Eat Drink KL

This cafe has the cattiest regulars ever.

Friends of felines have begun clawing their way to Setapak's Country Cat Cafe, where tabbies preen & prowl over the couches & under the tables. Fur will fly, for certain.

The owners of Country Cat recently started sending out press releases & scheduling media interviews to boost this cafe's profile (everyone from Cosmopolitan magazine to ntv7 is believed to be heading here); there's ferocious interest in what's being billed as Malaysia's first cat cafe (one more will open in Penang soon, not related to this KL outlet).

We counted nine cats _ American Curls, Bengals & Persians whose names range from Beyonce to Snowy _ several sleepy & others curious. The cafe calls on customers to indulge in 'cat therapy' by playing with these cuddly creatures to help calm their human nerves.

Ultimately though, the crucial question for most cafes might be: How's the food?

Two paws way, way up! These seem to be satisfied customers, leaping up as soon as the chow was served.

Three cans cost RM10 (we pay, they eat). Gourmet combos include tender tuna tossed with whitebait.

Talk about licking the plate clean.

No fear, two-legged patrons need not starve, though options are limited to air-fried French fries & spring rolls.

Thirsty? There's milk with fish bone-shaped coffee ice cubes (the cats will want the former).

Each entry into the cafe costs RM14.90 per hour, inclusive of one drink (Hello, Kit-Tea! Sip on peach-&-passionfruit Ahmad tea).

Housekeeping notes: Customers must cleanse their hands & wear cafe-supplied slippers before coming into contact with cats.

Photography is fine. Imagine the Instagram possibilities!

Never a dull moment: A black-&-white TV was showing a presentation of _ what else? _ Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical "Cats."

Other suggested activities include crawling into a human-sized carrier (with or without a cat) ...

... & helping to groom the cats (not that these glossy-furred cuties really need it!).

The Country Cat Cafe is nestled inside The Country Pet Store, which provides pet boarding & accessory retail services in locations including Setapak (the only venue with a cafe), Bangsar & Kajang.

Malaysia Cat Cafe (The Country Cat Cafe)

60, Plaza Usahawan Genting Klang, Jalan Danau Niaga 1, Taman Danau Kota, Kuala Lumpur

Open 11am-945pm daily. Tel: 03-4131-3348

The latest edition of Eat Drink KL: 100 Favorites for January-March 2014 is now available online, featuring 100 pretty nice eateries, including more than 20 new entries for this quarter. The eBook can be read & downloaded for free, convenient reading on computers, tablets & smartphones.

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A memorably unique restaurant, set in an old greenhouse.

Natural light floods De Kas' eight-meter-high premises for lunch _ the best time to enjoy this outlet's offerings, which use regularly harvested organic produce from a vegetable nursery and herb garden outside the dining hall.

There's no a la carte menu in this oasis of calm; customers must eat from a fixed set that's determined by the chef based on what's fresh.

The chunky olives are remarkably juicy and bursting with flavor.

Chopped raw oysters and mackerel with beans, tomatoes and basil. Beautifully designed. A delicate-tasting recipe.

Stewed leek with sauteed chanterelles, morels & coulis of sweet pepper. Clean flavors.

Corn with vanilla butter and parsley. The best corn on the cob ever; wonderfully, naturally sweet, with a springy moistness that made us wish we could have much more of this. The vanilla butter was an addictive dip.

Sea bass with potato compote, endives and saffron beurre blanc.

Beetroot salad. If you like beetroot, you'll love this. A shining example of how fresh, thoughtfully grown produce can make for lively, lovely recipes.

Moet and Chandon Brut Imperial & Mas Comtal Merlot (2009).

De Kas,

Amsterdam.

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This is one beautiful restaurant, especially after sunset, filled with crackerjack flourishes that benefit from shadowy lighting.

Niu Taste, opened at St Mary Place this past month by the team behind Black Market, calls itself a noodle & grill bar, specializing in Vietnamese, Taiwanese & Japanese recipes. No pork is served here.

The high-profile choices on the menu: Niu Taste's take on Taiwanese red-braised beef noodles ...

... plus 'pho bo,' Vietnamese flat rice noodles with beef balls, tenderloin, shank, tendon & stomach.

Each hearty serving with everything thrown in costs RM28+. Could be punchier in flavor though.

Prefer porridge? Niu Taste has a fish-flooded version of that too, mixed with tiger grouper meat, stomach & liver that might be an acquired taste (RM28+).

For plain protein, the tender-tasty lamb loin saddle with garlic mustard provides pure pleasure. RM16+ for two slices.

Eel liver? Yep, find it here: Skewers of grilled unagi liver teriyaki (RM18+). A very interesting option, slightly more concentrated in flavor than eel flesh.

Century egg with tofu (RM8). Elegant simplicity.

Sake, wine, whisky & beer are all available.

Niu Taste @ St Mary Place

A-04, Ground Floor, St Mary Place, Jalan Tengah, Kuala Lumpur.

