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Malay Mail •

Capital cuisine: Two Beijing restaurants pushing the boundaries of modern Chinese fine dining

BEIJING, June 7 — There is a version of Chinese fine dining that the world has long been sold: elaborate banquet halls, exotic ingredients like shark’s fin, lazy Susans the size of a small satellite dish, and a deep reverence for tradition.Beijing, as the country’s capital for eight centuries, has perhaps been an unlikely, yet historically fitting custodian of this idea. The city’s culinary identity has long been defined by the grandeur of its past: the Forbidden City’s kitchens, the Qing dynast...
Malay Mail •

Scarborough Fish & Chips in Tanjung Rhu, Langkawi: Great fish and chips and the best seat on the beach

LANGKAWI, June 5 — When I was 12 years old, my parents took me to Langkawi for the very first time. It was a short trip, only three days, but it has stayed with me for the longest time because of two significant milestones, or as the kids like to call them, core memories. I had my first beer (marvellous), and for the first time in my life, I enjoyed a plate of fish and chips on the beach, sitting under the hot tropical sun and gazing at the brilliant blue waters of the Andaman.At the time, I tho...
Malay Mail •

No such thing as a free lunch: The problem with influencers as ‘food reviewers’ in Malaysia

COMMENTARY, May 31 — My frustration begins where it often has, lately: an Instagram post.On their profile, MalaysianPAYGAP, a community initiative for salary transparency in Malaysia, posted a short clip with Ming Chun, one of Malaysia’s more prominent food influencers who has successfully carved out a niche for himself as a self-appointed ayam gepuk “connoisseur”.For the uninitiated, it is a dish of fried and smashed chicken, typically paired with a spicy sambal, cashew nut paste, fried cabbage...
Malay Mail •

Find a great ‘or chien’ at Lim Fried Oyster in Taman Mayang Jaya, PJ

PETALING JAYA, May 24 — Sometimes it takes a fresh set of eyes to show you something you’ve been missing, especially when it’s been right under your nose the entire time. I’ve lived my entire life next to the neighbourhood of Taman Mayang Jaya in Petaling Jaya, and almost every Sunday morning, my parents and I would drive through it to head to St. Ignatius for mass when I was a kid. And twice a week on weekdays, I’d go to a house for my dreaded maths tuition, kicking (denial), screaming (anger)...
Malay Mail •

Semua House Chicken Rice in Pertama Complex is the ideal city-centre office lunch under RM15, with standout ‘char siew’

KUALA LUMPUR, May 22 — This week, I watched Stephen Colbert embark on quite the farewell tour for The Late Show, which was axed last year by CBS. The network called the decision “purely financial”, but it was a fairly transparent display of sycophantic, anticipatory obedience by parent company Paramount ahead of getting approval from the US Federal Communications Commission for its US$8.4 billion (RM33 billion) merger with Skydance. The merger would later be completed, and now, Colbert is leavin...
Malay Mail •

Yakitori Izakaya Kin No Tsubo is the place to be for great ‘yakitori’ and ‘oden’ in Bukit Bintang

KUALA LUMPUR, May 17 — When life sends me to one of the many watering holes along Changkat Bukit Bintang, whether as an 18-year-old on a tear fresh out of high school, or more recently, struggling financially at a friend’s birthday, I always let out a little sigh of resignation. Resigned, because I know that no matter what transpires over the evening — encounters with drunk tourists or an overeager massage parlour promoter — my dinner will be at best, “just okay”. Not that the area has ever trul...
Malay Mail •

TianMiMi Secret: Discover excellent Hainanese chicken chop and hearty traditional desserts, from peanut paste and ginkgo barley to ‘bubur cha cha’ in Ara Damansara

PETALING JAYA, May 14 — Nostalgia is a powerful thing. Whether it’s being harnessed by Don Draper to pitch the Kodak Carousel in Mad Men or warming Anton Ego’s ice-cold heart in Ratatouille, it is, in Draper’s words, “a twinge in your heart far more powerful than memory alone”. And food is often the vessel through which we come under the dizzying influence of nostalgia: a sight may remind us of a memory, a sound may remind us of the place, and a scent may remind us of the person. Put them all to...
Malay Mail •

Fragrant Town Restaurant brings juicy roast duck to PJ Section 17

PETALING JAYA, May 10 — As a neighbourhood, Section 17 is blessed with a wealth of affordable eating.One particularly abundant stretch is the flats along Jalan 17/1A, where locals head to long-time stalls like Nasi Lemak Pak Din in the gerai makan centre on the corner, or frequent newer arrivals like Bilal Nasi Kandar, which has quickly become a favourite among the working crowd.The rest of the street is home to a diverse mix of mostly Malay and Chinese eateries, with tomyam and ayam gepuk spots...
Malay Mail •

