NOTE: we always share our meals. That makes a big difference in the cost of our meals and the expansion of our waistlines. We don’t have the kitchen split the meals because Audre doesn’t eat as much as Dimitri. We just ask for an extra plate and Audre takes as much as she wants to eat and always there's enough for Dimitri.
ALE and DM discussed adding ratings to our restaurant reviews and compromised on the following ratings:
HR: Highly
recommended
R++: Recommended almost as much as
HR
R: Recommended
NR: Not recommended
A: Awful
We had some very good meals in Malaysia but generally speaking, the food just wasn't exciting for us. Having said that, the seafood was plentiful, generally cooked properly, and not expensive. The extensive selection of Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Malay, and Indian restaurants to choose from was a treat for us too.
Many restaurants in Malaysia do not serve any alcohol. We wondered at the difference between the US and Malaysia where there was a thriving restaurant scene that didn't need to depend on the revenue from alcohol to survive.
This list is not divided by type of cuisine, although the type is identified in italics after the name. The only distinction is in our rating before the name. We should note that our mall meals in restaurants were mostly mediocre.
HR: Annalakshmi Indian Vegetarian, in Temple of Fine Arts Building, 116, Jalan Berhala, Brickfields, 50470 Kuala Lumpur, Brickfields, 012-747 4895. There was an extensive buffet of delicious vegetarian Indian fare. It was recommended to us by the F&B director of the Four Seasons and we thought it was great. The space was nice and comfortable and there were helpful attendants. We spent RM 56, US $14, and were very happy with our first visit to the Indian area called Brickfields.
HR: Koryori Enoshima Japanese Izakaya Restaurant, Ground Floor Lot G22-24, Wisma Cosway, 88 Jalan Raja Chulan, 50200, Kuala Lumpur. We sat in their outside area and liked it and the food very much. It was recommended by the regional director of marketing at the Four Seasons. We had renkon chips (lotus) and Burdock chips to start, then we had fish head in teriyaki sauce, pork belly salad, mushroom skewer, okra skewer with tea. The fish head was excellent. We enjoyed the chips and the salad. The mushrooms were dry and the okra was okay. We spent RM 125/ US $26.81 and were happy. We went again and had another very good meal. We spent much more the second time because we had the bluefin tuna belly sashimi. It was excellent and we're glad we had that.
HR: Putrajaya Seafood Restaurant, Seafood, Chinese, Taman Botani Putrajaya, Precinct 1, 62000 Putrajaya. It’s a delightful spot and we had the place to ourselves because we arrived for lunch late. The staff was welcoming and happy to have us. We had delicious clams in black pepper, a very good assorted mushroom (shitake) and broccoli stir fry, and the pièce de résistance: two mud crabs in Chinese herbal broth that were excellent. We also had Chinese tea and the sesame rice balls. It was an especially good lunch and we enjoyed it. We spent RM 342.20, US $73.50.
HR: Curate, New Year's Eve buffet, Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Four Seasons Place, 145 Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur. Executive Chef Junious Dickerson, Chef Rose, and the whole team did a magnificent job creating an over-the-top blowout buffet. Each of the items on the printed dinner menu was actually available and delicious—the choice was truly humungous. We started with US West Coast oysters and Caviar. Dimitri’s favorites were the two red caviars: Ikura--the Japanese for salmon roe and the other tiny red flying fish roe. Audre’s favorites were the T’lur--dark brown to lighter brown- Sustainable Local Malaysian Caviar and the Kavari--dark to golden amber color. They were served with all of the appropriate accompaniments and we had seconds. Audre progressed to Jellyfish Head and Hokkigai clams. We then went to the foie gras live-action station and had seared foie with sautéed figs. OMG were they DELICOUS. Perfectly sautéed and seasoned; the seared figs were great. (The Torchon and Duck Rillettes were also very good.) Dimitri’s next course was the live-action station making Singapore Chili Crab which he relished. Audre enjoyed the Grilled Jumbo Asparagus Burrata and Scorched Figs. We sampled the abalone and the Devilled Scallops Diabla with the delicious roe. Both were excellent. Dimitri relished the Shawarma Wagyu Beef with all of the accompaniments. The cheese selections were awesome, particularly the Fougerus, Isigny Brie with Winter Truffle, and the Cremeux de Bourgogne Affine Boite Bois. We sampled the lamb but by that time we had no room for anything except dessert. We tried all of the offerings and Audre particularly liked the dark chocolate pudding cake. We rolled ourselves out, having happily spent, RM 976, US $225.14.
