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Smooft, Petaling Jaya

Smooft is a soy dessert counter in Section 17, Petaling Jaya — everything built on soy rather than dairy. What to Order at Smooft The soy soft serve is the whole menu in one order, and the toppings are where you make it your own: taro paste, water chestnut chewy balls, osmanthus crystal boba, grass jelly, longan. There is also a cocoa tiramisu-inspired version of the soft serve for anyone wanting something closer to a dessert than a snack. For soy desserts in Section 17 or dairy-free soft serve in Petaling Jaya, Smooft is the specialist rather than the sideline.

K Fry Urban Korean

Discover authentic Korean dishes meant for gathering and feasting together.

Ushering in Year of the Fire Horse in style at KL Chinatown

Stefania Osteria brings casual Italian cuisine to Republik Damansara Heights

Stefania Osteria is a casual Italian restaurant at Republik, Damansara Heights — wisteria over a teal awning and timber arches, styled as a terraced garden rather than a dining room. It is the relaxed sister to Stefania Ristorante Italiano at NAZA Tower, which runs a more elevated menu; the sourcing standard is shared, the formality is not. What to Order at Stefania Osteria For lunch the pastas are the anchor: spaghetti cacio e pepe, gnocchi al tartufo, rigatoni alla carbonara. Dinner shifts heavier — burrata-crowned pizzas, skirt steak, lamb rack — and the sharing plates work across both. There is also a hidden room. Stefania Lounge sits tucked inside the restaurant, speakeasy-style, for an aperitif before eating or cocktails and cigars after. Ask a member of staff to point you at it; that is rather the intention. For Italian in Damansara Heights or a hidden bar in Republik, Stefania Osteria is the approachable half of a two-restaurant family.

Fari & Ali's Kitchen widens culinary horizons with latest Persian & Mediterranean menu

Fari & Ali's Kitchen is a Persian and Mediterranean cafe in Bukit Damansara, run by cousins Athirah and Samira and named for their grandparents, whose photographs hang on the walls. The carpets, ornamental windows, paintings and ceramics all came back from family trips to Iran. It opens at 8am and serves the neighbourhood through the day; from Thursday to Saturday night the same room becomes Nooshe Jan, Leily Amini's Persian dinner kitchen. What to Order at Fari & Ali's Kitchen The latest menu adds pasta for the first time — a garlic-forward aglio olio and a herbaceous house-blended pesto. The salads lean on the founders' Persian heritage, laced with saffron chicken and creamy Iranian goat's milk cheese. For brunch there are Turkish-inspired eggs with herb yoghurt and chilli oil, and avocado toast with charred tomatoes and Iranian cheese. Finish with the Persian love cake and a Persian rosewater latte. For a Persian cafe in Bukit Damansara or breakfast in Damansara Heights with something behind it, Fari & Ali's is a family kitchen in the literal sense.

Rehab Pasar Seni

Rehab is a cafe on Jalan Tun H S Lee, near Pasar Seni, built around one thing done thickly: the sourdough muffin stack. What to Order at Rehab The sourdough muffin stack is tall and tender, layered with chicken patties, scrambled eggs, streaky beef, caramelised onions, cheddar and garlic mayo. It is a two-hands proposition. To drink, the chocolate cooler is the house pairing — topped with a salted maple syrup cold foam, honey and cinnamon, which keeps it from being simply sweet. For brunch near Pasar Seni or a breakfast sandwich in KL city centre, Rehab is the hideout on Tun H S Lee worth finding.

Ensis, Taman Melawati

Ensis is a burger and steak kitchen at Nadayu 63, Taman Melawati, working an American diner register rather than a chophouse one. What to Order at Ensis The double beef burger is the anchor, and both the buns and the patties are made in house — savoury and properly succulent rather than a stack of bought-in components. Pair it with a blueberry shake and the diner logic completes itself. The kitchen has been expanding toward a meatier menu of steak frites and steak and eggs, so the steak side is worth asking about if that is what brought you. For burgers in Taman Melawati or a diner in Nadayu 63, Ensis is the one making its own buns.

Zeit & Zaatar, Titiwangsa

Zeit & Zaatar is a Palestinian restaurant in Titiwangsa, run by a father and his two sons. What to Order at Zeit & Zaatar The dish to order is musakhan, the Palestinian national dish — roast chicken over flatbread, layered generously with sumac-spiced onions, nuts and olive oil. It is hearty in a way that rewards sharing. For something lighter alongside, msabbaha is hummus's close cousin, served with warm whole chickpeas still in the mix rather than blended smooth. For Palestinian food in Kuala Lumpur or musakhan in Titiwangsa, this is a family kitchen serving a cuisine almost nobody else in the city is cooking.

HariHari Mau Cafe, Taman Bukit Segar

HariHari Mau is a small cafe in Taman Bukit Segar that bakes its own cupcakes, and does it with more imagination than the format usually gets. What to Order at HariHari Mau Cafe The Onde-Onde cupcake is the one to try first: layers of pandan sponge with house-made gula Melaka kaya and toasted shredded coconut — the kuih rebuilt as a cake, and the gula Melaka made in house rather than poured from a bottle. The Citrus Earl is the other: Earl Grey sponge under white chocolate ganache with a lively lemon curd cutting through it. For cupcakes in Cheras or Malaysian flavours baked properly in Taman Bukit Segar, HariHari Mau is worth the calories.

Lemon Garden, Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia's forgotten flavors resurface as chefs honor traditional recipes and cultural stories.

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Hometown Hainan Coffee: Authentic Malaysian meals in KLIA2

Hometown Hainan Coffee runs two 24-hour outlets inside KLIA2, on Level 2 and Level 3, reachable from both arrivals and departures. It exists for a specific moment: the first Malaysian meal after landing, or the last one before leaving. What to Order at Hometown Hainan Coffee Order the way Malaysians eat breakfast. The Hainan Egg Toast with kaya and butter, alongside half-boiled eggs, is the whole ritual in one order — and the kaya is made in house, cooked for eight hours and blended with pandan leaves, with no preservatives, thickeners or colourings. Beyond breakfast the kopitiam standards are all there: Hainan Chicken Chop, Hainan Chicken Rice, Char Koay Teow and Hainan Mee. For food in KLIA2 at any hour, or a proper Malaysian breakfast before a flight, this is the one open when everything else is not.