West 57th Street Café

Otherwise known as fashion designer Zang Toi's cafe, the original outlet still stands strong in Sungei Wang. This second outlet is located inside Parkson departmental store. It’s a perfect stop after a whole day of shopping. Its cozy ambience and pretty décor instantly relaxes the tired shopper. The most popular item on their menu is their Banana Chocolate Cake. At RM7, it is a good deal thanks to the sheer generosity of a slice. With warm chocolate syrup and fresh bananas, the cake is comfort food personified. You can also opt to have a scoop of ice-cream with the cake. It’s no wonder why we started out with dessert instead of the mains! With sandwiches, pastas, soups and Asian favourites on the menu, there’s enough variety here. However, the Nasi Lemak Combo (RM21) and Spicy Pasta (RM18) we ordered fell short of expectations. The Nasi Lemak Combo comes with chicken rendang, sambal prawns and greens on the side. Once again, the portion impressed us, however the chicken was extremely tough and dry making it an unsatisfactory meal. The Spicy Pasta was not appealing in presentation (looks like a messy glob of sauce) but will appeal to kids thanks to how cheesy it was. It felt like we had ordered lasagna instead.

Contact:
Lot 4.42, Parkson Pavilion,
55100 Jalan Bukit Bintang
Tel: 03-2145 7701
Website:
N/A

Operating Hours:
Opening Hours: 10am - 10pm
Cuisine:
Western

Chawan

Situated where the old Devi's Corner in Bangsar was, is Chawan, a kopitiam smacked right along Telawi Street. Despite opening recently, the place is already regularly packed to the brim. What drew us to the place was word of mouth that the Nasi Lemak with Chicken Rendang (RM9.90) is good. The reality didn't turn out to be that appetizing. For what it's supposed to be, the rice tasted too plain. The chicken rendang didn't taste too bad, but its portion is so small that you end up devouring it ahead of the amount of rice. There wasn't much to say about the sambal either; it lacked a spicy kick. Try the asam laksa (RM9.90) instead. The sourish laksa broth is balanced in terms of the concentration of fish flavour, making the noodles tangy and worth every slurp. As the name Chawan implies, this cosy place is great to grab a cuppa, as you can get any locally-produced coffee on their menu. Alas, everything here is over priced and nothing offered is close to fancy.

Contact:
69-G Jalan Telawi,
3 Bangsar Baru,
59100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2287 5507

Website:
N/A

Operating Hours:
Opening Hours: 8am – 12am

Cuisine:
Local

River Caffe

Cleverly named using a play of homonyms, Palate Palette adds a dash of fresh It's quite surprising to find good nosh at really affordable prices at Chulan Square. River Caffe is a kopitiam-esque restaurant that whips up local and western meals, any time of the day. The Bread & Curry Chicken is a nice choice to start off. Although the taste of the curry is quite mild, this mouth-watering dish will get your appetite going. One of their signature dish is the River Caffe's Special Nasi Lemak (RM7.90). What's so special? Serving your usual nuts, anchovies, egg and cucumber as condiments, they also throw in some papadam, chicken rendang and cuttlefish with sambal at your platter. It's delectable and it's filling too. The Nasi Goreng (RM7.90) also gets the thumbs up. The rice is fried to a crisp light brown, with generous amount of meat and shrimp throw in. The portions of the food is one reason why it's worth the visit here. It is big enough to be shared with another person. The waiters are friendly and attentive too. Although the place is really empty off meal-times, the quiet environment is ideal for those who want some privacy.


Contact:
Lot 3, Block B,
Chulan Square,
92 Jalan Raja Chulan,
50200 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2141 6944

Website:
N/A

Operating Hours:
Opening Hours: 7am - 2am

Cuisine:
Local

Palate Palette

Cleverly named using a play of homonyms, Palate Palette adds a dash of fresh air to the Valley’s dining scene. As is typical of the more upscale of Changkat Bukit Bintang establishments, Palate Pallette is splashed with lots of attitude and style. This is apparent from the first moment you step into it. Palm trees wrapped with a rainbow of colours and an ingenious astroturf-covered wall greet you. The outdoor entrance area makes an excellent place to chill out under the stars amid their colourful cushions and comfy chairs.