Mon-Sun, 11am-11pm. Tel: 03-2856-9866

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We waited for it, wondering whether it'd be legendary: Durian lovers, here's how to meet the mother of all spiky-fruit fantasies.

Durian Lagenda, the latest entry into Lot 10's Hutong food court, might be a durian addict's dream destination, stinky with durian ice cream, durian cookies, durian cupcakes, durian chocolate truffles, durian mochi & more.

Many thanks to Eric & the Durian Lagenda team for inviting us to try their offerings. Our favorite, unsurprisingly, is the ice cream: The soft-serve (RM4.80) is satisfyingly smooth, with a pleasant flavor that's distinct but not dominating.

Crispy-crumbly durian cookies. Durian Lagenda uses pure pulp, not essence, from fruits secured from farms in Raub, Pahang, for its products.

Durian pancake (RM18 for a nicely packaged box of six). It's still frosty when it's sold at the counter, so bring it home & let it have some time to soften. Quite enjoyed the indulgently creamy center.

Pretty unique cupcake; the first few mouthfuls taste like typical chocolate, with a tantalizing bite of thickly gooey durian stuffing revealed merely in the middle, beneath the cupcake's surface. RM5.50 (also available in poppy-seed flavor).

A Japanese-Malaysian fusion creation: Durian mochi (also one that's more suitable for bringing home, RM25 for eight pieces).

Other temptations include durian egg rolls, puffs & egg tarts (note: most but not all items are consistently available), plus whole packs of D24 & Musang King durian fruit. Definitely easy to go overboard on durian here.

Durian Lagenda

Lot 10 Hutong, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur. Below Chatime & Starbucks

Daily, 10am-10pm

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Le Moon's has risen over Kajang's gorgeous township of Jade Hills, radiating the sort of sunshiny cheer that's the hallmark of the Klang Valley's most pleasant cafes.

This three-story venue is beautiful, a real oasis where customers can linger, laugh & feel refreshed. Love the space.

Le Moon's is a family-owned restaurant, run primarily by former engineer Pey Pey, who shepherds a service team that's generous with smiles & graciousness. The kitchen is led by South African chef Steven Kruger (some might remember him from Romanza in Terrace At Hock Choon).

Splashes of creativity enliven Le Moon's recipes. The specialty breakfast wrap (RM19) is served 8am-11:30am; it's a bunch of beloved brunch components _ scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, caramelized onions & cheese _ swaddled in what tastes very much like roti canai.

Roasted pumpkin & sage soup, piping-hot with garlic-&-herb goat's cheese croquettes plopped in, accompanied by satisfyingly soft, fresh bread (RM18). These recipes can be heavier & creamier than expected, so it might be best to order them for sharing.

Always happy to have risotto (RM18): Le Moon's is a rich, flavorful one, heaped with pan-fried wild mushrooms (plus a mushroom-stuffed crispy tortellini), slow-roasted cherry tomatoes & those cheesy croquettes again. It's listed in the starters section, but it's really a main.

Grass-fed beef tenderloin (RM48), succulence that can be smoothly sliced, 180 grams crusted thickly with bone marrow, served with Anna potatoes (carbs cooked with lots of butter), veggies & rosemary jus.

There's only one dessert on the soft-opening menu; fortunately, it's a nice one. Crystallized almond parfait with choux pastry, apple sorbet & honeycomb coated with chocolate (RM15). Successfully complex in its ambition.

Le Moon's is also plenty proud of its pastries, hearty bricks for lusty appetites, including the French almond-studded bostock.

Coffee connoisseur alert! Le Moon's is hosting two "coffee masters" from Taiwan who'll "share their stories" here this weekend, specifically 11:30am-2pm, Saturday, January 11. Seats are limited, so call for reservations. Meanwhile, the cafe serves a very well-prepared latte, perfectly at drinking temperature too. It's illy.

Prefer something cooler? The iced chocolate might work for that. All in all, is Le Moon's worth what would be a long, winding drive to Kajang for KL's foodies? On a leisurely weekend, absolutely. Expect to hear & read much more about this place in 2014.

Le Moon's Eatery Bakery Zakka

18-G, Persiaran Jade Hills Utama 1/1, Kajang

Currently open Tues-Sun, 8am-6pm (kitchen closes 4pm). Will extend hours till dinnertime later

Tel: 012-620-3638 or 010-289-9585

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Riding proudly into the heart of Taman Tun, The Grumpy Cyclist began wheeling out coffee & cakes this week, putting no brakes on the breakneck spread of cafes in this neighbourhood.

The Grumpy Cyclist fails to live up to the first half of its name: The team that steers this space is cheerful, not cranky, creating a welcoming eatery where pedal-powered patrons might feel particularly at home.

Plenty of room within for folks to stow their bicycles; if rumours are to be believed, The Grumpy Cyclist even furnishes shower facilities so that sweaty riders can freshen up.

