Tree Monkey@Tropical Spice, Teluk Bahang – A Place To Relax with Nice Thai Food

Relax + Authentic Thai Food = Tree Monkey. Monkey Tree is the name of a restaurant located out from the urban area and this is a great place to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life. At the same time you can enjoy having some nice Thai food while relaxing.

To get to this place, you need to drive all the way from Tanjung Bungah, to Batu Ferringgi and up to Teluk Bahang. You need to drive pass Hard Rock Hotel and Tree Monkey is located about 600 meters away from Hard Rock Hotel which is located next to Tropical Spice Garden.

To access to Tree Monkey Restaurant, you need to climb for about 100 meters up hill. Those with disability and unable to walk, you can always request the owner to allow you to drive to the place that nearer to the restaurant. However, you are not allowed to park there and you still need to get some one to drive your car down.

Upon entering to the restaurant, you will realize that this restaurant has a mixture of modern and also traditional concept.

On the traditional side, this place has a combination of oriental and western concept as well.

The surrounding looks very Balinese and you feel like you are now back to the nature.

Even lamps on the walkway is also Balinese style.

For those who want to have some privacy, there are small huts with table for 4 in each hut at the side of the restaurant.

If dining in a small hut is not your ideal choice, you can also choose to dine under the tree with the nature.

If it is raining, there is always a big sheltered dining area for you to dine comfortably.

Before your meal is served, it is always a good idea to take a stroll around the restaurant to enjoy its beautiful garden.

If you happen to walk up to the pathway which leads to Tropical Spice Museum, you will be stopped by the owner as you need to pay to enter Tropical Spice Garden.

For those who wanted to get some spices or souvenirs, you can always visit the souvenir shop beside.

The decoration at the counter has a very Thai and Balinese Style.

Even the lighting is also very Balinese.

Now back to the feast of the day.

WELCOME DRINK: Sunset Paradise – RM10.00 (only available from 6.00pm-7.00pm). This is a special drink prepared for us and is currently not in the menu yet.

A refreshing tropical fruit mocktail. I could taste a mixture of orange, pineapple and lemon in it.

Sweet and sourish with a very fruity taste. The feeling was very appetizing.

Thai Tapas (choose any types of appetizers served with sweet chili sauce) 8pcs @ RM30, 12 pcs @ RM45, 16 pcs @ RM60 (max 4 pcs on each item)

(There are 12 options on this menu – Thai Toast, Money Bag, Herbs Chicken, Spring Roll, Pandan Chicken, Otak-otak, Mussels Salsa, Lemongrass Stick, Prawn Sarong, Prawn Sabai, Thai Fish Cake & Darling Crab)

• Mussels Salsa – Half shelled mussel steamed with chili lime salsa.
• Otak-otak -Steamed curried seafood paste in banana leaves.
• Prawn Sarong – Deep fried prawn wrapped with crispy rice noodle.
• Spring Roll – Thai crispy vegetables spring roll.
• Money Bag – Golden fried bag of minced chicken & vegetables.
• Prawn Sabai – Deep fried prawn wrapped with spring roll skin.
• Lemongrass Stick – Crumbed minced seafood wiwth lemongrass skewer.
• Thai Toast – Crispy toast with minced chicken & sesame.
• Thai Fish Cake – Deep fried curried fish paste with kaffir lime leaves.
• Pandan Chicken – Marinated chicken wrapped in pine screw leaves.
• Herbs Chicken – Deep fried chicken drumettes with lemongrass.
• Darling Crab – Half shelled crab stuffed with mixed seafood. (Not available in this serving)

This is one of the dishes which includes every thing in a plate. All the items in this plate are delicious. My personal preference are the Lemongrass Stick, Otak-otak and also Pandan Chicken.

A slice of squid which was found inside the otak-otak.

