SSL Cafe, Taman Taynton View

If everything goes smoothly, Taman Taynton View will welcome a new cafe next week, tackling rice platters and coffee with contemporary East Asian twists.

Customise your meal, combining rice with a choice of Japanese curry, white tomyam, dried shrimp chilli sambal or bolognese sauce, rounded out with protein of fried chicken chop, pork or mixed seafood, plus egg in the form of a sunny side up, tornado omelette or soft-baked yolk.

SSL Cafe’s interpretation of Japanese curry packs a spicier-than-expected kick, tasting soulfully homemade with chicken broth, carrots, potatoes, red onions, garlic, ginger and chillies.

For beverages, Overnight makes a nice nightcap - espresso with rice wine, honey and fresh milk.

SSL - which stands for Shun Shun Lai - is set to launch by May’s end, a welcoming neighbourhood space with a friendly team.

Modern Italian fine dining in KL: Zenzero marks 10 years with refreshed menu & new private lounge

Celebrating 10 years as one of KL’s leading Italian restaurants, Zenzero tempts us back with its freshly expanded space and an elegant selection of modern Italian cuisine.

We’ve enjoyed Zenzero ever since its birth in St Mary Place in 2014. Today, it thrives in Amplewest @ Menara 6, remaining one of the city centre's favourite fine-dining destinations.

This sleek, sunny space is lined with hundreds of wines that represent Italy’s regional vineyards, from Piedmont to Puglia, Abruzzo and Emilia-Romagna to Sicily and Tuscany, including a range of Brunello di Montalcino, ranked among the world’s finest wines.

An alfresco area boasts an unbeatable view of KL Tower in Bukit Nanas’ leafy surroundings. 

Upstairs, Zenzero has unveiled a new private dining room and lounge named Notte by Zenzero. It’s instantly impressive with delightful design details, spectacular for special events.

Patrons can experience the creations of Executive Chef Paolo Cola, a respected international veteran who's been with Zenzero for about a year. 

The menu embraces contemporary creativity for everything from Vitello Tonnato to Veal Cotoletta alla Milanese, Pumpkin Gnocchi to Paccheri with Boston Lobster. Even a simple-sounding beef carpaccio is made unique with 24-month-aged Parmigiano Reggiano foam.

If you’re seeking an Italian restaurant with a distinctive difference, elevated with exquisite touches, Zenzero earns a firm recommendation.

Zenzero’s ambiance is attractive from every angle - brilliant for business lunches, romantic dinners and everything in between. 

On hot afternoons, the cool interior promises a peaceful escape from KL’s downtown bustle. On breezy evenings, the canopied outdoor tables beckon amid gorgeous hillside greenery.

Now open for reservations, Zenzero’s first-floor offshoot, Notte, is a discreet sanctuary that includes an intimate dining room for a dozen guests, flanked by a comfortably large lounge and island bar that can cater to over 60 people. Perfect for parties and milestone celebrations, with a whiskey and cigar bar upcoming.

Zenzero breathes vibrant life into Italian classics, honouring the heritage of the produce while infusing 21st-century thrills into time-honoured preparations.

The Black Angus Beef Carpaccio (RM98) is unlike most carpaccio recipes in KL - the thin-sliced tenderloin is silky and sensuous, enhanced with the earthiness of porcini mushrooms and Parmigiano Reggiano foam, airy in texture but densely delicious in its 24-month-aged umami, an immersive alternative to conventional cheese shavings.

Chef Paolo hails from the commune of Cesena in Emilia-Romagna, not far from the shores of the Adriatic Sea, so he has a natural affinity for seafood.

Hokkaido Scallops (RM98) bring together the bounty of both ocean and land in harmonious fashion - the plump, bouncy scallops showcase a succulent sweetness, pan-seared for a subtle sultriness, buoyed by broccoli in two styles, steamed and pureed, showered with Parmesan chips for a savoury finish. 

Emilia-Romagna is also the birthplace of tortelloni, so it’s no surprise that chef Paolo has perfected this pasta - the Lobster and Burrata Tortelloni (RM94) is decadently stuffed with Boston lobster meat and burrata for a mouthwatering marriage of crustacean and cheese, splashed with delicately briny bisque sauce, topped with tobiko and burrata foam, encircled with squid ink for an artistic masterpiece on a plate.

Risotto enthusiasts, bookmark Zenzero for the Mixed Seafood Arborio Risotto (RM86), as great as Italian grains get in Malaysia - creamy with a crunch, luscious and lip-smacking with Hokkaido scallops, tiger prawns, black mussels, calamari and clams.

The Norwegian Salmon Trout (RM92) evokes pan-European poise and polish - the fish is impeccably pan-roasted, moist with a full-bodied flakiness, garnished with a garden of gooseberries, beetroot, celery cream and caramelised orange zest, poured over with orange sauce for a citrusy colour to match the marbled salmon.

Surfacing in a vaporous swirl, the Smoked Duck Breast (RM95) is pure poultry pleasure - punchy fowl meat smoked with cherry wood chips, juicy with a joyous robustness of flavour that penetrates each layer from skin to flesh, rainbow-hued with caramelised baby carrots and root vegetables, rounded out with a palate-stimulating orange cinnamon sauce.

Also sure to satisfy carnivorous cravings, the Herb-Crusted Lamb Rack (RM168) is sous-vide cooked to top-tier tenderness, pink-centred and green-coated, complete with black mission figs, roasted vegetables, floral flourishes and apricot lamb jus to perk up the red-meat richness.

Save space for a sweet sensation: Mon Chéri (RM40) fuses French and Italian flair for an irresistible Valrhona dark chocolate mousse treat, crafted to resemble a colossal cherry. Slice it open to reveal a crimson core of Italian cherries and cherry brandy liqueur, making every meal feel like Valentine's Day,

For nights of wining and dining, Zenzero furnishes all we could want - a curation of captivating vintages that embody the wine-making essence of Italy and France, bolstered by bubblies, whiskeys, cocktails and more.

The restaurant takes pride in its flagship Zenzero cocktail, which has been on the menu for a decade now. It's a ginger-inspired cocktail with a beautiful balance of earthiness and heat, sharpening the smooth fruitiness of gold tequila with fresh ginger, brightened with peach puree, cinnamon and Cointreau.

Tramonto showcases Zenzero's house-made limoncello, its lemony intensity uplifted with a puree of mixed berries and mint leaves - a lovely antidote for humid summer weather.

Zenzero
AG1, Amplewest@Menara 6, Jalan Puncak, 50250 Kuala Lumpur. 
Daily, 12pm-12am. Tel: 03-2022-2899