More gossip & speculation: The Grumpy Cyclist seems to be backed by a fair number of investors; one of its key operators could be the communications director of government economic unit Pemandu. And for some cafe observers, there are scintillating links to other familiar names: a Cyclist co-owner might be married to the female founder of Lids & Finch, while a barista here is believed to be one of the pioneering men behind Podgy & The Banker's counter.

But while the tangled threads of fact & fiction make The Grumpy Cyclist's origin hopelessly murky for now, what's irrefutable is the sense of rascally humour that reigns here, from the cash-hungry message on top of the tip jar to the names for the cakes that form the only food offered here so far.

Fresh, moist & creamy; still, we wish cafes would try to rely less on the ubiquitous tropes of red velvets & chocolate brownies.

No serious complaints about the coffee & other beverages here; based on the crowds that have started thronging this spot in recent days, The Grumpy Cyclist has heaps to be happy about.

The Grumpy Cyclist is now open 8am-8pm; hours will be extended through 11pm by next week.

"Get a bicycle. You will certainly not regret it, if you live." - Mark Twain

The Grumpy Cyclist TTDI

36, Jalan Datuk Sulaiman, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur. Beside Namaste

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The Big Easy is roaring into PJ's SS2, courtesy of Crab Factory, opened this month by a merry band of Malaysians who once swung through southern Louisiana on a summertime road trip spiced up by Creole & Cajun cooking & swore to bring home their tastiest recollections of the bayou.

It's a small, engagingly furnished eatery, complete with communal tables to let family & friends gather elbow-to-elbow for fun feasts evocative of The Deep South's seafood boils & enlivened by a soundtrack that's suitably heavy on Louis Armstrong & Harry Connick Jr.

Fresh shellfish forms the foundation for recipes that T.Y. Ooi, this Factory's creative chef (that's the title on her business card), proclaims were tried & tested through many months of kitchen R&D (plus plenty of hearty eating by the restaurant's founders).

We forwent the crabs in favor of the crawfish, the more popular component of true-blue seafood boils. RM78 buys a minimum order of 500 grams that'll feed two or three people, especially with soft, lovely potatoes (RM6) or corn (RM4) thrown into the bag.

Customers can also choose prawns, mussels or baby octopus; the food isn't cheap but it's not unprecedentedly priced either, not in this year of escalating costs.

Prepared in lemon pepper, garlic butter or 'signature whole shebang' sauce; the final one's marked by major heat, more spicy than savory. Even the medium setting packs firepower that's more ferocious than expected.

Gumbo is served as a snack here, featuring shrimp, sausage meat & okra swimming in soupy, soul-food stock over rice. RM12.90; probably functions more as a light lunch than a substantial dinner.

Southern fried chicken wings, hot & juicy (RM12.90 before taxes). Crab Factory's opening menu sticks to the more easily prepared fundamentals, so the food's served pretty fast; perhaps po' boys, jambalaya & bananas foster might come later, but it's fine for this place to focus on quality over quantity for now.

A small selection of craft beers is available too. Service is friendly & obliging; the people seem nice here. At long last, the South rises again, but who knew it'd be in SS2?

Crab Factory Original Louisiana Boil

21, Jalan SS2/64, Petaling Jaya

Open 11am-11pm, Fri-Sun, 3pm-11pm other days, except Tuesdays. Tel: 03-7865-5850

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Scouting for Thai fare? Pitch your tent at Thai Camp, set up recently at PJ's foodie-friendly site of Taman Paramount.

Casual meals can be enjoyed at this temple of spice; hog-worshipping recipes might command the most fervent devotees, from pork phanaeng curry (RM20), vivid in colour & flavour ...

... to pork that's stir-fried with stirringly fiery-tangy lime sauce (RM18) ...

... to pork that's kept simple & savoury with garlic, that magical complement (RM15), ...

... & pork deep-fried with kaffir lime leaves (RM18), a worthy sacrifice at shrines of sin.

For fans of eggs, more than a few fun finds: The menu calls this one "Amazing Eggs" (RM15), hard-boiled & heaped with a meaty gravy.

This looks like a run-of-the-mill omelette when it surfaces at the table, but break it open to reveal a steaming-hot stewed stuffing of meat & carrots. RM13.

Fried egg salad, satisfying with seafood (RM17).

Saving the best for last? Crispy-creamy preserved eggs with pork in holy basil sauce. RM18.

Thai Camp

37, Jalan 20/7, Taman Paramount, Petaling Jaya

Lunch & dinner, Tuesday-Sunday

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Tokyo-based Bankara Ramen has taken its international expansion one step at a time; six years after branching into Bangkok, this noodle chain finally sprang to life this week in Kuala Lumpur.

Bankara's signature broth (RM27++ with four hefty pieces of chashu) is made with pork bones infused with refined shoyu. Mellow in savouriness, mildly sweet, fatty-tasting though nevertheless not as thick or deep in flavour as many other recipes; folks who want a more luxurious texture can order an accompanying dollop of butter.