R: Hakka, Chinese, 90 Jalan Raja Chulan, 50200 Kuala Lumpur, 03-2143 1908, https://www.hakkakl.com. Dimitri loved this restaurant and wished someone would have told us about it—we just saw it driving by! He loved sitting outside (so for once he wasn’t cold) and the menu selections. Audre wasn’t as enthusiastic. Dimitri started with a shark’s fin soup with crab meat; that warmed him up immediately. Dimitri ordered the Jumbo River Prawns baked with Chinese Shao Shin wine. He liked the way they were prepared and the size (the price of RM 120 was reasonable too). Audre thought they were a little too dry. With that Dimitri had the bitter gourd vegetable which he liked. Audre ordered the Signature Hakka Pork Ribs that we thought were very good. Audre liked the homemade tofu with fungus and sponge melon. The sponge melon was a squash that we had never had before; it was good and we liked the texture. For dessert we had the pancake (wasn’t crisp enough so we gave it to a nearby table of Italians) and the glutinous rice balls which we ate. The soup that the rice balls were in was too gingery for us. We drank pu ‘er tea and were happy (with lots of leftovers). We spent RM 285.60, US$61.40 (for two complete meals this time).
R: De.Wan 1958, Malay, Bib Gourmand, Level 2-2, The LINC KL, 360 Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur, 50400. We had a very nice meal with a wonderful server named Cyrus. We sat in a large room, called the ballroom, with lots of huge tables of Chinese tourists. First, we were brought Rempeyek crackers that were crunchy and very good. We drank blooming flower tea and the pot was refilled. We started with the pomelo salad and it was very good too. For our main, we had the Fillet Asam Pedas because Cyrus said the two of us could share it and that it wouldn’t be too spicy. It was delicious. It looked huge but really wasn’t. Even so, we couldn’t finish it. With the main, two kinds of rice were served: one a pomegranate called nasi pandan delima, one a chicken liver called nasi telur Terengganu. Both were very good. For dessert, we had one coconut gelato and one Gamilan. It was a very good meal with very good service. We spent RM 230.85, US $49.50 and we were happy.
R: Elegant Inn Hong Kong Chinese Cuisine, 2nd Floor Podium Building, Menara Hap Seng, Jalan P. Ramlee, 50250 Kuala Lumpur, tel 03-207 09 399. We were very happy to find this restaurant after trying, hating, and walking out of Mathai up the street. They brought very crunchy nuts that were excellent. Dimitri started with one spicy & sour soup that he liked very much. For our appetizer, we had the Silky Egg custard with goose liver seared which was really excellent. We knew that we had found a good place. There was only one other table and one room filled when we arrived. A couple came later and sat in a private room. Otherwise, it was empty. We had the dedicated service of a tea pourer for our Pu Er tea. Our next course was pork belly slices with prawn paste in clay pot, wild fungus with kailan and wolfberries or goji berries, and rice. For dessert, we had the Chinese pancake and the icy longan with sea coconut. The bill was RM 273.20 US $58.58 and we were very happy.
R: Roti by d'Tandoor, Indian, Michelin Bib, No. 82 Jalan Dami, Off of Jalan Ampang, 55000 Kuala Lumpur. We had a very nice meal with good service in this stand-alone building. It was also recommended by the Assistant F&B director of the Four Seasons. Dimitri had a plain lassi that he liked. We started with a vegetable pakora that was good and three sauces: raita, mint sauce, and chutney, with the puree bread that was very good. For our main we had the Tandoori chicken sizzling and the palak paner with basmati rice. The chicken was very tender and tasty and we liked the spinach and cheese dish too. We had 2 desserts: the coconut kulfi that did not taste of coconut and the shahi tukda from Hyderabad that Dimitri liked. We spent RM 219.45, US $47.06, and were happy.
R: Tono Izakaya (Tono Changkat), Japanese Izakaya, 30, Lorong Datuk Sulaiman 1, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, 019-694 2377, https://tono-izakaya.business.site/. We had a very good meal with good service in a nice room. The food was delicious and the staff was welcoming and friendly. The music was not too loud and the air conditioning was not too cold. We ordered too much, but we had food to take away for lunch. We started with the steamed clams that were in a butter, ginger sake sauce that was excellent. The clams themselves were a little tough. We shared a 10g portion of uni that was absolutely delicious and sweet. A first for us was Bara chirashi don. It was really good; it was a Japanese rice bowl with chopped raw fish (usually a variety of fish - salmon, tuna, octopus, tobiko), vegetables (cucumber, pickles, or avocado), and tamago (eggs). The raw fish was in tiny cubes and marinated with soy sauce and mirin. For our yakitori we had the lady finger, the chicken skin, the quail egg, and the wagyu beef. All was good but the beef was tough. Then we ordered the grilled saba mackerel and the nasu dengaku and both were very good. There wasn’t a dessert on the menu so we called it a night and went walking around the neighborhood and went to Yaki Soul for their special Christmas dessert. We spent RM 274.90, US $58.83, and were very happy.
