Greater KL

Made with grass-fed lamb, the kofte’s delicious — tender and thoroughly spiced. It sits on a bed of parsley cauliflower rice, which is great along the creamy, garlicky hummus and a side of zesty spiced beetroot. A very satisfying dish, despite its slightly heftier price tag.

Can always use a bottle of nice and fizzy kefir to refresh and help you feel good about gobbling down lunch! This one spiked with ginger and lime was on the tangier, not-so-sweet side.

Apt start to a healthier 2019. It’s all homely, hearty goodness at this soup house. Sets go from RM18, and packs value with a big bowl of soup, either chicken or pork with veggies, a staple of your choice, plus pickled guava!

The dang gui soup is light (despite its dark looks) and thoroughly flavoured with the Chinese herbs. I enjoyed the slippery mee sua most, lightly tossed in soy and topped with minced mushrooms and meat.

This dessert pie has gone on many feeds to both scare and intrigue. I can’t really decide which camp I’m in, but definitely leaning towards the ‘you shouldn’t be putting boba on everything’ one.

That said, this was... surprisingly tasty. The condensed milk has an intense sweetness that plays well with the soft, almost melting pearls. The thin layer of cheese is the balance, offsetting the sweetness with a touch of salt.

I recommend sharing this with many, so you only end up having a slice or two, cos while tasty, it can get quite jelak towards the end.

Still in R & D but open to public for dry runs, myPizzaLab (yes from burger guys) is quite a contender for good pies in town.

The Huat The Duck riffs on smoked duck and juicy mandarin oranges, a sweet-umami combination that works so well it almost reminds me of a really good salad. Meanwhile that smoky, nicely charred crust makes a wonderful vessel to transport all that cheesy goodness. It’s not quite as thick as Proof’s real deal, but not thin-crust thin just yet. Instead, expect medium thickness, which is great for when you want to stuff your face with lots of different pies.

Formidable slab of sticky, slow-cooked pork ribs, served with spring onions, shallots and chillies. It’s got a nice and fragrant flavour, and is cooked to beautifully tender texture in the centre. The best part, however, has to be the side of sticky plum bbq sauce that likens kicap manis — sweet, zesty and packed with heat!

The meat around corners can be a tad dry, but nothing a good dip in the sauce can’t fix.

I’m a local desserts kind of girl, so this bubur chacha absolutely won me over. It has a nice, creamy consistency and rich coconut-y flavour, with tender sweet potato and yam cubes for bite.

Located in the basement of Isetan The Japan Store, this meat joint sees service market-style — pick your cut off the chiller and have it cooked up for you fresh on the counter stove. The RM10 cooking charge is decent, when you consider the meat’s reasonable prices.

The earnest team will do your beautiful angus sirloin from Kyushu justice, searing it to a pinkish medium rare. The fat-to-meat ratio also hits the spot with enough fatty parts to keep the steak juicy and tender. Would recommend sharing one big piece between two tummies, with rice (RM2.80 each)!

Turning quality Indonesian honey into drinks, this kiosk is a nice change from the ubiquitous bubble tea stands.

There’s a good variety of honey juices, tea and coffee but this one came highly recommended by the team. It’s delicious and while it does taste a little on the sweeter side, you can also dilute it with water (or tonic!) to your liking.

Would come back 💯

Not very well-photographed, but the Dark Knight’s a winner. Doubling down on that fried cheddar crisp is genius, and the bacon bits are easier to bite into (as compared to the Spidey’s bacon strips). Also enjoyed the signature cocktail sauce in the burger — sweet-chilli and mayo with a little heat!

Had this with the beef patty with a beautiful sear on the sides, which I much preferred over the paler pork.

Spades Burger, or what I like to call the Penang equivalent of myBurgerlab, is now open in SS15! Have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of burgers here. Their upside? Pork. Lots of it.

The Spidey features fried bacon strips, fried cheddar, patty (pork, beef or fried chic) and a BBQ-cheese sauce. Nice textures between the fluffy bun, meaty patty and the crispy bacon and cheddar.