Rack Em Up, Eat Em Up, Drink Em Up!

The cocktail scene in Changkat Bukit Bintang seems to be growing right now, with quite a few bars along that street with pretty decent bars serving some pretty good cocktails. The newest palce to offer some nice cocktails is this place called RACKS.

Why is the place called 'Racks'? Well, apparently it's because they serve RACKS of pork ribs, and also RACKS of cocktail shooters. Unfortunately, their waitresses don't really have huge racks, but that's beside the point. Hehe.

The place has some interesting deco, with a couple of torture racks (hey, there's that word again), chains hanging everywhere, and even some torture racks. No it doesn't look like a torture chamber (it's quite cozy looking actually), just... odd.

Anyway, although the focus of the restaurant is its pork dishes, I figured I'd start off with the drinks first, since that's what I do best anyway (and what I did most of during the review). It's all related to the food though, since Racks is quite quite big on apple-based cocktails because apparently because apples go well with pork (which is quite true, surprisingly).

My first cocktail of the night was this yummy Apple Mojito:



Made like a usual mojito except with Bacardi Apple instead of normal rum, and apple juice, this was a yummy, apple-ly, refreshing drink that didn't seem too strong either. The mint and the apply combined quite nicely too.

Next was this dainty little Apple Martini:



Made using Smirnoff Apple, triple sec and apple juice. Pesonally, I prefer my appletinis with vermouth as well (like a regular martini), so I thought this one was kinda normal and light. Not sure why they serve it in a martini glass though, I reckon this would be better if served in proper glass or as a long drink.

Frankly, I preferred the Apple Daiquiri:



Made with Bacardi Apple, Apple Liqueur and FRESH apple juice. The apple juice made all the difference, making the drink a lot more well balanced between the alcohol and the juice, and it was fresh-tasting, not too sweet too.

I also tried a couple more apple cocktails that night, including the Apple Margarita (tequila, apple liqueur, triple sec) and last but not least, the BIG APPLE LEMONADE (Bacardi Apple, Amaretto, Sprite & some homemade sours):



which was not bad, being nice an fizzy, refreshing and despite the Sprite, not too sweet either.

In between the cocktails, the owners of Racks also brought out some racks of shooters. First up, was the aptly named, lethal Molotov shooters:

Made with vodka, tequila, Jack Daniels and with a dash of Tabasco sauce, this really is as lethal and potent as it sounds. The three spirits makes for a heady mixture, and the finishing taste of the Tabasco sauce after you swallow gives it a real OOMPH. Quite an awesome party drink, actually, heh heh.

Next up, we had these pink little Test Tube Babies:

Made with Cranberry juice, vodka and Peach schnapps, this tasted like a Cosmopolitan in a test tube, heh heh.

And finally, we had the nice fruity Illusion:

Made with Midori melon liqueur, vodka and pineapple juice (yes, ignore the 'Cuervo' logo, there's no tequila here) it was actually very easy to down (I think I did three of it in one shot and didn't feel a thing...)

Of course, this being a FOOD review, there were also lots of good stuff for me to line my stomach with while I gulped down the cocktails.

The starters consisted of a few platters with stuff wrapped in awesome pork prosciutto, including fruit, seafood, these sausages (The so-called 'Special Pigs in Special Blankets'):

My personal favorite, the asparagus:



and even oysters!



Mmmmm, yum yum.

There was also a platter of pretty good cold cut meats:



and after that, it was time for the main courses, which included some GREAT pork sandwiches, and these two burgers.

The Pulled Pork Burger:



And the Rack's Pork Burger:



Of course, you can't go to a place 'Racks' without trying their racks of pork ribs, which were huge by the way. Here to illustrate how big the pork ribs are, please welcome back Kimberlycun's Arm:

Anyway, we had two types of pork ribs that night, Sweet & Sticky Pork Ribs, and the Hot & Spicy Pork Ribs:

The Hot & Spicy Pork Ribs were my favorite of the two, largely because the former seemed a bit too er... common, while the Hot & Spicy one was at least quite different from most other pork ribs I've tried.

Oh, and yes, the pork DID go VERY well with the apple cocktails.

Racks is located right at the end of Changkat Bukit Bintang, directly opposite Havana.