R: Beta, Innovative Malaysian, Michelin 1 Star, Fraser Place, Lot 163, 10 Jalan Perak, 50450 Kuala Lumpur, https://www.betakl.com/. Our meal started out perfectly. We were the first diners and our server from Bangladesh, Mohammed, was attentive and informative. The room is dominated by a large batik mural covering the entire high-ceiling back wall and the windows of the open kitchen. Our table had a good view for Audre of the kitchen and was comfortable enough, although sitting on the banquette would have been more comfortable. We chose to drink tap water (even though they have mocktails) and it was served in tea cups. We chose the 8-course tasting menu (RM 360++ each). The first 3 bites were brought to our table by Chef Leon, the chef who runs things when the Head Chef is not there. She explained the 3 northern Malay tastes—one with a bulus fish that had a nice spiciness to it. The second was a tart of frozen pomelo that didn’t have a distinctive pomelo taste. The third was the best: it was on a prawn toast, with prawn xo sauce and prawn tartare on top. Next, we were brought tapioca bread rolls that were excellent, creative, and unusual—made entirely of tapioca flour. They were chewy and a little sweet. They were served with a chili sauce. The third set of dishes included the best dish of the evening: the watermelon with sea grapes and tuhau. It was scrumptious, beautiful, and refreshing. The other offering was a stuffed squid with tempoyak, mushroom garum, and a pickled jicama. It was a good dish. The dining room was filling up by this course and the service was deteriorating. Chris the manager of the front of the house was serving us and Mohammed disappeared. For our mains, we selected the barramundi fish and the lamb loin. The barramundi had a coating that we couldn’t taste. The fish was too soft—not flaky. The lamb loin was tasty but tough. After our main course, the pacing of the meal fell apart. The dining room was full and we waited and waited for our dessert. We noticed other tables were waiting to be brought more wine or more water or their next course. After what seemed like an eternity, we were brought a pre-dessert. It was a tart with wild mango in it but we couldn’t taste the fruit. After another eternity we got our Pandan dessert which was uninspired. It was pandan ice cream with small accompaniments. During our waits, we visited the rest room which was in another building entirely and had no paper towels or toilet paper. The explanation: the Beta toilet was under renovation. We were brought our bill that reflected the RM 200 deposit we had made, fortunately. We had forgotten the deposit. We spent RM 835.20, US $179, and left a little happy and a little disappointed.
R: Nasi Kandar Pelita, Nasi Kandar, No. 149 Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur 50450, https://www.pelita.com.my. This place was fun for us. It is a huge space with food counters along the sides. We arrived when it was not crowded and there were lots of men in brightly colored shirts standing around with I-Pad-like things. One attached himself to us and we walked with him ordering things, with his help. We even showed him a picture from the website and he found what we wanted. The Murtabak ayam, a stuffed crêpe was not as good or juicy as we would have liked. We got a plate of rice (nasi kandar) with two large prawn, salad, vegetables and a bowl of tripe stew and shared that. We also got one young coconut and one lemon juice as well as water. When we saw a dish going by that looked like a dosa so we ordered it. It was called a roti tisu and it was paper thin and served with sweetened condensed milk. It was good and we had our dessert! We spent RM 91.15, U.S. $19.16 or 1/10th of what we had spent the night before at Beta when we spent nearly RM 900. We were very happy. When we started to walk back to the hotel it was raining very hard so we sat around for about 15 minutes and then it stopped. By the time we left, it was very busy with tourists and locals too.
R: Din by Din Tai Fung, Xiao Long Bao, 417 Level 4 Suria, Kuala Lumpur. We had another fantastic xiao long bao meal adding to the previous locations of Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, and Taiwan. This time we tried the xiao long bao with truffle and it was really delicious. The soup in the ones filled with crab roe and chicken was delicious but was not otherwise tasty. The Chrysanthemum pu er tea was delicious. We spent RM 116, US $24.93, and were happy with our lunch.