Asian Tapas (Choose any dish, served with 2 portions of Tumeric Rice) 8 dishes @ RM60, 12 dishes @ RM90 (max 2 dishes on each item)

(12 options on menu – Mango Salad, Satay, Nam Tok, Crispy Herbs Fish, Chili Paste Prawn, Sweet Bean Curd, Kang Kung Belacan, Son In Law Egg, Masaman Curry, Panaeng Curry, Tomyum Soup & Tomkha Soup)

• Kang Kung belacan – Stir-fried morning glory with shrimps paste.
• Panaeng Curry – Red curry beef, long bean, eggplants & kaffir lime.
• Crispy Herbs Fish – Deep fried seabass fillet with crispy spices & herbs.
• Sweet Bean Curd – Deep fried bean curd topped with sweet chili sauce.
• Masaman Curry – Red curry chicken, potatoes, onion & cashew nuts.
• Satay – Grilled chicken skewer served with peanut sauce.
• Nam Tok – North Eastern Thai beef salad with shallot & dry chili powder.
• Prawn Chili Paste – Stir-fried prawns with chili paste.
• Son In Law Egg – Deep fried boiled egg topped with tamarind sauce.
• Tomyum Soup – Spicy seafood soup with lemongrass & lime juice (not in this pic).
• Tomkha Soup – Creamy chicken soup with galangal & lemongrass (not in this pic).

The variety of dishes in Asian Tapas is as many as Thai Tapas. The few nice dishes are spicy herb fish, satay, prawn chili paste and Son in Law egg. I have just blogged about Mistress Bun last week and this time I encountered Son in Law Egg, all with the funny names :).

Tumaric rice, this is served together with the Asian Tapas set.

Tomyam (left) and Tom Kha (right) soup as below. Thai Soup is also available in ala carte order, pricing is based on serving size and categories of either chicken, seafood or prawn.
Price ranges from small (single bowl) (RM8.80 to RM10.80),  medium (RM10.80 to RM19.80) and fire pot (RM20.80 to RM38.80).

Tom Kha – Creamy Chicken Soup infused with fragance of coconut milk and ingredients like galangal, oyster mushroom and dried chili. I personally prefer this soup over the tomyam, as the soup is more sourish, the spiciness is not too overwhelming and also the taste of the seafood is very rich.

Tomyum soup – Favourite Thai soup of many with lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime and chili & lime juice.

Although this soup is not my cup of tea compared to Tom Kha, I find that this soup is full of seafood and very spicy. It is meant for spicy lovers.

While we were relaxing over the hillside and enjoying nice food, at the same time we were also mesmerized by the beautiful sunset. It just took my breath away at that moment.

Thai Coconut Ice Cream (topped with jackfruit and sea coconut seed) – RM8.80. This dessert is very Thai, it helps to cool down your hot sensation after the Thai’s hot and spicy meal.

A romantic setback for a cup of chilling ice cream, with the candle light lantern on the side. Enjoying the orange glow of sunset that is fading away, that is the greatest moment in life.

Spice Tea/Coffee with Condensed Milk (Hot or Cold) – RM8.00

Frankly speaking this spice tea/coffee is not my favourite cuppa. The taste of spices has overwhelmed the original taste of coffee and tea. The cinnamon was too heavy and it has made my tongue felt numb.

Below is the picture of the owner of Tree Monkey Restaurant and also the organizer of this outing event. From left, the owner Mr. Pattkhor, his wife Miss. Wisakha and the organizer Waren.

Overall, the food is great and the ambiance is very relaxing and romantic. This is a great place to get away from the busy city life. There are a lot of parking places available by the road side of the restaurant. There will be free WIFI at this place soon. The only drawback is the accessibility to this restaurant which is not so disable-friendly.

Editor’s Review (5 Stars Rank):

Taste
Price
Food Presentation
Service
Overall

Quick Facts:

Family Friendly
Parking
Pork Free
Alcohol
Credit Card
Smoking
Reservation
Private Room (Open Concept)
WIFI Available

Operation hours: 9:00am – 12:00 midnight (7 days a week)
Contact: 04-881 3494
Address: Lone Craig Villa, Lot 595, Mukim 2, Jalan Teluk Bahang, 11100 Penang.