Head to PJ SS4’s Warung Jakarta for Indonesian classics like ‘bakso’, ‘mie ayam’ and ‘soto betawi’

PETALING JAYA, May 8 — As a child, my introduction to mie bakso, the Indonesian dish of noodles and beef balls, was a less-than-ideal one.To be fair, the odds were stacked against it. I was one of those kids who didn’t enjoy any kind of edible ball: fish, chicken, pork or beef, and I had not yet learned how to appreciate the strong, bitter flavour of Chinese celery, which is included to balance out the flavour of the broth.But perhaps the biggest obstacle was the myopic view that, because this i...
Malay Mail •

Hidden inside a home in Sungai Way, Xhin Fhong Claypot Bak Kut Teh serves up old-school comfort in a bowl of ‘bak kut teh’

PETALING JAYA, May 3 — After a particularly heavy night of drinking — for my fellow Gen Z, it’s like a coffee rave, but actually enjoyable — I always crave the soothing, restorative touch of meat in a rich broth.What better way to address that than with bak kut teh?I was in no mood to make the trek to Klang in my decidedly unkempt state. A friend had asked me to check out Xhin Fhong Claypot Bak Kut Teh in Sungai Way after seeing it in a video a few months back, so I decided today would be the da...
Malay Mail •

Kuala Lumpur Cocktail Week co-founder Nicholas Ng on the rise of the city’s cocktail bars, and why international recognition and local perception matter

KUALA LUMPUR, April 28 — Finding a cocktail bar in Kuala Lumpur has never been easier than it is today. In the last few years, cocktail bars of every stripe have risen to prominence in the capital. They can be quiet and intimate or raucous and rowdy; the drinks might lean rum-forward or revolve around cacao, and you might find yourself climbing up to a hidden shophouse speakeasy or stepping into the lift of a five-star hotel in the city centre. They range from the traditional to the experimental...
Malay Mail •

Three decades and one generation later, Taman Jinjang Baru’s Kedai Kopi Soon Teik continues to serve its unique mushroom sauce and curry ‘chee cheong fun’

KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 — Deep inside a cluster of flats in Taman Jinjang Baru lies the unassuming Kedai Kopi Soon Teik. For over 30 years, it has served a short, simple list of offerings — curry mee, prawn mee, plain soup and dry noodles — and its unique signature: mushroom sauce and curry chee cheong fun. This isn’t a choice between the two, but a distinct third creation, like the yuen yeung of chee cheong fun, marrying Ipoh-style mushroom sauce with KL-style curry into one saucy symphony.The c...
Malay Mail •

Beneath a pickleball court, Restoran Sfeng brings Cantonese banquet cuisine to Subang Jaya

SUBANG JAYA, April 24 — If you’ve ever been curious about what it might be like to eat banquet-style Cantonese dishes beneath a pickleball court, look no further. Even if you’ve never had that oddly specific thought, Restoran Sfeng in USJ 25 now grants that possibility. Located in the far-off depths of Subang Jaya that border Shah Alam — about five to 10 minutes from both Main Place and One City — the restaurant is the only other tenant in a mixed-use development still under completion, aside fr...
Malay Mail •

Underrated: Peng Yuan Hokkien Mee in PJ Section 14 deserves its moment in the spotlight

PETALING JAYA, April 16 — If you think of Hokkien mee — the KL variety, not Penang — and where to find it in Petaling Jaya, chances are a particularly famous, long-standing spot in Seksyen 14 comes to mind. But what of its less famous, less busy neighbour at the other end of the same row of shops, in Restoran Mei Keng?Though it may not be as established, Peng Yuan Hokkien Mee has been around for decades, spending most of that time in the shadow of its neighbour.It is the quintessential “the othe...
Malay Mail •

Blue Hour is PJ SS2’s new dinner spot for Japanese comfort food like ‘aburasoba’ and ‘tamago kake gohan’ 

PETALING JAYA, April 12 — I’ve always struggled with the question, “If you could only eat one dish for the rest of your life, what would it be?”Not because I imagine myself actually having to make that choice; I’m more of an “answer first, consequences later” kind of person.It’s the hypothetical of getting sick of eating the same thing day after day that weighs on my mind. How could anyone do it? How would I?Except I have, sort of. For four straight years at university, I ate the same breakfast....
Malay Mail •