R: Palillos Yakitori Bar, Japanese Yakitori, 29 Jalan Mesui off Jalan Nacasari 50200 Kuala Lumpur. We went because it was recommended by the GM of the Four Seasons. We had a delightful meal with good service in a very warm place. We started with grilled heart, pork belly, pork neck, Shishito Iberico, and pate. We drank green tea. We also had one chicken broth, one garlic, one delicious eggplant, and one awaji onion. The staff was attentive and we enjoyed our meal. We spent RM 161, US $35.00.
R: Damascus Restaurant, Syrian,111 Jalan Sultan Ismail, Bukit Bintang, 50250 Kuala Lumpur, https://damascus.my/. We arrived at about 8 pm to find a long line. Before that, we had checked out Jalan Alor and an awful place called Fish Village Seafood Restaurant. We stood in line for one-half hour (we never stand in line, anywhere, anytime). Dimitri was able to sit for most of the time and Audre talked to the people in line. We had looked at the menu while in line so when we were finally seated at about 8:30 pm we immediately ordered. The Arabic salad came first and it was good and crisp but very, very salty. The most unusual dish we ordered was Fatteh, a Syrian famous breakfast dish containing yogurt, chickpeas, pine nuts, garlic, pomegranate, and pita chips. We had never had it before (how is that possible?) and it was delicious—we particularly liked the crispy pita chips on top. Of course, we ordered too much but we wanted to try the Creamy Lamb Shakria described as: lamb seasoned with aromatic herbs, tossed with our special secret cream sauce, topped with pine nuts & olive oil, served with rice. The two sauces that came with the maklouba lamb went well with this dish and it was very good; the rice was really good. The other dish we ordered was the Maklouba Lamb described as: flavorful lamb maklouba rice, served with yogurt sauce, tomato and chili sauce, and garlic sauce. The yogurt sauce was outstanding. We had lots of leftovers which made nice lunches. We spent RM 147.75, US $ 31.80, and were very happy (even though it was after our bedtime when we left). Afterwards, we went to Kunafa Crisp next door for dessert.
R: Lai Foong Lala - Noodles - Michelin Bib 99, Jalan Sultan, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur. Dimitri liked it and the clams were good. It was down-market but genuine. We had a pot of Chinese tea, one la la fried noodles , one La la soup, and one shang har la la noodles. It was all good and the la la clams were exactly what we wanted. We spent RM 77.14, US $ 16.51.
R: Kampachi Japanese Restaurant, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, 168 Jalan Bukit Bintang, tel 60-3 2148-9608.This mall restaurant is evidently the oldest Japanese restaurant in KL. The service was only okay although there were many servers around. We thought that our meal was good –the chawan mushi was great. We drank Kirara rice tea which was good and the pot was refilled on request. Audre ordered a Gindara bento box with grilled cod marinated in miso paste, kobachi rice, miso soup, pickles, and (uninteresting) fruit for dessert. Audre liked it and the cod was a large piece (with enough leftover to take home). Dimitri said he wasn’t going to be adventurous so he ordered the Nabeyaki udon and the chawan mushi. He was happy. For dessert, we had the yuzu sorbet and that was good too. We spent RM 255.95, US $54.78, and were happy enough.
R: Chocah Foodstore, Innovative,156, Jalan Petaling, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, https://www.chochafoodstore.com. This restaurant in Chinatown, a couple of streets away from the Petaling food street area, is innovative and quirky. We sat in the back facing the kitchen which was entertaining and a little bit too dark. While the original hotel was obviously renovated to create the restaurant, much of it was left untouched resulting in an old-looking and actually dirty-looking space. The menu was inscrutable—we just ordered based on understanding one word of the description. The food was tasty. We ordered the stingray on toast/serunding/sautéed onion. It was dried stingray flakes on coconut bread. Dimitri thought it was good; Audre didn’t like it. The coconut bread was just brioche and didn’t taste of coconut. We ate half and took half home. The other starter we started with was tongue sarnie/smoked beef tongue/whole grain mustard/sauerkraut. It was like a Reuben sandwich and although it tasted good it was odd to have it as a starter. We ate half and took half home. For our “main” we ordered the ambuyat 3 kinds/sago plum dumpling: one was described as burnt/fermented tapioca leaves/tempoyak, one was described as poached/cured snapper/turmeric fish broth, and the third was described as pan-seared sambal tuhau sinsilog/latok. All were tasty, original, and very small. With that, we had the grilled beans: winged beans/okra/petai/asparagus/pickled kale/pucuk manis hummus/kulim oil which was a straightforward dish and good. We thought we needed something else so we ordered another starter: the banana blossom pickled tempura. It was actually as described and very good. We had two desserts: the jackfruit/black pulut custard/puffed rice/pandan and the bahulu/gula apong/coffee foam/burnt sabayon. Both were good although the bahulu was only good when it first came to the table. With our meal, we had the cold purple tea that was very good. We spent RM 248, US $53.08 and we were happy.