The noodles taste pleasant too, enjoyably firm, while the egg (also an add-on, making this bowl cost RM31++ in total) is lusciously creamy, with the most wobbly of yolks. Probably a B+, all things considered.

We were unable to try the slow-boiled, milkier tonkotsu-broth ramen, as the restaurant is currently rationing its limited supplies, which include ingredients imported from Japan. Bankara also serves a miso-based broth as well as tsukemen.

Side dishes include the likes of addictive onion-garlic mixes & aromatic spring onions ...

... though the highlight for us was a substantial serving of fresh, complimentary garlic on each table that customers can press for themselves (we must have eaten a dozen cloves).

Not into ramen? Try the buta kakuni don (RM15++), soul food of steamed rice with succulent braised pork belly, soft-boiled egg, fragrant white sesame, mayo & sliced seaweed.

Tori karaage (RM10++). Pretty satisfying deep-fried marinated chicken, crisp & tender, tangy with a little lime.

Service here is efficient & fairly amiable. Expect Bankara Ramen to be one of the bigger F&B successes at the revamped Avenue K.

Bankara Ramen Malaysia opens 11am-10pm daily.

Bankara Ramen Malaysia

Second Floor, Avenue K, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur. Beside Taste Enclave

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Remember Andrea Zanella? The temperamental but terrific Italian chef who founded Chiaroscuro& later took charge at il Lido is back in action, now commanding the kitchen at the freshly unveiled Zenzero.

This understated, unfussy outlet seems set to nurture a placid presence at St Mary Residences; it's casually elegant, maintaining the spotlight on enjoyable food served by a hardworking team.

With a chef like Zanella, everything's worth eating, but our top pick's the Ancona-style brodetto, a seafood soup that brims with fresher-than-expected octopus, mussels, clams, fish & shrimp. Beautifully satisfying.

At RM22+, it's the ideal illustration of how Zenzero's prices might be the fairest of them all.

Baked spinach & gorgonzola cheese pie (RM24+). Crispy-creamy textures, mild-&-light flavours. Another pleasant starter that two can share.

Hearty, house-made fettuccine with a thick truffle sauce (RM38+). Pasta that provides pure pleasure & compelling comfort.

Baked gnocchi sorrentina (RM42+), carbs made cheesy with mozzarella, tangy with tomato sauce & buoyant with basil leaves.

Ravioli filled with Piedmontese beef (RM28+), robustly savoury.

Warm apple phyllo strudels with a stuffing of pine nuts, a thin coat of grappa sauce & a cool companion of raisin ice cream. RM18+.

Sicily's sweet pride, ricotta-choked cannoli fried pastries, to wrap up this feel-good lunch.

Carte Rouge Bordeaux, Calvet (RM78+ by the bottle). Zenzero's cheapest wine is a well-chosen, earthy one.

All in all, Zenzero's another fine F&B find at St Mary Residences; will we hear more about this outlet in 2014? Count on it.

Zenzero Restaurant & Wine Bar

A-0-9, St Mary Place, Jalan Tengah, Kuala Lumpur. Beside Delicious.

Currently open for lunch & dinner, Tuesdays through Sundays. Tel: 03-2022-3883

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2014 has barely begun, but KL can already welcome another destination that's destined to draw coffee devotees in droves.

Jeremy Chan & his team at Brewmen seem attuned to the intense demands of this city's caffeine fiends; customers can currently find beans here sourced from Singapore-based roasters like Papa Palheta & Dutch Colony Coffee, deepening our neighbour's handprint on our cafés (see Sevencups& Urbean as examples of other outlets that searched south for supplies).

Brewmen is trying to open in a low-key, nearly hush-hush manner, but it can't fly under the radar for long, not when it offers temptations like filtered coffee (RM11, specs: Guatemalan single-origin, AeroPress-brewed) ...

... a robustly respectable latte with full-bodied complexities (RM10 nett, Costa Rican beans from Dutch Colony Coffee) ...

... plus light, low-acidity cold brew coffee (RM12, El Salvador beans; notice the Central American theme right now) ...

... & the interesting red affogato (RM12), with Rooibos tea to replace the regular espresso shot.

For food, Brewmen should start serving sandwiches this weekend; for now, customers can munch on the festive seasonal special of a Mandarin orange cupcake (RM8) ...

... or a big chocolate brownie, warmed up to order & partnered with vanilla ice couple (RM12).

Scones are available too; all in all, this place feels like one to watch this year. Expect hundreds of words to be written about & scores of photographs to be taken at Brewmen in the next several months.

Brewmen

6, Jalan Solaris 4, Solaris Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur

Currently 1130am-630pm, Tues-Sun. Will extend hours eventually

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A day-&-night peek at a couple of new watering holes, starting with SOP at Paradigm Mall's boulevard.