Within the restaurant’s interior, there’s a kaleidoscope of colours arising from a mish mash of newly upholstered chairs and bar stools, peppered with carefully chosen vintage details—antique wooden door and cast iron sewing machine, etc. A couple of chairs even looked as though they’d been rescued from someone’s opulent dining table set. The owners have obviously put a lot of thought into creating a funky atmosphere. On the practical side, however, it’s not easy for any orderly table arrangements with the different sizes of the chairs and tables.

The menu offers cuisine which is fresh with flavours and a slight Asian influence. Slurp down their ambrosial Mushroom Cappuccino (RM18) topped with white milk foam and made from a mix of oyster, baby Portobello mushrooms and their own home made stock. It’s utterly delicious that you will be downing it to the last drop. For something fresh, try the crunchy Shrimp Salad (RM18) served with a creamy avocado chutney and Japanese mayonnaise, accompanied with endive and butterhead leaves.

Comfort food is always an instant draw especially when it promises tummy gratification. The Curry Chicken Pot Pie (RM16) with its mild Japanese curry infused chicken cubes, peas and carrots offer ultimate satisfaction for the soul. Coupled with the crumbly puff pastry, it was a heavenly combination. Although the Oxtail Shepherd’s Pie (RM18) sounded equally gratifying, the braised oxtail combination with vegetables was disappointingly bland. Topped with gooey roasted garlic mash potatoes, it could’ve been much better with a more robust filling.

Choosing your dessert here is not an issue as they only offer a tiny selection. The Petit Green Tea Mille Feuille (RM13) is served with filo pastry stacks flecked with black sesame seeds, sandwiched with green tea pastry cream and raspberry coulis sounded promising but the green tea cream lacked flavour and the filo pastry wasn’t as crunchy as promised. For a richer taste, indulge in their Ginger Crème Brulee (RM12) served with thick almond biscotti. Although the ginger flavour is faint, the cooked cream is rich and smooth under the burnt sugar crust.

Even though parking can be hellish around this area with the new condo development opposite the road, the warm and playful environment of Palate Palette may entice you to reconsider. For the budget conscious, they also serve a set lunch for RM20++ with starters, entrees and drinks during the weekdays which feature a good selection of their signature dishes. For desserts, add an extra RM5++.


Contact:
21 Jalan Mesui,
off Jalan Nagasari,
50200 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2142 2148

Website:
www.palatepalette.com

Operating Hours:
12pm - 12am (Sun -Thurs, closed on Mon)
12pm - 2am (Fri - Sat)

Cuisine:
Western

Nong & Jimmy

When one mentions barbeque, it’s usually assumed that it would involve an inordinate amount of sweating in the heat as the food cooks over hot coals. For an easier solution, opt instead for Nong & Jimmy where they serve barbeque seafood Thai style. Just a sprawling shack with zinc metal sheets, this place is packed especially during the weekends. A must order as a starter is a plate of tiny Char Kuih (Fried Dough Fritters) served with bright green pandan kaya as a dip (RM3 per plate). Sadly, the char kuih is slightly chewy versus crispy making it just a tummy filler while you wait for the main act. Although the grilled squid is bland if eaten alone, it’s delicious when dipped in the sauce made with sweet chili sauce with a dash of calamansi lime juice. The grilled crab, on the other hand, was a huge disappointment with dry and tasteless meat. Appearances can be deceiving with their fried rice which looks plain but is fluffy with egg shreds and generous sized prawns. A big letdown was the tom yam, which tasted simply ordinary even though it was served with a generous portion of seafood. Even though the Thai style steamed fish was the last to arrive, it was worth the wait, its sweet flesh having fully absorbed the flavours from the chillies, garlic and lime juice.