R: Leens Middle Eastern Kitchen, 136, Jalan Burhanuddin Helmi, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, +60 11-7020 7551, https://www.instagram.com/leens.kl/. Our meal was very good and the service was attentive. We were sitting in the back with a view of the chefs cooking—a very organized kitchen! The menu was limited but we enjoyed everything we ordered. We started with the famous smokey hummus with pomegranates and four hot pita bread and it was delicious. For our main, we had the Kebab Khashkhash lamb kebab in the khashshash sauce that was served in a clay pot “en croûte”—with a crust of thin pita on top. It had a very tasty sauce with tender minced lamb “kebabs”. It was an original version of a traditional dish and we liked it very much—much more to our liking than ordinary kebabs. We also ordered the Crispy Syrian Rice with chicken thigh, tzatziki sauce, harissa sauce, and beets. It was also a very good dish. The owner, Amir, came to talk to us and tell us about his new restaurant, S.A.J. KL. We liked talking to him. For dessert, we had the Kunafa Ice Cream with pistachio cream, smoked rice cream, and katafi. The tastes and textures were good. We enjoyed our meal and spent RM 147.50, US $31.50.
R: Dehli Royale, Indian, 3,2,3, Wisma Longrich, 33 Jalan Yap Kwan Seng, Kampung Baru, 50450 Kuala Lumpur, www.delhiroyale.com. We found this restaurant on our own and we were delighted with it--we had a very good meal, with very good service in a lovely space. We talked to the Chef and he said he could make our food mildly spicy. We started with one of our favorite dishes: Pani Puri. It was served beautifully and was very tasty—with the two different sauces. With that, we had one lassi with masala that was very good. For our main, we had the Mutton Yakni which had a delicious, creamy sauce. With that we had the Baingen Bharta eggplant, the puffy puri bread, and Jeera Rice. It was all yummy. We had two desserts: one was a semolina pudding called moong dal halwa and one was a traditional rasmalai, a cottage cheese patty with cardamon and saffron. Both were good. With dessert, we had a masala tea that was too strong to drink. The dinner was a great success and we had lots of take away for future lunches. We spent RM 222.70, US $48.47, and left happy.
R: MTR, Vegetarian Indian, 69 Jalan Thambi Pilai, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, tel 0603 2276 4924. We had a very good vegetarian meal in this brightly lit, clean, and well-organized restaurant. It was recommended by the F&B director of the FS. We started with a salty lassi that was thick and very good. The dishes were brought when they were ready: the boonda soup was too spicy for us but the balls were very good. The chutney podi was interesting and a first for us. The curd vada was also a new dish for us and was good too. The special rava idly was very unusual and good. The poori with aloo was very good and the vangi bhath was good. We had a Kasari bhath for dessert and we were happy. We spent RM 97, US $20.97, and thought we had done very well.
R: Banana Leaf Brickfields, Indian Vegetarian, Restaurant Sri Visalatchis, Jalan Scott off Jalan Tun Sambanthan, Brickfields Kuala Lumpur. We had a delightful lunch talking to the family sitting next to us at a long table for lunch. We had two veg lunches on our banana leaves and one masala tea. We spent RM 24.40, US $5.22 and were thrilled.
R: ParaThai @ Suria KLCC, Thai, Lot 256, Suria KLCC, 241, Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50088 Kuala Lumpur, 03-2181 1733, https://parathai.oddle.me/en_MY. Our meal at Para Thai was okay, and the service was okay too. The space is nice for a mall restaurant. We started with a sago melon drink and a jasmine green tea, as well as two glasses of warm water. For our appetizer, we enjoyed the traditional Thai betel leaves with the ingredients for rolling them up. It was good. For our main, we shared the Prawns with glass noodles and the stir-fried assorted vegetables. The glass noodles had a good taste. Audre thought that the prawns were too dry; Dimitri thought that they were good. The vegetables were good, although the sauce tasted Chinese, not Thai. For dessert, we shared the honeydew sago. We spent RM 153.6, US $33.31, and were happy enough.
