ve been the star of the dish. It ended up tasting one-dimensional, and became a bit of a struggle to finish.

The sirloin steak, however, was pretty decent – it was well-grilled, well-seasoned, and came with a flavourful sauce. I’d say this is one dish that deserves another shot if I return.

But the biggest letdown of the night was the beef wellington. The beef was underseasoned, and the mushroom duxelle lacked depth – no herbs, no punch. What really bothered me most was the pastry: it was soggy and loose, not wrapped tightly around the beef and mushrooms, so the whole thing fell apart easily on the plate. Texture and structure-wise, it just didn’t work.

Overall, Monaco delivers an amazing experience in terms of atmosphere and service, but if they want to match that with their food, there’s a lot of improvement needed. For the price point, I wouldn’t say it’s value for money yet – but there’s definitely potential if they...

I’m in a bit of a hesitant to give this place a 4 star in general.

Good Arrive early to get your private space or made a reservation. I was glad the place took a last minute reservation but it would have even better if they didn’t forget the special occasion which was mentioned in the reservation.

The stand outs dishes were the mushroom soup, beef tartare and wagyu. The soup was smooth and tasted flavourful. The tartare is beefy and made just right, while the wagyu (medium doneness) melted in our mouths x

Bad Service needs a big improvement…It started alright with the chef explaining the dishes. It would have been better to have a simple sentence on the ingredients used instead of having single words. The dining took approximate 2 hours for 3 appetisers, 1 soup, 2 mains and 2 desserts. There were inconsistencies when the serving of the dessert had to be communicated thrice to different individuals.

The sea bass and deconstructed tiramisu (not in picture) wanted to look novel but both dishes didn’t stand out. The sea bass with the curry didn’t create a good combination. The tiramisu looked fancy...

Pleasantly surprised to be greeted by Yvonne right at the entrance on ground floor before being warmly escorted up to Level 2 dining area with assigned table.

Maître d' Hing checks if we are 1st time here and shared their dining concepts and menu with us. He also introduced the other dining concepts restaurants and cafes within JB such as Gardens, Japanesea etc.

Jimmy the Restaurant Manager was really helpful and checks in regularly throughout the service.

Food is excellent and we were too full for desserts this round. Definitely will come back.

Note: if you happened to shop in midvalley mall southkey and do not drive, it is actually walkable from the mall to Monoco within 10 mins. Just exit from Midvalley South Court G level and take the sheltered path to the open space carpark of midvalley. You will see Opero Hotel on your left but keep walking towards the right side of the shop houses in front of Opero Hotel. At the right end of the shophouses, turn left and cross the road towards the Mosaic Building. Monoco is located along the shophouses with Starry Sky Hotpot at level 2 above Xavier...