Restoran Mona Kay — Restaurant in Kuala Lumpur

It must be close to four decades ago that friends introduced me to some popular Nigerian dishes while I was studying abroad. Upon returning to Malaysia, I’ve searched for that same taste and flavour but have been disappointed mostly. Just recently by chance I saw a FaceBook post that filled me with hope again!

RESTORAN MONAKAY specialises in Nigerian food and is named after a husband and wife team. Kay, the Nigerian husband is also the cook. My recent visit was a happy encounter that brought back memories from years past when I shared a dingy London hostel kitchen with fellow students from the Commonwealth. Yes, much like music, smell and taste DO spark off memories!

Anyway, Kay was very friendly and helped me with my lunch order. My friend and I shared the meal consisting of pounded yam, egusi soup, beef & shaki stew and a spinach side dish. I used my hands like I would with Indian banana-leaf rice and my companion ate with a fork and spoon. We cleaned up the plate and bowls with nothing spared. I think that pretty much sums up what I thought of the food offered. Like many reviewers of Restoran MonaKay, I am suitably impressed and will head back to try the other suggested Nigerian dishes like Sugi, Moi Moi, etc. Yes indeed, the food was quite good and something Abiola and Femi O, my old hostel mates of long ago, would have been proud to call Nigerian food.

When exploring a new range of ethnic food, it is best to keep an open mind and a gourmand’s sense of adventure. Here’s a brief description of the dishes we had for lunch:

POUNDED YAM is a starchy mash made from white sweetpotato and has a bouncy texture but bland flavour. Eaten preferably with fingers the mash is rolled into a ball and dipped in a variety of Nigerian ‘soups’ and stews. This popular staple is part of a wider range of ‘mash or mix’ (or ‘fufu’) which can be made wholly or partly from pounding boiled yams, cassava/tapioca or other tubers.

EGUSI is a soup or stew thickened with ground egusi seeds (pumpkin/melon). These seeds are rich in protein and fat ie. the healthy unsaturated kind. They are dried or toasted and ground up and used as a major ingredient in West African cooking. The soup’s other ingredients include red palm oil, meats, fish, seasoning, hot pepper (chillies) and some form of leafy greens. What did it taste like? It was nutty, spicy and quite rich thanks to the variety of meat and fish strips added into the soup.

BEEF & SHAKI STEW Chunky cubes of beef and tripe (‘shaki’) luxuriating in a savoury and mildly spicy Nigerian stew of tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, garlic and seasoned with dried herbs and curry powder.

STEWED SPINACH braised with strips of meat jerky.

Lunch was going well. But just as we polished off the last morsels, I found out that the Jollof rice was ready! Oh no! I decided on the only course of action I could think of. I ordered my take-away of Jollof rice and Fish stew for dinner.

JOLLOF RICE is an iconic Nigerian dish based on three principal ingredients of rice, a tomato stew and seasoning (Nigerian-style curry powder and dried thyme) and typically accompanied with fried ripe and sweet plantain slices. There are a myriad of versions from across West Africa as well as late-night takeaways of West or South London (from where I developed fond memories) and now in Puchong! MonaKay’s version is rich and tasty and includes small bits of liver or meat and the requisite mildly smoky taste. Their grains of flavourful rice is not soft or squishy like indian pilaf but a bit al-dente and toothsome which I prefer.

FISH STEW consisting of fried blue mackerel pieces in the ubiquitous tomato-based stew.

RESTORAN MONAKAY located on the first floor of OUG Parklane (service apartment block B). It is an unassuming place – functionally spartan but clean space with a few dining tables and lounge sofas with a TV, standing fans and...

This is very unique restaurant run by an African husband and Malaysian Wife along with their two teenage daughters. .

Food was real taste of Africa. Very homely food. It tastes fantastic. One time visiter will definitely become the regular visitor and mouth advertiser of the restaurant. This is a must-visit restaurant for food savies especially for families.

I give 5 stars for excellence due to the uniqueness and quality of taste. A world of homely taste from Africa. I guarantee that the man is fantastic cook and you will love his dishes.

All facilities are limited like in Africa. The photos in wall are taking you to another world. How you see an African restaurant in Africa when you visit there, is what you see inside Monakay restaurant. The beauty is that I exactly got such african cultural experience like in Real Africa. In such a sense, to be away from crowded people, to be in peace and silence of a real African restaurant, the ambience of Monakay is excellent 👌🏼.It is positive to be away from Main Road with noices of vehicles and crowd. I absolutely loved the vibe and peace inside the restaurant. There are no waiters to disturb you. So when you need food, you should walk and go to the counter to ask for what you need. They are absolutely a family. So we customers should respect the family. Don't expect that this restaurant should also be like your own noicy private place with illumination and dancing lights like in other restaurants. Kindly Don't spoil the vibe and serene atmosphere with too many demands and suggestions like in imitation of other restaurants. Let this be how it is , in its beauty and simplicity.

Bear the matters in your mind before you step into the restaurant. You are visiting a family and you are having homely African food. Monakay must be popular already. They have takeaway facility also. I saw many grab and bike drivers come and collect food parcels.

I love the atmosphere and taste of Halal African Foods..... I suggest, Peace lovers and families can choose dinein in the restaurant and this is a must-visit restaurant for you and your family. And I request other singles and noicy people to respect the family because you are not in a restaurant like other but you are spending time with a family.. To be Frank,"This is not a bar Restaurant but absolute Halal African restaurant Run by A family". If you are not keeping in mind that you are visiting a family run family business, you might be embarrassed comparing with other restaurants , bars and their facilities and hospitalities.

You are visiting a serene cultural african abode of a family. Incredibly Fantastic 😍 Explore the trip to African Tastes. Love the peace and taste of...

I always ordered food here and put on delivery via lalamove. Based on my experience, firstly they hardly say ‘thank you’ for the order I placed and the annoying part was with a replied ‘K’ every-time. Secondly, please order lalamove by yourself cos they will charge u for service charge if they order lalamove and surprisingly this caj was requested after numerous orders i made. Lmao. It seems like they cant appreciate their LOYAL customers. Lastly, for the packaging please be more consistent and please seal the food containers with a tape. The food gravy always spilled out all over the plastic bag. Such a simple request yet they took it lightly and ignored my request, to seal the food properly 👎🏻 The food was good but please improve your service..

This is my response for your response: First off, just to clear it up — I work in the banking industry and I’m a local, not from AFRICA as you mentioned in your reply. As for the service charge, I get that you need to use Lalamove for delivery, but I don’t think it’s okay to just drop a service charge on us through a WhatsApp message. If you want to add a charge, it should be in the bill from the start, just like any normal restaurant would do. The charge should be clearly stated on the receipt, not something added on after the fact. Also, you mentioned you’re running a restaurant, but honestly, I didn’t see it set up like one. If it is a restaurant, I’d expect the setup and service to match that. Don’t make me come and do the whole audit in your so-called...