Escargot. Nothing divides opinions more than these little land snails, with some turning their noses up and cringing at the unattractive molluscs, while others rub their hands together in delight at having a chance to indulge in this delicacy. Commonly served in French and Spanish cuisine, many restaurants in Malaysia are now serving escargot, but would you order them? For the escargot enthusiasts out there, here’s some places that make awesome escargot dishes so you can dine on those delectable critters. And for the naysayers, maybe you should give one a try, you might end up liking them!
The Ship
Being one of the oldest Western steakhouses in Malaysia, The Ship has gained legions of regular customers who have been coming to this actually ship-shaped establishment for years. Most people wouldn’t even have to look at the menu when they come in, for they would have their favourite dishes that they already know will taste great. The cheese baked escargot will be one of them, with many regularly ordering this deliciously buttery, herby dish. This has even been the place of many a conversion into escargot fans by first-time diners!
RM23.20 for six
Halal
Available at 5 outlets in KL & PJ
Website: http://www.theship.com.my/
The Penthouse Restaurant and Winebar, Subang
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If you’re in the Subang area and are feeling like you want to eat some escargot, look no further than The Penthouse. They serve up fancy, semi-fine Western food, and their escargot bourguignon comes highly recommended. The snails are served swimming in chopped herbs, garlic, and olive oil, but the flavours don’t overwhelm the juicy escargot flesh at all. In fact, it’s proven once again why this classic combination works everytime!
RM19
Pork-free
Address: No 35, Jalan SS15/5A, 47500 Subang Jaya
Hours: 12pm-12am daily
Tel: +603-5632 2999
Website: https://www.facebook.com/thePenthouseWine/
3 Bags Full, Kota Damansara
With lots of interesting dishes to try at 3 Bags Full, why not give their baked escargots a try? Served in an abundance of golden garlic butter, blue cheese, and cream, their escargots are perfectly juicy and chewy, exactly how they should be. The dish also comes with triangles of toasted garlic bread for you to mop up the leftover sauce, cause you wouldn’t want to waste a single drop!
RM17
Pork-free
Address: 38A-1 Jalan PJU 5/10, Dataran Sunway, Kota Damansara, 47810 Petaling Jaya
Hours: 11am-10pm on Tues-Thurs, 11am-11pm on Fri, 9am-11pm on Sat, 9am-10pm on Sun, closed on Mondays
Tel: +603-6150 2831
Website: https://www.facebook.com/3bagsfull.my/
Steaks and Lobsters, Sri Hartamas
With a name like Steaks and Lobsters, I’m sure you can already guess what this restaurant specializes in! But surprisingly, that’s not all they have on the menu. Loads of other dishes are available if neither steaks nor lobsters are your go-to, including escargot, of course. Their Garlic Escargot 2.0 is an improvement of their previous escargot offering, served with creamy cheese gravy, plenty of chopped garlic, and sliced charcoal bread to complete the dish. A perfect accompaniment to your steaks (or lobsters!).
RM18
Pork-free
Address: 42, Jalan 24/70a, Desa Sri Hartamas, 50480 Kuala Lumpur
Hours: 5.30pm to 12am on Tues-Fri, 12pm-3pm (lunch) and 6pm-12am (dinner) on weekends
Tel: +6012-743 7167
Website: http://www.steaksnlobsters.com
Beast, Intermark
You’ll know when you get here upon seeing the huge, lit-up letters spelling B-E-A-S-T outside their doors. They specialize in hearty, meaty food like steaks, lobsters, and racks of lamb, and their twists on popular dishes is a welcome change from the usual. Their escargot is one of them, as it’s served encased in a flaky pastry (artfully shaped like a snail’s shell) and accompanied with butter parsley sauce. The escargot itself is melt-in-your-mouth soft, and goes perfectly with the crumbly puff pastry!
RM35
Pork-free
Address: Ground Floor, The Intermark, Jalan Tun Razak, 50450 Kuala Lumpur
Hours: 12pm-3pm & 5pm-11.30pm on Mon-Thurs, 12pm-3pm & 5pm-12.30am on Fri, 5pm-12.30am on Sat, closed on Sundays
Tel: +603 2163 5732
Website: http://thebiggroup.co/beast/
Rendez-Vous, Bangsar
Priding themselves in serving authentic, traditional French cuisine, Rendez-Vous’ menu won’t be complete without escargot of course! And they do their snails well too, serving up delectable Escargots a la Bourguignonne. The escargots are sandwiched between two squares of vol au vent pastry, and soaked in garlic butter, with eye-catching presentation and mouth-pleasing flavours. Again, it’s a different twist to the usual shelled molluscs on round, indented trays, but it’s definitely a welcome one!
RM28
Non-halal
Address: 100 Lorong Maarof, Bangsar, 59100 Kuala Lumpur
Hours: 12pm-3pm & 6pm-12am daily
Tel: +603-2202 0206
Website: http://rendez-vous.com.my/
Torii Yakitori and Whisky Bar, Jalan Batai
For a Japanese twist to our beloved snails, try Torii’s Escargot with Garlic Miso and Scallion. Since they’re grilled instead of baked, they offer a chewier texture than usual escargot dishes. The garlic miso and scallion provides great flavor to the dish, and this is definitely an interesting take on the classic French dish. Be adventurous and give this a go!
RM10 per skewer
Pork-free
Address: Lot 8-6, Jalan Batai, Damansara Heights, 50490 Kuala Lumpur
Hours: 11.30am-2.30pm (lunch) on weekdays, 5pm-late daily
Tel: +603 2011 3798 / +6019 203 7093
Website: http://torii.my/
Shook!, Starhill
This open-kitchen, food court-esque eatery in Bukit Bintang’s Starhill has been around for quite a few years now, but they never fail to attract a patrons drawn to their unique concept. Their Classic French Escargot, baked in rich butter sauce, has gotten nods of approval from many, and the hints of garlic and pernod just adds to the flavor of the dish. Added with its interesting presentation, it’s definitely a winner in many books!
RM36
Pork-free
Address: Feast Floor, Starhill Gallery, 181 Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur 55100
Hours: 6am-11pm daily
Tel: +603 2782 3875, +603 2719 8536
Brolly, Menara Felda
This eatery in Menara Felda hosts 9 different food brands under their figurative umbrella (hence the name), and their retro garage-style premises provides a cool background to have your lunch to. One of their brands, vari.EAT.y serves up Cajun escargot, bringing together a traditional French dish with Louisiana spices to bring you some awesome flavor. If that doesn’t sound like something you’d like, they have garlic escargot as well, so choose wisely!
RM24
Pork-free
Address: Menara Felda, Platinum Park, No. 11, Persiaran KLCC, 50088 Kuala Lumpur
Hours: 11am-late daily
Tel: +603-2181 4122
Website: http://www.my-brolly.com
Monte’s Restaurant and Bar, Bangsar Shopping Centre
This restaurant has been around for more than a decade, and has been serving delicious Western food to the residents of Bangsar since then. Their escargot is baked and served with velvety garlic and Chabis sauce, and the warm milk buns that accompany it is perfect to sop up that yummy gravy. You know there’s a reason this restaurant has been around for so long, because their food is amazing!
RM25 for half a dozen
Pork-free
Address: 112, Jalan Maarof, Bukit Bandaraya, 59000 Kuala Lumpur
Hours: 11am-11pm daily
Tel: +60 3-2094 1112
If you’ve never tried escargot before, are you willing to give it a try now? And if you do love these slimy critters, have you tried the ones on this list before? Any other recommendations? Let the people know!
Feature Image Credit: http://hotel-r.net