R: Andaman Seafood Village, seafood, Chinese, 231, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Imbi, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, 011-1116 2888. This restaurant had recently opened in December 2023. Its design was lovely and we sat outside, under an air conditioner (that we asked to be turned off!) We sat side-by-side on a banquette and that would have been comfortable if it were not for the table design. The table had a very, very large central support post or base. To get the table close enough for comfort when eating, our legs needed to be wrapped around the center post. It was awful and uncomfortable. The next challenge in dining there was ordering the shellfish we wanted and deciding on the preparation. The restaurant staff was still in training; if it hadn’t been for the restaurant manager, ordering would have been much more difficult. Because we thought it was going to be expensive, we wanted to be very choosy. We wanted to have the gigantic river prawn that we had seen on Jalan Alor and also the bamboo lala that we had seen there. Sorry, they didn’t have either of those. After having a local lobster weighed (500g at RM 49 per 100) we decided to have the extra large zebra mantis prawn because we were told the unit price was RM 128 and because it looked like it would have more meat and less shell than the lobster. The preparation we chose was steamed egg white with chicken broth because we love that. We started with the Sabbah white clams in a crystal noodle, garlic sauce. The clams and noodles were tasty but a little too tough. The prawn took a long time to arrive but when it did, was delicious and had enough meat for the two of us. Our vegetable, the asparagus and lily bulb with almonds took forever to arrive; we were ready for dessert when that dish finally appeared. But it was delicious and unusual so we were glad we waited. Our dessert was good: mango, yogurt crème brûlée with the red bean shaved ice on the side. We drank pu er tea and had a dedicated tea pourer because the restaurant was not busy. We spent RM 276.10, US $59.32 and were glad we persevered.
R: Curate Breakfast Buffet, Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Four Seasons Place, 145 Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur. Our first morning we went to the breakfast buffet at Curate Restaurant and we were astounded by the gargantuan buffet and the diversity of the offerings. It was indeed an amazing buffet breakfast. If it hadn't been for Olivia and Chef Rose, our breakfasts would have been much less enjoyable. We learned to order eggs and congee to be made at the moment so that it would be brought to our table hot, rather than taking them from the buffet. The fruit bowl brought to our table had a selection of exotic fruit, including Audre's favorite jackfruit and chicku, mangosteen, rambutan, longan, mango, pomelo, and even snake fruit--all fruits that we love but can't get at home, or easily. Sha would bring us our requested freshly squeezed juice and other beverages, always with a smile and a kind word. The croissants were a favorite from the pastry selections. With our Elite benefits, the cost of breakfast was complimentary.
R: Curate, Thanksgiving Buffet, Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Four Seasons Place, 145 Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur. We celebrated Thanksgiving at the Four Seasons Kuala Lumpur where they had a gargantuan buffet. We started with oysters and Japanese Hokkigai clams and sashimi. Then we progressed to the mud crab, slipper lobster, and ginormous river prawn. Later we had turkey, stuffing, and sweet potatoes. Dimitri then sampled the Indian offerings. We didn’t have any of the salads or the vegetables. Lastly, we tasted each of the desserts and chocolates. It was unbelievable and it cost US $50 per person!
R: Curate, Christmas Eve Buffet, Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Four Seasons Place, 145 Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur. The Christmas Eve buffet at Curate was indeed fun. There was musical entertainment and a gargantuan selection of food. The service was good too. We started with the US West Coast oysters and the Hokkigai clams, as well as the large tiger prawn, crab, and lobster. Then we found the fresh Japanese uni—and oh my, we were very happy. We loved the live-action stations and Dimitri enjoyed the Garudiya Maldivian Fish Soup. The Steak Diane Flambé was exceptionally good. Dimitri tried another soup: Arabic Seafood Soup with Saffron and was happy with that too. The Whole Roasted Lamb Barbacoa was tender and tasty. We wanted to try everything but couldn’t possibly—the selection was breathtaking! We didn’t have any salads or vegetables but saved room for dessert. The toffee pudding was Audre’s favorite. We spent RM 642, US $167.96 and were very happy.
R: Signatures, Food Court, Suria Mall, Kuala Lumpur. We went several times: once for dinner, a few times for lunch, and also for dessert. Each time, the food was good and the price was right. The space is clean and well designed.
R: Malaysian Food Village, Boleh, Food Court, The Shoppes at the Four Seasons, Four Seasons Place, 145 Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur. We went for lunch several times and enjoyed the food we had and the prices can't be beat. The space is decorated like old shop houses and it's quaint. There is one cleaner in particular who recognizes us and greets us warmly. That makes going there fun.