Contact:
27363 Jalan Cahaya 1,
Taman Cahaya, Ampang,
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 019-261 1345, 012-273 8069

Website:
N/A

Operating Hours:
Opening Hours: 6pm to 11pm (Closed on Monday)
Cuisine:
Southeast

Bonjuk

Following the craze of Korean culture invading the rest of the world, KL has bore witness to Korean soaps, boybands, soccer stars, horror flicks, transsexual actresses and… barbeques. But if sizzling meat on hot coals that smoke out your clothes and hair ain’t your thing, you might like to consider Bonjuk.

If you don’t already know, Bonjuk is a Korean franchise that boasts an impressive 700 outlets in Korea, Japan and USA, recently opening its first outlet in KL. For the Koreans, eating porridge in the old days was a way to stretch whatever little grain they had when food was scarce. Nowadays, it’s touted as a health alternative. And Bonjuk promotes this very seriously, even offering discounts to members of Yoga Zone and True Fitness.

With 17 types of porridge on the menu, Bonjuk claims each can contribute to improving different aspects of one’s health. For instance, the Seafood Combination Porridge (RM22.95 for large, RM15.95 for medium) with oysters, shrimps, squids and clams is nutritious and has essential vitamin and minerals. We liked the tasty combination of Octopus and Kimchi Porridge (RM19.95 for large, RM12.95 for small). Slightly spicy because of the kimchi, it’s apparently good for preventing cholesterol and stomach cancer. Kimchi is also said to help with digestion.

If you can’t take spicy, try the Beef and Mushroom Porridge (RM17.95 for large, RM11.95 for medium). It’s cooked with minced beef and a special type of oak mushrooms known as Pyogo. A low calorie item, the mushroom is claimed to be good for preventing diabetes, high blood pressure and cancer—also for healthy skin and bones.

While Koreans prefer their porridge made with black sesame seeds, sweet pumpkin, red beans, pine nuts, mung beans and black beans, these types take some time to get used to for the Malaysian palate as they can be quite bland. Some can also be sweet like the sweet pumpkin porridge (RM15.95 for large, RM10.95 for medium) that tastes more like dessert.

Although some types of porridge tend to be on the bland side, you can pair it with the variety of kimchi made from beef, seafood and cabbage served on the side for flavour. The thick porridge also comes with a topping of toasted sesame seeds and seaweed that can be mixed in. A large bowl of porridge makes quite a substantial meal and if you wish to have a lighter meal, choose the medium portion.



Contact:
18 Ground Floor,
Jalan 25/70A,
Desa Sri Hartamas,
50480 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2300 2302

Website:
N/A

Operating Hours:
10am - 10pm (Close on second Mon of every month)

Cuisine:
Korean

Hayn’s Pizzeria

Although there are pizzerias all over the town, Hayn’s Pizzeria definitely holds its own with its paper thin crust and innovative toppings. Started by Arne Hayn, a German of Italian descent, pizzas here are made the true Italian way, albeit with some interesting creations tossed in. Pizzas here come in three different sizes—eight inches, ten inches and twelve inches—and there are sixteen different types of toppings to choose from. Try the unusual but delicious banana pizza—a combination of turkey ham and sliced bananas drizzled with chocolate sauce tops a wafer thin crust spread with home made tomato sauce. If you prefer more fruit, they also serve a pineapple and mango combination drizzled with chocolate sauce. Aside from pizzas, Hayn’s has also concocted an unusual pasta dish—Butter Prawns Pasta (RM19.90). Reminiscent of the butter prawns dishes we usually get in Chinese tai chow places, the prawns are sautéed and served with a buttery sauce tinged with curry powder and curry leaves. Not too creamy with a slight hint of spiciness, you’ll slurp it down in a minute. Leave some room for dessert. The tiramisu (RM6.50) is a creamy concoction while the crème brulee (RM5.50) is just as decadent with a thin caramelised sugar crust. The pizzeria also serves a selection of gelatos from Lecka Lecka. If you live within the Hartamas area, they’ll deliver. Alternatively you can dine in the stark white café which comes equipped with Wi-Fi.



Contact:
LG 64 Jalan 27/70A,
Desa Sri Hartamas,
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 1300-82 3000

Website:
N/A

Operating Hours:
Opening Hours: 11am to 11pm
Cuisine:
N/A