CHASING FOOD DREAMS: The Giraffe, Klang: Riding on the Wild Side!

Now this is what I call a Wild Burger!

Recently, rumors went Wild with the latest restaurant popping up in the least expected area of Klang! First, there was The Shepherdoo, now in addition to the family; The Giraffe made its headway into the culinary scene. Echoing its success of the older restaurant, The Giraffe takes a slight turn to feature a mish-mash of local and international favorites with a few twists. With a catchy name, one should expect nothing of the norm at The Giraffe!

Located out of sight, especially if you are not familiar with Klang area, The Giraffe is located behind the Klang Parade in Jalan Pekan Baru. Upon arrival, I could see the comical restaurant sign on an end lot of a row of shoplots. Themed alfresco, make sure to dress casual and comfortably for a fun and simple dining experience at The Giraffe.

It was an invasion of The Giraffes!! Loads of brightly painted giraffes are artfully placed all over the restaurant, one might even think they have double or triple visions… J

Decorated smart casual with comfort in mind, expect lots of rattan, wood and steel and colored walls all over. There is even an area filled with sofas and pillows for pure lounging. Cute knick knacks are seen all over with plants providing some Mother Nature’s touch.

The menu is certainly overloaded with lots of choices. Drink list features Flavored Hot Chocolate Lollipops, ice teas, lemonades, fruit juices, smoothies, milk shakes and more. Check out Homemade Beers versus bottle beers too!

One unique touch is the Flavored Hot Chocolate Lollipops, a variety of flavored cocoa of Dark, Mint, Hazelnut, to liqueur chocolate lollipops are served alongside a hot milk. Dip the lollipop into hot milk and let the two come together… J

Another ultra-cute creation in Traffic Light Solero Smoothies (RM9.90) features a whole fruit ice lolly bathing in a refreshing sorbet smoothie!

Homemade Beers (RM13.80) tasted surprisingly delicious! With labels like Men in Black (blueberry) and Lady in White (lychee), Two to Tango (mango) and more, it’s a fruit-li-cious touch on the house made beers.

Starting of the wild rendezvous feast are unpretentious French’s Alpes Salad and Phuket’s Beach Salad (RM9.80). Both salads are similar on the surface but tasted very different in flavors. French’s Alpes has sharp mustard dressing while Phuket’s Beach used a tangy sweet dressing.

Did I mention that The Giraffe serves a choke full of swine fares in its dishes? Highly recommended on the list is Porkie Fries (RM8.80), fried pork sticks ala French fries served with a sweet chili sauce. Suspiciously spam like, the fries are deliciously addictive!!

Tuna Prawn Tart (RM11.80) showed off the more poise side of the restaurant with mini buttery tarts filled with a salad of tuna and crispy fried prawns.

Pigs in Blankets (RM13.80) are infamous American and British appetizer, where its name, worstenbroodjes or saucijzenbroodjes (Dutch), kilted sausages (UK), are harder to pronounce than to eat! Unlike its grand names, this is actually a killer combination of streaky bacon wrapped around sausages and baked. The version here fared decent.

A Must-Order at The Giraffe is Teriyaki Pork Belly (RM13.90)! Embodying the land of the rising sun is skewers of grilled pork belly coated in a luscious teriyaki sauce. Tender and sweet, the skewers are oh-so-good with beers.

Holding the towering height of the day was The Giraffe’s Jumbo Tower Platter (RM59.80), a ginormous stack of spring rolls, fish balls, onion rings, chicken wings, porkie fries, bacon, sausages, squid rings, prawns, nuggets and more. It almost as if the restaurant’s whole appetizer list is congregated here! J

Next section is the classic burgers and sandwiches where Roast Chicken Wrap, Pulled Pork Wrap, Nyonya Beef Wrap, The Rodeo Burger, Sumo Burger, Piggy Pork Burger, The Giraffe’s Townhouse Burger Stacko and sandwiches conquered the list. The Piggy Pork Burger is a lustful oblivion of thick pork patty stacked to perfection with bbq sauce, cheese, bacon and served with fries.

Another towering dish of The Giraffe’s Townhouse Burger proved that there are endless limits to what a burger can hold and its gravity-defying height. Meant for sharing unless you are out to prove that you are Adam Richman from Man vs Food! Serious triple stack of juicy pork patty glazed with Char Siew sauce and smoked bacon was created with porcine foodies in mind!!

Heading towards the grill section, we savored Mint Lamb Chop (RM15.80) and Ale-House Styled BBQ Ribs (26.80). Lamb shoulders grilled and glazed with a slight tangy mint sauce while side of crinkle cut fries and brown gravy accompanied the meat. The lamb was tender and flavorful for its price. Ale-House Styled BBQ Ribs deserved homage paid to lick the ribs clean! It is recommended to savor the ribs with your fingers and chuck away the cutlery for the ultimate rib experience. Sweet, sticky and caramelized flavors are the dominant points of the tender ribs.

A French chick appeared in Burgundy Chicken Chop (RM13.50)! Grilled chicken was romantically paired with a French Dijon mustard cream sauce. More romance noted on the heart shaped chicken!

Mexican Pork Chops (RM13.80) sounded like an odd one but one is rest assured that this porcine dish is scrumptious enough for a reorder. The juicy grilled pork chop is deliciously tender despite its lean meat. A spiced up tangy tomato sauce provided flashes of flavor to the grilled porcine, served with an odd combination of creamy slaw and buttered rice.

Going the Italian route, Italian Pork Saltimbocca (RM13.80) showcased a piece of panko crumbed pork tenderloin served with bacon infused brown gravy. A bit confusing here since Saltimbocca is usually veal and served with Marsala and butter gravy. Nevertheless, this version fared good in flavors although it echoed more towards a regular chicken chop than a Saltimbocca!

Diving into the pasta sector, a house signature of The Giraffe’s Chef Pasta (RM13.80) and a fusion of Tom Yam Ribs Pasta (RM18.80) proved that some unique creations are truly victorious! The Giraffe’s Chef Pasta is chef’s classified recipe of a rich and tangy red sauce power-up with bacon and pork crouton while Tom Yam Pork Ribs Pasta is one devilish concoction of spicy tom yam flavored ribs on pasta. My favorite pick among the two has to be the Tom Yam Pork Ribs Pasta for its boldness and creativity. Bellissimo!!

Going Asian, Korean Pancake (RM7.50) looked like a version of our local murtabak. Flavors and textures were otherwise as this pancake was filled up with vegetables, pork and egg. Hints of sourness perked up the pancake while creamy coleslaw provided more crunch factor.

Kampung Fried Rice (RM9.60) and Pork Chop Fried Rice (RM11.60) fought for attention with both equally holding its own taste. Both fried rice are undeniably good with wok heat flavors while the Pork Chop Fried Rice hold a triumph card with the additional crispy crumbed pork chop! Mee Goreng (RM8.80) also fared decent as I like the bold spicy flavors of the local mamak noodles.

Having proved that this is no ordinary restaurant, The Giraffe certainly takes the cake for uniqueness! While others may be confused at its combinations of international and local fusion dishes, I merely thought that it’s a brilliant idea to provide a borderless list of new creations for today’s generations. Prices are definitely affordable, another plus point that warrants a visit. I would not take The Giraffe too seriously but instead enjoy what it has to offer with its list of fun and creative creations!! This is one passionate and wild team who is bold enough to go out-of-the-box in the culinary world…

*No animals were harm or exploited in the makings of The Giraffe! J