The Place We were surprised that Naughty Nuri, the popular and famous Balinese style pork ribs has closed in Capitol Piazza and Katong. Meet Monkey Warung, the new restaurant which took over the space of Naughty Nuri at Capitol Pizza. Without a close glance, it’s hard to tell that anything has changed as the layout and space is kept pretty much intact from its predecessor. The owner behind Monkey Warung is an Indonesian, and the concept is coincidentally also Balinese cuisine with a highlight on its pork ribs.

The Food Other than pork ribs which Monkey Warung strongly played on, there are many other Indonesian dishes to go along from the grilled meats, seafood and snacks sections on the menu.

We started with one of my favourite Indonesian snack, Tahu Telor (S$10). Essentially Tofu Omelette, be warned that this version was very oily, though I enjoyed the crispy fried egg and tofu.

The Sop Buntut (S$14), or Oxtail soup which we tried was tasty but also on the salty side. If you have space, it is probably good to go along with some rice rather than drinking it as-is.

The Kerang Sambal Belacan (S$15), or Sambal Lala, is one dish I enjoyed. The belacan here was intense enough if you enjoy spicy food.

On to the highlight at Monkey Warung, we had the Signature Legendary Half Rack (S$20), which is good for sharing for two persons despite it being a half rack. I tried the edges of the pork ribs first, which was on the drier and tougher texture initially. The middle part of the pork ribs was much more fatty and tender, and that’s where I truly appreciated and enjoyed the meats.

If you still have space, the Ayam Penyet Rice (S$9) is a good dish to share. The fried chicken is huge, with a nice and crispy texture topped with crispy crumbs.

Rants The standard of the dishes we had was consistent, though there wasn’t any particular dish which stood out for us. At times, all a restaurant needs is one really good dish to draw diners back.

Will I Return Again? Are the pork ribs the best in the world? I can’t help but compare it to my first Naughty Nuri experience in Bali few years ago, which was out of the world. Admittedly though, the pork ribs during my subsequent visit in Bali wasn’t as good anymore. Suffice to say, Monkey Warung does a very decent rendition of pork ribs and the other dishes we tried. If you are in the City Hall vicinity, this is one casual restaurant worth considering.

Make your reservation instantly at Monkey Warung here.

This was an invited tasting, though all opinions expressed are our own.

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 3.5/5
Hole in the pocket: 3.5/5
Ambience: 3/5
Overall Experience: 3.5/5

Monkey Warung
15 Stamford Road
#01-84
Singapore 178906

Opening Hours
Sunday to Thursday: 11.45am to 10.30pm
Friday to Saturday: 11.45am to 11pm

Ranted by The Ranter