Spanish wine giant Familia Torres names Luen Heng the exclusive distributor for Familia Torres and Miguel Torres wines in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, April 10 — Familia Torres has appointed Luen Heng F&B Sdn Bhd as its exclusive importer and distributor in Malaysia.The partnership was announced at a launch event at Chinese Palace Restaurant, attended by regional manager for Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa, Gil Serra Arnau, who said the collaboration reflects a shared vision of quality and long-term growth.“We’ve been in Malaysia for more than 20 years, but we had a different distribution before,” he said.“Luen Heng F&B...
Malay Mail •

One dish, one-man show: Loba.png in Setia Alam specialises in Taiwanese braised pork rice that’s worth the trip

SHAH ALAM, April 10 — “You like fastidious artisans, eh?”My instinct was to loudly protest, “No!” and to bring up many substantiated examples of not liking particular eateries that my partner had designated so.But it slowly drowned in the sinking realisation that, yes, I actually do. If I recall correctly, my words to her at the time were, “I see a certain romance to them.”Which is why, on a recent weekday, with plenty of better things to do, I embarked on a 30-plus-minute trip to Setia Alam wit...
Malay Mail •

From a creative Sarawak ‘laksa’ pizza to an eclectic vinyl collection, Songbird Slice in PJ is a unique pizza spot like no other

PETALING JAYA, April 5 — Sarawak laksa on a pizza? It sounds like another one of those garish gimmicks that go viral now and then.What’s next, nasi lemak risotto?Except it isn’t a gimmick.Instead, it’s one of the signature pizzas at Songbird Slice, a small pizza joint on the third floor of Infinity Tower in Kelana Jaya.Save for a pasta bar a few doors down, there’s little else on this near-empty floor, where Songbird has made its nest at the far end.It’d be generous to call this place a pizzeria...
Malay Mail •

Tacos for lunch at Smakrik, Wisma Cosway: A Swedish chef’s taste of Mexico in Kuala Lumpur

KUALA LUMPUR, April 2 — Walk into Wisma Cosway at lunch hour on any given weekday, and a veritable bonanza of food options awaits. Cheap, local eats to feed the working man have always been a feature, but now everything from fish and chips to Thai beef noodles has joined the fray. The sheer number and variety of operators means the options go beyond the ground floor, stretching into the first and second floors as well.With so many signs and buntings jostling for your attention, some shops end up...
Malay Mail •

Smaller plates, approachable prices: Stefania Osteria in Bukit Damansara offers a casual brand of Italian food fit for the neighbourhood

KUALA LUMPUR, Mar 29 — What is an osteria? The word itself comes from the Old French for “host,” reflecting its origins as a place where travellers could stop for wine, simple food and, traditionally, a place to spend the night. Over the centuries, it evolved — like its slightly more formal counterpart, the trattoria — into a casual restaurant serving rustic, nourishing dishes at relatively low prices. In recent years, however, the term has been adopted by more ambitious establishments, none mor...
Malay Mail •

At Solaris Mont Kiara, Anyang Gamjatang serves a deeply satisfying Korean pork backbone stew

KUALA LUMPUR, Mar 27 — In the Korean enclave of Solaris Mont Kiara, a new face seems to pop up every few months, especially as Malaysian appreciation for more specific, regional specialities from South Korea continues to grow.One of the newest is Anyang Gamjatang, which opened at the end of last year. Located right next to the popular Korean grocer Kim’s Mart, it specialises in gamja-tang, a spicy Korean stew made with pork backbone.Across the Malaysian food social media ecosystem (a uniquely ab...
Malay Mail •

Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026: Penang’s Au Jardin makes history at No. 39 as Malaysia’s best restaurant

HONG KONG, Mar 26 — Last night, Penang fine dining restaurant Au Jardin was named the best restaurant in Malaysia by Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026 after placing 39th on this year’s list.It is a historic achievement, marking the highest placement ever for a Malaysian restaurant. The previous record was held by the pioneering modern Malaysian restaurant Dewakan, which placed 46th on the list in 2019.Helmed by Su Kim Hock, Au Jardin debuted on the list just last year at 100th. The restaurant’s Fr...
Malay Mail •

Botanique Vegetarian Private Kitchen in Damansara Jaya serves organic vegetarian fare that exceeds expectations

PETALING JAYA, Mar 22 — Last week, for only the second time in my life, I signed up for a gym membership. It came with a free body composition scan.Now, by most accounts, I was a pretty healthy and “fit” kid growing up. I was active. PE class was my favourite. I even played football competitively to a decent level, culminating in an illustrious college football career in the US: five appearances off the bench in four years. But if it weren’t for football, I’d probably never see the inside of a w...
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