SOP's menu seeks to please crowds, starting with Parma ham platters, then moving on to pork bacon carbonara pasta & stretching into pork burger, chop & knuckle territory before winding up with a Guinness chocolate lave cake that's creamy but could benefit from a bolder, more beery resonance.

German beers are a highlight here, spanning the pleasant-drinking Bitburger to the likes of Wernesgruner & Licher.

Another possibility for folks who like alfresco bars: Tetto, this one closer to the city center, near Changkat Bukit Bintang.

Tetto's a rooftop lounge with walls of eye-catching graffiti. A nice touch.

Skewered meat & pizzas form the food here; cocktails are limited to classics like Mojitos, with the service team more eager to steer customers toward beer & whisky.

Bonus graffiti-scrawled stop: Manchester Press in Melbourne. Seems to be a cafe by day & events venue by night.

Nice vibe & fun fare (especially the foie gras mousse cones) specially catered for this evening.

And of course, booze makes everything much, much better.

SOP
Ground Floor Boulevard, Paradigm Mall, Kelana Jaya, Petaling Jaya

Tetto Rooftop Bar (above Fuzio)
29, Jalan Berangan, Kuala Lumpur

Manchester Press

Rankins Lane, Melbourne, Australia

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Indonesian food is popular in Amsterdam, the result of ties forged through the centuries of Dutch colonization in Southeast Asia.

Any concerns we had that the food would be toned down for European palates were vanquished with this tangy, spicy amuse bouche of battered chili chicken.

Lumpia basah, a starchy, roti jala-ish steamed winter roll of chicken & prawns. The recipes slant toward "contemporary" Indonesian, eschewing traditional preparations for prettified ones.

Salada bebek (roasted duck salad with green turmeric leaves dressing).

Most of the dishes tasted decent _ except this grilled fish pate with peanut sauce, which looked too pale to be otak-otak and was far too bland.

Salada asinan segar (crackly crab, mango & pineapple in green salad with tamarind).

Succulent lamb sate with lime-&-soy sauce & chicken sate with peanut sauce.

Soto aneka laut. Watery seafood soup with a slight citrus tang.

Sate Marangi (garlic-marinated beef fillet skewers).

Chicken soup with glass noodles & (too few) quail eggs.

Plump prawns in jackfruit sauce, alongside stir-fried veggies & egg.

Cod fish "cobek." A West Javanese fish fillet recipe with carrot sauce.

Padang-style beef rendang.

Chicken gulai (Sumatran-style chicken with lemongrass & cinnamon).

Urapan (wok-fried mixed veggies with grated coconut) & Kambing Kecap (lamb fillet, long beans & chillies).

Sambal goreng buncis (spicy green beans with shrimp).

Desserts are Westernized. Here's a platter of blue pears sweetened & stewed in blue curacao, fruit tartar & fermented black rice pudding.

Flan of young coconut with pineapple soup & sorbet. Sweet, melt-in-the-mouth bliss.

Faugeres, Carignan-Mourverdre-Syrah-Grenache, Chateau Chennaie (2004) & Au Cler, Vin de Pays des Cotes des Gascogne (2009).

Blue Pepper,

Amsterdam.

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For folks who need further evidence that Avenue K's star is on the ascent, this revamped mall now features a Swedish cafe whose selection extends well beyond meatballs.

Svea Cafe opened this past week inside the Taste Enclave food court, though its full menu remained unavailable when we visited. For now, customers can check out recipes like "Seamen's Beef" (RM18.90). Tastes kinda like typical stew, but that's not necessarily a terrible thing. Coming attractions comprise seafood cakes, salmon soup, pork chops & ham pies.

Interesting desserts include the "ris a la malta" rice pudding with almonds & cinnamon (RM10) ...

... & the warm Swedish porridge of oats with cranberries (RM10), exceptionally healthy-tasting (but could be too bland for some).

Speaking of wholesomeness, here's something else that's newly unveiled on Avenue K's second floor: Upbeat Health Bar, which serves nutritious, low-guilt fare near the Fitness First gym.

Try the Mission flour tortilla wraps, assembled on order & packed with ultra-creamy mushroom croquettes, cherry tomatoes, lettuce & an addictive "secret house sauce" (RM8.90, 411 calories).

Also available: Protein shakes & freshly blended smoothies, made with ingredients like Greek yoghurt, green tea, honey, blueberries, mango & soy milk.

Peanut butter shake mixed with bananas, chocolate whey & milk (RM9.90 for 261 calories), plus flax seeds for extra texture (RM2 surcharge). Understandably, it's not what we'd describe as delicious, but it's not undrinkable.

And for fans of dessert, there's more on this level: Snow Factory, the first Malaysian offshoot of a Taiwan-based brand.

Yoghurt, yoghurt-based ice cream & fruit preserves form the key offerings here.

The blueberry flavour tastes pretty natural & the texture's satisfyingly dense. Refreshing enough on a sweltering afternoon.