NR: Yun House, Cantonese, Four Seasons Kuala Lumpur, One Michelin Star, 145, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, 50450 Kuala Lumpur. We had a lovely meal overlooking KLCC Park and the Symphony Lake water fountain show. Unfortunately, the food was bland and not distinctive. We wondered why it was a Michelin one-star-rated restaurant. We spent RM 300, US $66.
NR: Tamarind Hill Thai Restaurant, 19 Jalan Sultan Ismail, Bukit Bintang, 50250 Kuala Lumpur. The stairs up to the restaurant are endless but we made it. We were the first customers and, when we left, at about 7:30 pm, only a few more had arrived. A table for 40 was set and waiting for a tour group—which is the heart of their business. Our server, BK, was the only one on staff that we liked and he was a natural. We started with the Tamarind Hill Plate which had a good assortment—the rice paper roll was the tastiest. For our main course, we had the lamb green curry, Burmese shallot rice and the okra in shrimp paste. The dishes were all good but not great and not too spicy. We drank Yunnan black tea which Dimitri said was tasteless. For dessert, we had the Dessert Platter. The coconut ice cream was the best and the mango sticky rice was good too. We spent RM 298, US$64 and were moderately happy but would not recommend it.
NR: Yuzu Japanese Restaurant, Suria Mall, Level 4. www.yuzu.com.my. The fish head was dry but everything else was good, including the little fish (shishamo yaki). The agedashi nasu tofu was also good and the yassi tempura was very good. We were seated immediately even though there was a line and a packed restaurant when we arrived. We spent RM 149.20, US $32.15, and left disappointed.
NR: Congkak, Nusantara, Michelin Bib 24 Jalan Beremi, Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, 50200. It was empty when we arrived although 2 tables arrived later. It is made to look like the sitting room of a home. The Nusantara cuisine may be authentic but it is not ever going to be a favorite of ours. We had the special Nasi Ambeng (Gulai Ayam) plate for 1 person. It was a lot of food with a chicken stew/curry that was good. The rice was like sticky rice. There were pickled vegetables, eggplant, tempeh (which Audre abhors), 2 kinds of sambal, awful crackers, ½ of a very salted egg in its shell, very good toasted coconut, vegetables, and some other small tastes on the large platter. We had plenty to eat. With tea, 2 bottles of water, and the bubur pulut hitam for dessert the cost of the meal was RM 81.20, US $17.41.
NR: Dancing Fish, Michelin Bib, Indonesian Malaysian, Lot T120, 121 & 122 285 Jalan Maarof Bukit Bandaraya, Bangsa Shopping Mall, Kuala Lumpur 59100 Malaysia, https://dancingfish.asia/. This is a mall restaurant and also a Michelin Bib. It was disappointing. The seating we chose was actually a hallway in the mall rather than inside the restaurant proper. Our server was good and the helper was excellent. We started with skewers of chopped meat with a sauce called Pepes Goreng Sambal Matah. It was described as a Signature mix of minced fish & chicken with herbs & spices, steamed then deep-fried to perfection and served with sambal dabu-dabu. They were okay. Then we had the dancing fish with a (too) spicy sauce called dabu. So, an additional sauce that tasted of molasses was brought. The crunch of the fish was fun and the meat was okay. The Gulai Pucu Paku--fiddlehead fern cooked in coconut milk with turmeric and other spices was the best dish. With our meal, we drank lemon, ginger, and mint tea which didn’t taste of any of the ingredients. For dessert, we had the jelly with mango popping balls that was actually jello. We spent RM 154.70, US $33.03, and were not thrilled.
NR: Imperial Chakri Palace Royal Thai, Lot 417B, Level 4, Ramlee Mall Suria KLCC, Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50088 Kuala Lumpur. We sat with a view of the streets and that was light and good. The restaurant needs new menus—they are old, tattered, and disorganized. We started with the Signature Kadok Leaves Roll described as Thai traditional kadok leaves rolled together with peanuts, baked coconut shreds, chilli padi, diced onions, lime, ginger, sun-dried shrimps, and shrimp sauce. This dish was (the only) good. For our main we had the Asparagus in garlic sauce, the Sauteed Chicken with sauce cashew nuts, basil leaves black pepper, sweet and sour sauce and the Fried Bean Curd with Thai basil leaves & Chilli stir-fried bean curd with basil leaves and fresh chili. The sauces were all a little too Chinese. We had rice, Cameron Tea and water. The service was good and we were far enough away from the screaming babies and Christmas music. It was a good enough meal, for a mall meal. We spent RM 170.85, US $36.59.
