Food + Drink

#BuroDiningGuide: New food haunts to check out around town

The A-list

05.01.2017

By Su Fen Tan

#BuroDiningGuide: New food haunts to check out around town

1. Bonfire Restaurant & Bar

Located in The Starling Mall, Bonfire is a family-run restaurant and bar that serves modern Australian cuisine—fresh, quality ingredients are cooked over a custom-made wood and charcoal fire oven, giving the food here a beautiful charred aroma and taste. The bountiful sharing platters make it an ideal place to come with family and friends, and enjoy the hearty food over conversation and drinks (the restaurant’s lounge, BonVivant, serves up great cocktails).

To try: Red snapper (grilled and served with a side of sweet basil and coconut butter sauce) and Braised Wagyu Beef Cheeks (with fried egg, pumpkin puree, crispy shallots, broccolini and mushroom pudding)

Address: G-032 Ground Floor, The Starling Mall, Jalan SS21/37 , Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya

Opening hours: 10.30am – 12am (Sun – Thurs), 10.30 – 2am (Fri), 9.30am – 2am (Sat)

 

2. Kaiju Company

Kaiju Company is here to impress, not just with the 30-metre origami dragon overhead that lights up come evening, but also with its menu of thoughtfully curated Thai-Japanese dishes. From salads to rice bowls and pasta, their inventive notions have culminated in fresh and bold flavours that will meet (and exceed) many a gastronomic expectation.

To try: Tom Yan Udon, 555 Salmon Tata (raw salmon on mashed potatoes, served with wasabi garlic oil and truffle oil) and Hawaiian Kaiju Rice (rice with chicken patty, fried egg, mushrooms and Japanese curry)

Address: APW, 29 Jalan Riong, Bangsar, 59100 Kuala Lumpur

Opening hours: 12pm – 3pm and 6pm – 10pm (Tues – Sun), closed on Mondays

 

3. Random Food Store

After its pop-up stint at Brats, One Half Coffee (helmed by 2016 Malaysian Barista Champion Keith Koay) now finds home in the newly-opened Random Food Store at Damansara Uptown—you’ve probably seen images of the neon-lit entrance on social media by now. Situated right next to Village Park Restaurant, the cool joint also houses Buncit Bao-Bar, which flaunts a simple, no-fuss menu featuring a small but diverse selection of flavourful baos.

To try: Chinese Roast Duck Bao (steamed bun with sliced roast duck, house hoisin sauce, and ginger spring onion relish), and the coffee

Address: 9, Jalan SS21/37, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya

Opening hours: One Half is open everyday from 8am – 10.30pm, Buncit Bao-Bar is open from 6pm – 10.30pm (closed on Tuesdays)

 

4. Five-HT

Foodie hotspot Bangsar welcomes Five-HT to its mix, an Asian fusion cafe serving up Japanese-inspired comfort food fare. A number of seasonal offerings and rice bowls dominate the mains section of the menu. The innovative drinks here will most certainly pique the interest of adventurous palates, with unusual concoctions like lattes laced with truffle oil or green tea lattes made with coconut water. 

To try: Black Ninja (Hokkien mee-like dish made with udon, crispy beef bits, tempura onsen egg and spinach) and Truffle Konomai Donburi (rice bowl topped with lightly seared omelet, konbu, sukiyaki sauce and truffle oil)

Address: 50, Jalan Maarof, Bangsar Baru, 59100 Kuala Lumpur

Opening hours: 9am-6pm (Mon), 9am – 11pm (Tues – Sun)

 

5. Thai Hou Sek

A contemporary Thai-Chinese restaurant in One Utama, Thai Hou Sek delivers the punchy flavours of Thai food with a porkilicious twist—think your favourite Thai favourites with bacon, siu yuk, or pork lard crackles. The menu here is extensive, so non-pork options are also available, alongside classic desserts of mango sticky rice and tab tim krob

To try: Siu Yuk Tom Yum (spicy and sour soup with roast pork) and Pineapple & Bacon Fried Rice

Address: S32 Second Floor, One Utama Shopping Centre

Opening hours: Open everyday from 10am – 10pm

 

6. Izumi Shokudo

With the abundance of Japanese eateries in the area, it seems like Taman Desa has become the unofficial little Japan of KL. Izumi Shokudo has emerged as the notable new kid on the block out to be a favourite, featuring authentic Japanese fare in a cheery, rustic setting. It is definitely worth heading to for its fresh sashimi offerings. 

To try: Sashimi and Izumi Special Don (rice topped with sashimi and fresh seafood)

Address: 7, Jalan 5/109F, Taman Danau Desa, 58100 Kuala Lumpur

Opening hours: 12pm – 3pm and 5pm – 10.30pm (Mon – Sat)

 

7. Secret Garden

The feast at Secret Garden starts as soon as one steps into the restaurant—a visual one, that is, with its charming interior of pretty murals, greenery and Chinese lantern-like lamps. On the gastronomic front, the Chinese-Taiwanese restaurant promises wholesome home-cooked dishes as well as steamboat sets, with a wide variety of ingredients to choose from to cook in a pot.

To try: Steamboat set and Dong po meat (braised pork belly paired with steam buns)

Address: 7 & 9, Jalan SS23/15, Taman SEA, 47301 Petaling Jaya

Opening hours: Open everyday from 11.30 – 3pm and 6pm – 11pm 

 

Check out other good eats to try in our Buro Dining Guide here.

 

 

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