Svea Cafe, Upbeat Health Bar & Snow Factory Malaysia

Level Two, Avenue K, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur

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Checking out a couple of Subang's new caffeine bars that are stirring up buzz in contrasting styles: Tryst, the Tarantino-infatuated, low-budget epitome of an edgier hipster's hangout ...

... & Cosans, a more deep-pocketed coffee house that strives for soothing slickness in a calculated, crowd-pleasing fashion.

First up, Tryst, which feels free-spirited & funky, like something someone might stumble on behind Subang's darkest alley.

Tryst's patrons love the pancakes, paired with choices like chili con carne (or have 'em with chocolate, bananas or peanut butter) ...

... plus well-prepared, tangy-meaty spaghetti that clocks in at RM12, one of this neighbourhood's most fairly priced plates.

Come in, the coffee's fine; the cold drip variety is the ideal antidote to the heat of the night.

Beans hail from Costa Rica, Honduras, Brazil & Sumatra, coming together to create a likeable latte.

Note the notes: High praise from real customers.

All in all, Tryst is nice, welcoming set-up; its location is a little inconvenient due to constantly crowded street parking, but it's worth a visit for people who live, study or work nearby.

Next up, Cosans, a place that's beautifully & irresistibly built for photo-snapping & potential franchising.

Comfy & invitingly spacious, with a service team that's earning solid praise for friendliness.

Sandwiches comprise the crux of Cosans' food menu, served hot & stuffed with the likes of smoked duck, melted mozzarella, confit tomatoes & arugula (RM15).

Cosans, an F&B subsidiary of the BIG IDEAS Branding Group (not to be mistaken for The BIG Group, despite the similar name), also boasts own-roasted coffee blends that taste impressive.

Equerre's best for espressos, a rich, complex combo of Brazilian, Colombian, Guatemalan & Sumatran Mandheling produce.

The Carreau blend comprises Brazilian, Papua New Guinea, Ugandan, Tanzanian & Costa Rican beans. Sure, a latte's not the route to explore the nuances of a coffee blend, but the strong-tasting milk in this makes it even trickier. Order it black instead.

Cosans' signature tea: Jasmine scented with rose oil. Evokes fragrances & flavours from talcum powder to Turkish Delights.

No shortage of beverages to contemplate: Dark chocolate with milk & Earl Grey. All in all, Cosans has its allure; considering the expertise that's been channelled into this place, it could become a bona fide hit.

Tryst

74, Jalan SS15/4C, Subang Jaya

Open 10-1am daily, except Tuesdays, when business begins 6pm

Cosans Coffee

30, Jalan SS15/4, Subang Jaya

Tel: 03-5612-9600

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A romance that blossomed in Hanoi might now make food lovers in Kuala Lumpur strike up an affair with Vietnamese fare, home-cooked with the sort of passion that's the province of the tastiest private kitchens.

Cute Ball Kitchen is the brainchild of Malaysian Kenneth Teoh & his Vietnamese wife, Hoa, who met while Teoh was working in Vietnam's capital. Teoh returned in 2013, bringing home Hoa & their now three-year-old son, whose Vietnamese-language family nickname forms the basis for their new private kitchen's name.

Many thanks to the friendly couple for inviting us into their Petaling Jaya home for some of the most satisfying Vietnamese food we've ever enjoyed, welcoming us warmly with herb-dusted fritters that whet the appetite wonderfully.

Hoa is likely to prepare communal meals of three to four dishes for guests. Her repertoire includes grilled seasoned pork, juicy, aromatic & savoury, wrapped in wild betel leaves that the couple pick themselves from a nearby hill, braving mosquitoes there to procure these peppery pleasures.

Hoa's Vietnamese salad scores top marks, light & exceptionally easy to gobble up, wholesome-tasting & ravishingly nuanced with fresh veggies, seafood, meat, herbs & nuts. Like everything here, it's painstakingly prepared, with nearly a full day's worth of slaving in the kitchen to whip up courses like this.

Braised pork belly, sumptuously caramelized. Bring a nice Merlot to savor with this; in a cost-effective contrast to eating out at a restaurant, there's no corkage fee here.

Salt-&-pepper squid. Hoa's standards for seafood are high, the result of many years spent at Halong Bay; the couple now regularly drive to Sekinchan on weekends to secure straight-off-the-boat seafood _ an effort for which guests will be grateful.

Steamed rice is thoughtfully sourced too, coming from a paddy processing plant amid Sekinchan's rice fields.

With Vietnam having a strong French connection, it's not improper _ but nevertheless a pleasant surprise _ that Hoa opts for French sweets to wrap up her meals. Freshly baked madeleines are an uncommon treat, but what really won everyone over was the heavenly dark chocolate tart, thick & creamy, rich in flavour.

All in all, this feels like a lovely way to spend a casual Saturday evening, the only time Kenneth & Hoa currently operate their private kitchen. The couple have hopes of eventually starting their own cafe (we vote, "yes, please!") & are currently open to also supplying cafes with baked goodies (the dark choc tart would be a sure-fire hit, much more delicious than the norm).