NR: Solh Restaurant & Bar, Supposedly Middle Eastern, Jalan Damai, Off, Jalan Ampang, 55000 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, 012-445 3601, https://www.facebook.com/solh.kl. We went because it was recommended by the assistant director of F&B at the Four Seasons. The covered, outdoor place was lovely—or it would have been lovely, if they weren’t playing loud “chill lounge” music. It seemed to be more of a bar than a restaurant. At 6 it was empty but even so they wanted to make sure we had a reservation and had to ask the supervisor because they couldn’t find our reservation. We went because the online menu said they had a Persian Meat Stew but it turned out they weren’t serving it. We ordered the Crispy Chat Potatoes on spring onion aioli. The potatoes weren’t at all crispy but the aioli was good. We also ordered the pan-seared cauliflower on beetroot hummus which was good. For our main we ordered the grilled tiger prawn; they were small, over-cooked, and dry. The other main we ordered was the Lebanese lamb skewer; it was tasty but sitting on a mushy pita bread even though it had been put in the pizza oven. With our meal, we had the Arabic mint tea that didn’t taste like mint. For dessert, we had the olive oil cake served with lemon ice cream that was too dry. When we left there were about 4 tables but it certainly wasn’t crowded and they need not have made such a big deal about a reservation. We spent RM 220, US $47.26, and left unhappy.
NR: Sushi Ryu, Japanese sushi, Unit 3.3, Level 2, Tower 1, Platinum Park, No. 11 Persiaran KLCC, 50088 Kuala Lumpur. It was difficult for us (and for our Grab driver) to find the restaurant we wanted to try called Tenmasa. It was on the second floor of a tower. But, we got to Tenmasa and it was closed, without explanation. There was another restaurant nearby called Sushi Ryu and we decided we would go there—there was not much choice. Both restaurants were part of the same Curate Group as it turned out. It was cold inside Sushi Ryu but they had a shawl to give to Dimitri and we decided to stay (we didn’t have a Plan C, after all). The menu had fixed meals and the staff was very accommodating but we couldn’t find anything on the fixed menus that we wanted. We were told that they were offering Chawan Mushi that night so Audre ordered that. There was a soup-like dish called Dobin Mushi that Dimitri ordered. Both were good. In addition to that Dimitri ordered the pasta with king crab and Audre had the scrambled eggs with uni that was also topped with uni and caviar. Both of those dishes were also good but small. So, we also ordered the beef don buri. It was the best dish of the evening—and large—they had given us a large but charged us for a small. We had just enough to eat. We spent more at this restaurant than most others –RM 338.15, US $73.59-and were glad that we had found a place to eat in that otherwise deserted building. But we don't recommend it.
NR: Rén, Dragon-1 Restaurant, Chinese, Lot #252 Suria KLCC, Kuala Lumpur 50088, tel 603 2181 0688. We had another mediocre meal at a mall restaurant. The space is nice and there were many servers, some better than others. They automatically served boiled peanuts which we didn’t like. The tea was good and refilled constantly. We started with the bean curd roll that we liked very much. That bode well. The salted lotus root with salted egg was too gooey and salty. The Xinjiang spicy chicken was okay and they made it “less spicy” as we asked. The sautéed amaranth was indeed a green vegetable. We didn’t want to take any leftovers home except for the bean curd roll (and there were lots of them). With the extra charges and for white rice, we spent RM 186.75, US$ 40.12 and left shaking our heads.
NR: Passage Thru India, Indian, Michelin Recommended Restaurant, 4, Jalan Delima, Off, Jln Bukit Bintang, 50400 Kuala Lumpur, 017-998 9427, passagethruindia.com. We were disappointed. It was quirky and the artist-owner’s art was entertaining. We sat on artist-created benches in an area where the air conditioning was off. There was a large birthday party in a room near us; the restaurant was fairly full. We started with the onion bhajji that was good. The salty lassi was too watery. Dimitri liked the mulligatawny soup and it warmed him up. We ordered the sheek kebab and didn’t like it at all. The meat was puréed, not cropped so it had no texture. Also there was no sauce and it was dry. With that we ordered the raita that was pedestrian, the bhindi masala that was good, the Kashmiri pulao that was okay and the Kashmiri naan that was also okay. They were out of the desserts we wanted so we had the gulab jamoon that was not interesting. The photo of the Great Indian Coffee looked great; it looked like a classic cappuccino but it came looking like a milk tea. The masala chai was okay. Fortunately it wasn’t expensive. We spent RM 155.20, US $33.37.
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