Eat Drink KL: Oro Cafe @ Hilton KL & The Bakery @ Marks & Spencer KLCC

Friday, August 30, 2013

Oro Cafe @ Hilton KL & The Bakery @ Marks & Spencer KLCC

It's a cornucopia of carbs! Checking out a couple of new bread-laden destinations: Oro Cafe at Hilton KL & The Bakery at Marks & Spencer in Suria KLCC.

Our stop at Oro was for window-shopping: We browsed but never bought these bagels (RM26++), stuffed with the likes of roast beef, mozzarella & sun-dried tomatoes.

The quiches (RM21++) looked alluring; one had spinach & feta, the other promised smoked turkey & leek fondue. Maybe next time. Definitely next time.

Danishes, macarons & cakes are also available at Oro, as is coffee. The Hilton describes this lobby-level outlet, which is part of the hotel's F&B revamp, as a "classic barista cafe," complete with a polished marble bar counter.


This restaurant is available for bookings under TABLEAPP, which enables customers to make instant reservations at Malaysia's top restaurants, while saving time and money in the process. Reserve your table at this restaurant by clicking here.

More waistline-wrecking temptations to be found at KLCC's Marks & Spencer, where an in-house bakery opened this month, serving a sweeping, scrumptious selection.

 Everything from Bramley apple turnovers to peach-&-cream tarts; resistance truly is futile.

 The Bakery's croissants, beautifully flaky, are born of French-made dough, flown into Malaysia to be baked right here inside this KLCC store.

 Malted wheat baguette, slow-baked with bran & barley malt flour, evincing a golden-crisp crust.

Muffins oozing with lemon cream; densely moist & flavorful, exactly how they ought to be.

Oh, remember that turnover? Here it is, made with Britain's most popular cooking apple.

Almond croissant & choc chip shortbread. Caveat: We've purchased these pastries at various hours over the past two weeks, learning eventually that they taste terrific when bought at 11am, but the stock that's left at night (with a 50 percent discount) has clearly faded in freshness.

 Our indisputable favorites here: The sweet stuff, including this buttery, sugar-topped Eccles cake with a potently fruity currant filling.

 Caramel tart with nuts. Gooey greatness; this one might haunt our dreams for many months.

 The Bakewell tart, with a sponge of almonds & base of jam surrounded by shortcrust pastry, is less decadent but nonetheless delightful.

 The Bakery is inside Marks & Spencer's food hall, where other pleasant surprises await: this intriguing bag of crisps is emblazoned with the words "Honey Roast Wiltshire Ham" & a non-halal sticker. The ingredients list shows no pork, but the crisps do have something of a hammy taste.

Love the Cornish clotted cream honeycomb ice cream. Nothing at M&S is overpriced; pastries hover north of RM6, with everything above clocking in well below RM80.

Oro Cafe, 
Lobby Level, Hilton Kuala Lumpur. Open 24 hours a day.
The Bakery,
Marks & Spencer, Concourse Level, Suria KLCC, Kuala Lumpur.