Follow Cute Ball Kitchen at https://www.facebook.com/CuteBallKitchen ... Meals cost RM55 per person, a very fair price for the entirety of the experience.

Cute Ball Kitchen
Taman Paramount, Petaling Jaya

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Sneaking a peek at two relatively upmarket restaurants that have opened in Ipoh in recent weeks: Garvy's In The Park ...

... & Myth Eatery, both of which feature lovely settings. We nibbled lightly at both outlets, so this entry is far from an exhaustive evaluation, but we're not sure we'd return to either for now; there seems to be a sense of style over substance at both.

Garvy's is interesting, but head here prepared for the trappings of a fine-dining experience. It isn't a venue where three customers who come in wearing T-shirts & shorts & decide to only order two dishes will feel warmly welcomed; your starter & dessert will arrive all at once & you might need to repeat your questions & requests to a service team that's arguably inattentive, even when this French restaurant remains empty early in the evening.

Prices are relatively steep for Ipoh (the cheapest starter, a smoked duck salad, is RM49 before taxes), but that's forgiveable, as many items are imported & the restaurant aspires to a KL-level benchmark. We chose two dishes first to test whether we should proceed with the remainder of the menu (foie gras, scallops, lamb rack & Atlantic cod), but the Brittany oysters with champagne sauce gratin (RM55) leaned closer to good than great, with only passing-grade freshness.

White chocolate lava cake with pineapple compote & vanilla ice cream. Tasty, very nearly meriting the RM40 price tag. The creamy molten centre had rich complexities (a hint of caramel?), but one of our main waiters insisted it was white chocolate & nothing more. We skipped the wine; there was nothing by the glass in the RM30-something range.

So we moved on, taking a 10-minute drive to Myth Eatery & Bar, the new hotspot at M Boutique Hotel. Note though, the "bar" part of the restaurant's name isn't totally suitable for now, as wine isn't presently served here.

Myth is an intricately designed outlet that'll leave Instagram addicts hyperventilating; every corner, every chair, every cushion is worth admiring. We would have happily lingered here for hours, but ...

... our trial order was a miss. The unagi pizza (RM35 before taxes) was well-laden with eel, but the flavours clashed mightily with & were ultimately overpowered by the tomato sauce & cheese. The crust was reminiscent of some strange sort of crunchy-airy biscuit that disintegrates on each bite.

Maybe the rest of Myth's menu is more successful. Beef sliders, smoked salmon salads, herb-crusted lamb racks & garlic butter cod fish are among the other potential highlights; it's a wide-ranging menu with sufficient imagination.

Garvy's French Dining

275, Jalan Permaisuri Bainun, Ipoh, Perak

Open for lunch & dinner. Tel: 05-255-8082

Myth Eatery & Bar

M Boutique Hotel, 2, Hala Datuk 5, Ipoh, Perak

Tel: 05-254-8133

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It's the showdown of two suburban eateries that have latched on to the burger bandwagon, both launched with guns blazing to supply their take on this trend. Let's start with SS15's new kid in town Cowboy Burger, helmed by friendly sheriff James Cheong.

Cowboy is proud of its pork burgers, relying on antibiotic-free meat for its charbroiled patties & creating recipes like the "Very Hot Piggy Burger," crowned with natural cheddar & grilled tomato & smeared with a sticky, sweet-savoury sauce that contains cili padi & lemongrass.

The combination works well enough; Cowboy's fare is fairly priced too, with this burger, fries & a salad clocking in at RM14.80++.

Cowboy's chef is a Malaysian who spent several years in Tokyo, so there are Japanese influences in the food here. The tonkatsu burger (RM13.80++) is well-executed too, topped with Cowboy's own tonkatsu sauce & naga-negi onions.

Special mention to the dipping sauce for the fries, an addictive one infused with mustard's pungent wallop.

The menu is extensive; besides chicken, beef & vegetarian burgers, there are also pork meatballs that can be topped with cheddar or berry sauce (RM8.80++), plus hot dogs, basic pastas, fish & chips, onion rings, nachos & chicken wings.

Bacon ice cream (RM4.80++) is available too, a vanilla flavour laced with plenty of pleasantly chewy meat.

Next up, heading into the wilderness of Wangsa Maju, where Burger Bar operates near the LRT station.

Burger Bar tries to pack as many burgers into its menu as possible too. The char siew pork burger features a regular patty topped with char siew gravy that tastes like a mild, unmemorable teriyaki sauce; still, at RM9.90, it's a budget-friendly option. There's another pork burger here topped with crispy salted fish that could fare better.

Chicken burger with a Caesar salad inspiration, topped with boiled egg & dressing (RM10.90). Creamy, but could be punchier in flavour. Decent enough to satisfy a simple burger craving though.

