The Sticky Wicket Bukit Damansara

The Sticky Wicket, Sports Bar

The Sticky Wicket

Words: Alicia Kennedy
Photos: Rich Callahan

Are you looking for a place to catch an upcoming sports match while at the same time savouring food and beverage a bit above your average pub grub? Well, look no further. The Sticky Wicket is a place for sports enthusiasts with gourmet taste buds. 

The Sticky Wicket Bukit Damansara
The Sticky Wicket
The Sticky Wicket Bukit Damansara
The Sticky Wicket
The Sticky Wicket Bukit Damansara
The Sticky Wicket

New Bartender at The Sticky Wicket

The new Head of Drinks, Riccardo Grechi and the team (operations manager Osmund Bernard and bartender Peter Kim) aim to ensure your palate is just as well taken care of as your viewing preferences. With Sabahan Osmund a legend on the KL bar scene, Melakan Peter rising up the ranks of city bars, and now Italian Riccardo behind the bar, the big screens might just have some competition for guests’ attention.

Riccardo has worked around the world, with Prague, Portugal and Romania of recent note. Originally from Bologna, Italy, he is not only a mixologist but also a whisky sommelier. Before leaving Italy, he taught music at university and travelled the world playing the drums in metal bands. Check out his YouTube channel and long hair (!) here! You could say he rocks the world in more ways than one. 

Contemporary Cocktails

We started with Zen; as the name suggests, it was calming, smooth, and easygoing. Interestingly enough, it is also made as a mocktail called Nez, which incorporates the same idea, but without alcohol. Riccardo designed Zen for a five-star hotel where he headed the bar and tweaked it for its next evolution here. It’s an excellent aperitif to start the evening with herbal and floral notes. Sweet basil, cucumber cordial and elderflower liqueur give a sweet and sour profile with a delightful zing to finish off each sip.

Sports Bars Kuala Lumpur
Zen – The Sticky Wicket

Continuing with the same earthy, light and refreshing vibe, but with more of an Indian influence, is Trinity. It has turmeric-infused gin, fresh ginger, lemon juice, cinnamon syrup and prosecco. Riccardo’s cocktails make us feel like we are taking a global tour, as each drink is inspired by a different region. The prosecco cleanses the palate with some light bubbles.

Sports Bars Kuala Lumpur
Trinity

You must try a Wabi-Sabi for yourself! Based on appearance alone, we thought we were in for a “healthy Japanese green drink.” Riccardo likes to think of this one as “liquid sushi”. It is made of yuzu bitters, soy sauce, wasabi-infused silver tequila, fresh lime, triple sec, and ginger syrup and is served with a piece of wasabi seaweed. It is savoury, tasty and the wasabi-infused tequila gives it a kick at the end. (The tequila infusion is also available as a shot if you want to really fire up your evening.)

The Sticky Wicket Bukit Damansara
Wabi-Sabi

If you are looking for a more layered, harmonious and herbaceous cocktail, A Perfect Circle – APC – might be just what you need. It contains coconut oil-infused gin, matcha tea, fresh lemon juice, honey syrup, egg white and almonds. An ice sphere helps balance the layers. Each ingredient melted into the next, leaving my palate energised and ready for more.

Sports Bars Kuala Lumpur
A Perfect Circle

The next drink, Far and Away, had more of a tropical spin. Exotic fruits with spicy notes are achieved with passion fruit rum, coconut liqueur, lime juice and ginger. A garnish of three plump lychees tops it off. With every sip, I imagine a happy beach holiday. 

The Sticky Wicket Bukit Damansara
Far and Away – The Sticky Wicket

From the tropics to extreme blizzard conditions, the Buran takes its name from a strong cold north-easterly wind. Even the cocktail glass is hollowed out in the shape of a mountain top. Riccardo uses mint-infused vodka, melon liqueur, fresh lemon juice, honey, sweet basil and aquafaba, which is a vegan egg white substitute made from the water of the chickpea. The appearance of this drink gives you the impression that you are high among the clouds. As with most of Riccardo’s creations, he balances the sweet with the sour in a layered and easygoing fashion. 

The Sticky Wicket Bukit Damansara
Buran

Given Riccardo’s fondness for extremes, it is no surprise something special was saved for the end. The Scotch whiskey cocktail, Like a Boss, must be sipped slowly. Made of sweet vermouth, coffee liqueur, sesame oil, and orange, it’s one of the strongest cocktails on the menus. Cherry wood chips are roasted on top, giving an attractive smokiness. While Far and Away had me dreaming of beach vacations, Like a Boss has me picturing warm fires in ski chalets listening to slow jazz. 

The Sticky Wicket Bukit Damansara
Like a Boss

The Sticky Wicket Food Menu

It’s always wise to have a good meal with drinks, and The Sticky Wicket’s food menu has lots to fill our tummies. Wanting something hearty yet simple while we focused on cocktails, the Margarita Pizza (RM32), The Sticky Wicket Beef Rib Burger (RM48), and De Silva’s Crab Kothu (a Sri Lankan kothu roti with crab meat curry and crispy soft-shelled crab, RM40.00) did the job of lining our stomaches and satisfying our taste buds at the same time. 

Pub Bukit Damansara
Margarita Pizza
Pub Bukit Damansara
The Sticky Wicket Beef Rib Burger

The Sticky Wicket Review

Come for the sports, delicious food, and comfortable vibes and stay for the creative cocktails and cool and kind bartending staff. I will definitely return for another forkful of De Silva’s Crab Kothu, one of Riccardo’s herbaceous and harmonious cocktails, and to watch a late-night FIFA World Cup match. Who wants to join me?

Reasons to visit The Sticky Wicket: gastro pub food, creative cocktails, service with a smile and a good shake.

The Sticky Wicket, a member of the Cinnamon Group of restaurants
34, Plaza Damansara, Jalan Medan Setia 2
Bukit Damansara, 50490 Kuala Lumpur
www.http://stickywicket.pub

The Sticky Wicket Opening Hours
Monday-Friday 12pm-12am, Saturday/Sunday 9am-12am

Find more KL bar recommendations here, and stay up-to-date on the latest gourmet and travel happenings around Malaysia here and here.

2 Comments

  1. The bar reminds me of a typical British pub! Their Margarita Pizza looks gorgeous!

  2. Most drinks are very “green”, which is rather soothing to the eyes.
    They are so generous with the meat in the burger.
    Big enough to feed the entire kampung.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.