Cool new Korean cafes have popped up in Mont Kiara; here's a look at two, starting with our favourite, the family-run Cafe K, hidden inside the Kiaraville condominium.
This poolside outlet is bright & cheerful, with easy access (simply inform security that you're heading to the cafe) & plenty of parking within the condo compound. Long-time readers might recall this was once the site of Fiesta Cafe, some five years ago.
Our top tip: Order Cafe K's Malaysian-influenced interpretation of bibimbap (RM17.90); it's certain to raise a smile. This is deliciously evocative of nasi lemak, with warm, flavoursome rice accompanied by peanuts, cucumbers & other crisp veggies.
Mix everything up & enjoy this with gochujang fermented sauce; it's terrific in both taste & texture, surprisingly satisfying for a vegetarian version of bibimbap. The mom of Cafe K's family has lived in Malaysia for a long time, & she deserves to take pride in the recipes she serves here - they're hearty & heartfelt.
Also well worth the carb calories: This sesame-flavoured gimbap (RM11.90), a plump, tasty roll stuffed with egg, crab stick, cucumber & carrots that combine for a creamy-crunchy effect.
Gochujang surfaces again as the sauce base for this spicy, steaming-hot pasta tossed with parmesan cheese (RM14.90); probably should be shared, since it can turn cloying in excess - take slow bites to taste the subtler dimensions of flavour in the sauce. Other options on Cafe K's soft-launch menu include kimchi pancakes, rice cakes & stir-fried glass noodles.
Securing a liquor license is a painfully slow process, but Cafe K is working on it. For now, sip on some enlivening ginger tea (RM5.90), served hot or cold. Bonus points too for the friendly, helpful service.
Next up, moving on to The Cafe More at The Fare, another sunshine-blessed outpost in this neighbourhood, with a wide menu that includes an extensive selection of beverages (everything from pour-over coffee to Dilmah tea to fruit yoghurt smoothies).
The Cafe More is a venue for ladies who lunch (& linger); we walked into a cafe filled with entirely estrogen-powered patrons.
We kinda like The Cafe More's unique sweet potato pizza (RM21.90); its base could use some tweaking (tastes a bit too much like supermarket pizza dough), but it's tastily topped with lots of sweet potato, olives & tomato sauce.
Cheese-&-kimchi fried rice (RM16.90)? Maybe a bit more 'guilty' than 'pleasure,' this one.
Ditto for the pasta in a bread bowl with broccoli & heaps of cream; it's different, but it's devastating for the waistline.
Stone-baked egg (RM1.50 each), pleasing enough for egg-lovers. Other options here include Shin Ramyun & bulgogi rice.
The Cafe More's coffee left scant impression for this visit, but this place could still work well for weekday lunch breaks.
Cafe K
Block B, Kiaraville, Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur. Open daily, 11am-10pm
The Cafe More
The Fare MK10, Jalan Kiara 1, Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur.
Mon-Thurs, 730am-9pm; Fri-Sat, 730am-10pm. Tel: 03-6211-2004
Check out the latest edition of Eat Drink KL: 100 Favourites, featuring 100 recommended restaurants for July-September 2014, including more than 20 new entries for this quarter.
This eBook is available to read or download at this link: http://eatdrinkkl.publ.com/2014C
Link expires Sept 30, 2014; see blog entries after that date for new link.
Stay up to date: The Eat Drink KL newsletter is sent by email to subscribers every Monday; it's the Klang Valley's foremost weekly round-up of new restaurant openings (even before they're featured on this blog), F&B promotions & other tasty tidbits.
Subscribe to Eat Drink KL Weekly for free via this following link:
Note to subscribers on Gmail: The newsletter will be in the Promotions folder of your inbox.
Sausages to sambal. Muffins to marshmallows. Peanut butter to mango chutney. Cornflake ice cream to honey aloe yogurt. Lavender-laced lemonades to lychee-&-guava juices.
Eat Drink KL: Small Businesses, Huge Flavours is the first eBook to help customers navigate the diversity of independent F&B entrepreneurs who bake & boil in their own kitchens, offering some of Malaysia's finest, most fascinating food products.
This resource will be continuously updated with new listings: www.eatdrinkkl.publ.com/businesses