Beef with ginger mayo & an egg add-on (RM14.90). The Asian inspiration for the sauce is interesting, though the flavours for this also shine a little less than expected.

Miso salmon burger (RM19.90). Burger Bar has also opened another outlet at Kuchai Lama; even though we're nitpicking, it's likely this place will perform solidly in its neighbourhoods. The people behind the bar seem to work hard, so we wish them well.

Beer is available at Burger Bar, helping it live up better to the "bar" part of its name.

Cowboy Burger
25, Jalan SS15/4B, Subang Jaya
Open 1130am-1030pm, except Mondays. Tel: 03-5611-9963

Burger Bar
27, Jalan 14/27B, Desa Setapak, Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-6732-6252

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Keopi juseyo! Two Korean-owned cafes have opened in recent weeks at Desa Sri Hartamas & Mont Kiara, both worth a visit for folks living nearby; let's begin with caffeine bar Cafe Olle.

Conveniently spacious; not the most soulful cafe around, but it's a very practically outfitted enterprise nevertheless.

Cafe Olle roasts its own beans; some interesting varieties are available (love the catchy Americana-style names).

By-the-numbers descriptions, so customers know what they'll be getting.

Savannah Street espresso, confidently full-bodied with non-punishing acidity & a pleasing balance of sweet & bitter nuances, exactly how we like it.

Greenbow Alabama latte, creamy & satisfying.

But we'd skip the hot chocolate, constructed with Korean-origin chocolate that tastes one-dimensional & far from robust.

Lots of cakes here, from cheesecakes to yam cakes to red velvets.

Moving on nearby to Solaris Mont Kiara, where Nabe Bakery Cafe recently launched its second branch to complement its original outlet in Ampang.

Nabe is extremely well-stocked with cakes, bread & biscuits; looks lovely, though nothing stood out sufficiently for us to snatch.

Dutch Coffee cold brew, perhaps more mass-market than artisan.

Coffee Olle
26, Jalan 24/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur
Open 10am-10pm, except Mondays. Tel: 03-6206-3121

Nabe Bakery Cafe
Jalan Solaris 4, Solaris Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur

Coffee Olle
26, Jalan 24/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur
Open 10am-10pm, except Mondays. Tel: 03-6206-3121

Nabe Bakery Cafe
Jalan Solaris 4, Solaris Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur

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Ever gotten tipsy in a museum? Here's your chance.

The House of Bols offers an interactive journey through the world of cocktails, with colorful exhibits that challenge visitors' sense of taste and smell.

At the end of the visit, choose a complimentary drink from a wide range of unique cocktails using booze by Bols, the world's oldest distilled liquor brand, established in Amsterdam in 1575.

Bartenders whip up the concoctions at the museum's sleek Mirrors Bar.

Caipinevra (a Brazilian cocktail with a Dutch twist, containing Bols Jonge Jenever, cane sugar & lime wedges for fruity flavors), alongside Dutch & Butterscotch (a bittersweet Manhattan with a spicy twist, comprising Bols Corenwyn, Bols Butterscotch liquor, Angostura bitter, orange zest for a malt-&-caramel blend).

House of Bols,

Amsterdam.

It's nearly here! The Eat Drink KL weekly email newsletter is scheduled to be launched shortly after midnight, Monday, Jan. 27, sent out for free to subscribers, highlighting new restaurant openings (even before they're featured on this blog), F&B promotions & other tasty tidbits for the Klang Valley.

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As a separate initiative, the latest edition of Eat Drink KL: 100 Favorites for January-March 2014 is now online, featuring 100 pretty nice eateries, including more than 20 new entries for this quarter. This eBook of restaurant recommendations is available for free, convenient reading on computers, tablets & smartphones at this link: http://eatdrinkkl.publ.com/Eat-Drink-KL-100-Favorites-Jan-March-2014 (This link expires March 31, 2014; see blog entries after that date for new link).

The Country Cat Cafe @ Setapak

De Kas @ Amsterdam

Niu Taste @ St Mary Residences

Durian Lagenda @ Lot 10

Le Moon's @ Jade Hills, Kajang

The Grumpy Cyclist @ Taman Tun

Crab Factory @ SS2 Petaling Jaya

Thai Camp @ Paramount Garden

Bankara Ramen @ Avenue K

Zenzero @ St Mary Place

Brewmen @ Solaris Mont Kiara

SOP @ Paradigm Mall & Tetto Rooftop Lounge @ Berangan

Blue Pepper @ Amsterdam

Svea Cafe, Upbeat Health Bar & Snow Factory @ Avenue K

Tryst & Cosans Coffee @ SS15 Subang

Cute Ball Kitchen @ Paramount Garden

Garvy's In The Park & Myth Eatery @ Ipoh

Cowboy Burger @ SS15 Subang & Burger Bar @ Wangsa Maju

Cafe Olle @ Hartamas & Nabe Bakery Cafe @ Solaris Mont Kiara

House of Bols @ Amsterdam