Mont Kiara/Hartamas/Solaris

Breakfast, lunch, brunch, dinner, get them all sorted here. There's a wide variety of food with over 30 dishes to choose from, it’s a dream for picky eaters. Enjoyed the Fab Five pasta dish, which is a combination of five mushrooms tossed in a creamy balsamic sauce. Almost like eating hot butter. Very delicious but it is a very dense dish afterall and portion is huge. Would totally recommend sharing this with someone and maybe also get the Patong Beach Pomelo salad (RM29) to balance it out.

Italian food served omakase-style or in other words, "stress-free", where the menu changes daily and decided by the chefs to ensure only the freshest produce is used to dish up mouth-watering italian food. It’s all pretty experimental right now, from the service to the plating, and lunch was 50% off when I visited so I knew what I was in for.*
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The three-course chef selections is compact and effortlessly classy, starting first with a simple plate of antipasto and mini mushroom soup, followed by steak with creamy mushroom sauce and light cherry tomato pasta with sword fish and cuttlefish. To quote chef Carmine who had gone on various stints at renowned hotels in the States and Australia before settling down in KL, “we want to serve Italian the way it should be served — with love!”.
To be safe, give it some time to warm up before making your way there.
*promo ended 12 Nov 17
#Burpple

The latest addition to the growing health-ish food scene in KL, Cabana opens its first outlet in Publika bringing acai bowls and smoothies to the table, or on-the-go for those in a hurry. The Açaí (read: Ah-Sigh-Ee) is a superfood and berry from Brazil known for its nutritional value, perfect for anyone looking for an energising treat. Basically, a super popular treat among surfers and athletes in Brazil. The berries, pulped and frozen within 24 hours of harvesting, would be shipped to KL and blended into a thick, smoothie-like concoction which forms the base of the Acai bowl here. Choose between two of Cabana’s signature bowls and three smoothies, or customise your own bowl. With toppings like granola, peanut butter, bananas and strawberries, it's like having ice-cream sans the guilt! Win!

The locals may want to keep this place a secret but it’s too good not to share. The cafe is bright and spacious with easy-listening tunes repping the cafe's atmosphere, setting the perfect place to while your time away. Enjoyed my flat white here, smooth and robust with beans from Sprezza. No hot food yet at the mo’, but expect some in the make soon. Thanks to #KLBurppleTastemaker Melanie (@missfoodspotter) for the newly opened intel!

Covering all the right Japanese bases, Butogoya’s lunch sets are a steal. RM30 for an appetiser, 2 mains, rice, soup and chawanmushi. I opted for the grilled mackerel in light sweet sauce and chirashi don. Delish. The chawanmushi, while a classic, totally nailed it here. Come here on a weekday lunch. It’s less crowded than the mamak next door.

Kick-started the new year at this friendly neighbourhood restaurant situated right on the same residential block as The Midnight Baker. Breakkie is available all-day and menu’s chockfull of other tasty-sounding nibbles, steaks, pies, pizzas and pastas. There’s also some familiar asian flavours like Nasi Lemak and Char Koay Teow on offer. Thought I’d start the new year healthy-ish and opted for the Pommery Salmon (RM28) that’s served with mashed potatoes and asparagus. Love the sear on the salmon with the deliciously crispy skin. I couldn’t tell what the green sauce was but it tasted sweet and goes really well with the fillet-mash-asparagus combo. Great for casual family gatherings, pop in for a hearty meal that won’t break the bank.

Smothered in sweet BBQ glaze, the BBQ pork ribs here is surprisingly good. Juicy and tender, there's no other way but to eat these with your hands and have sticky sauce smeared all over your face. Located outside of the mall, one might easily miss this restaurant. Perfect place for when you're looking for a little peace and quiet while chomping down on sticky ribs.

The menu here draws on hearty European flavours served in a comfortable and homey space at expat residential Mont Kiara. I took the safer route and ordered a halibut fish & chips. Requested for more mesclun salad to replace the chips and they happily obliged. Service is friendly here. The dish came topped with a fried onion ring. I suppose it’s their spin on the classic dish. All in all, not bad! I was ready to roll out of the door like the onion ring. Great for groups!

When it comes to Japanese food, we’re spoilt for choice in this ‘hood. Momotalo serves up some attractive grilled set lunches that include side bowls of salad, pickled cucumber, kimchi, fruit, rice, a glass of tea and complimentary dessert. Visitors have a choice to grill the proteins on their own or have them prepared and served cooked. I chose the latter with my grilled Eel Set (RM30), tender fillets, glazed in sweetened soy-based sauce.
Sets are available every Tuesday to Friday, 12pm-2:30pm.

It’s hard not to laugh at the name of this hole in the wall and not be reminded of the popular Hindi movie with a similar moniker. 3 Idiots is a serious cafe with a quirky, out-of-place decor that prides itself as ‘unpretentious, for the young and old and the in-betweens!’. With just the right amount of variety on the menu, one can choose between the all-day breakfast menu with the likes of granola and pancakes (RM9-18), daily toasts (RM9.9), or the heartier lunch mains; eye other people’s tables to see what’s good. I would recommend 3 Idiot’s fragrant Beef Noodle Soup (RM10.9) with a generous amount of toothsome and succulent beef, but I'd ask for more soup or a bigger bowl. 🍜

This cafe has a quiet homey atmosphere and is an excellent place to catch up on emails over a cup of espresso-based coffee, best savoured with a rich and dense Chocolate Brownie (RM7) or an Orange Poppyseed slice (RM8.5). We enjoyed the Bacon Quiche (RM11) although there were more mushrooms than the name suggests.
Parking is ample here and there is also a corner dedicated for kids — a plus for moms and dads.

There's something about large slabs of meat, in this case, char siew or Chinese-style braised pork belly slices, sandwiched in between steaming hot flower mantaos (RM25) and some slices of pickles for a little soury kick - making this the ultimate comfort food on a rainy day. Pork belly Satay with Pineapple peanut sauce (RM18) was had on this occasion too. Meat seasoned and grilled to familiar Kajang satay flavours. Hidden deep inside BIG grocers in an unassuming dark corner, one might need to look twice and run through a maze that is also called the Alcohol section. I would highly recommend to wine and dine at S.wine. Currently French La Closerie Des Lys white and red are on offer for per glass orders (RM25). Go for the red to complement your roast. All in all, a great place to get porked.