East or West, which is best? Here's our chance to put two brunches to the test.
MinMax at PNB Darby Park deals in dim sum, but outlaws pork ...
... so it's pretty much fowl play all the way, from the claws ...
... to the egg yolks, salted and turned into a creamy custard for these hot, fluffy buns.
Pan-fried chicken-shrimp cakes, stuffed with chives and swimming in sweet-sour sauce.
Something hard-to-find: deep-fried chee cheong fan. More crisp, less grease, mercifully.
MinMax has balls, brimming with gooey yam and meaty gravy.
Budget watchers will be relieved that prices here are OK. Two can eat freely for under RM80.
Verdict: Minmax serves satisfying dim sum, making a strong case for Chinese brunches.
Here's where the West takes a stand: From MinMax, we crossed the road and sauntered into The Troika's Acme Bar and Coffee, which has scrapped its weekend buffet and replaced it with a "Breakfast Club" that runs 9:30am-5pm.
Happy to see us: organic eggs with potato hash, sweet onions, chopped peppers, mushrooms, cheese, turkey ham and sea salt.
Crunchy French Toast, boasting brioche bread coated with corn flakes (snap, crackle, pop!), vanilla pods and sliced fruits, drizzled with pomegranate reduction syrup.
Can't call it a complete brunch without Eggs Benedict, made extra savory with kitchen-made salted beef.
Frittata with fresh ricotta. Most of these cost in the mid-twenties range.
Addictive bundles of pleasure: flaky pastry crusts with chocolate filling.
Brunch cocktails: Fizzy Bucks (freshly pressed orange juice, sparkling wine, grenadine) and Pomegranate Wine Cooler (pomegranate juice, sparkling wine, sprite).
Add a bottle of Santero Moscato, and it's clear that the West is wonderful too. It's a tie; both win!
MinMax @ PNB Darby Park, Kuala Lumpur.
Acme @ The Troika, Jalan Binjai, Kuala Lumpur.
