Hulu Blavk, Bukit Damansara

Hulu Blavk is Bukit Damansara’s new matcha parlour for desserts and drinks steeped in gentle green grounds.

Specialities span silky-custardy matcha-layered purin pudding; Yame-style eclairs with matcha-or-hojicha-infused pastry cream; buttery berry matcha tarts; and pineapple matcha coolers, ripe with real fruit.

Smith & Wollensky Kuala Lumpur, Suria KLCC

Smith & Wollensky Kuala Lumpur is the first Malaysian offshoot of the storied American steakhouse, bringing a half-century’s legacy of Midtown Manhattan pedigree to KLCC.

With a double-volume bar theatrically rising from its centre, this is the city’s new enclave for power lunches and society suppers, burnished with brass-toned railings, caramel-hued banquettes and herringbone timber floors.

Smith & Wollensky’s signature USDA Prime beef is expected to enter by early 2026. For now, the restaurant carves Australian 200-day grain-fed Black Angus beef in thick cuts like tenderloin rubbed with coffee and cocoa, accompanied by ancho chilli butter and angry onions.

Comforting classics like Boston clam chowder with San Francisco sourdough and oyster crackers lend timelessness to the menu, which nonetheless embraces exclusive nods to Malaysia like Asam Jawa and Lada Kelapa steak sauces.

Tagg Cafe 2.0, Off Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman

Tagg Cafe 2.0 has debuted in downtown KL, the charming new chapter of the city's Tagg Cafe. Off Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, this is a welcoming, easygoing spot for breakfast of bagels with softly set OnZen eggs in soy sauce and pepper, bridging cafe cool and kopitiam comfort, pleasantly paired with pistachio matcha lattes.

Ceylon House promises Sri Lankan spices & stories on every plate in KL's city centre

Swirling with Sri Lankan spices and stories on every plate, Ceylon House is KL city centre's crossroads of culinary echoes from the Indian subcontinent's colonial past.

Nearly a year after its launch, Ceylon House is home to a menu that's more potent than ever, from Sri Lankan-sourced crabs to vibrant vegetarian mallum recipes.

While Sri Lanka remains its heart, Ceylon House honours centuries-old Indian recipes too, from biryani to varuval. Chef Eranga and his team also weave in modern innovation, infusing Malaysian rendang with Sri Lankan spice blends and chocolate cake with Sri Lankan coffee, true to Sri Lanka's longtime legacy as a cross-border trading hub.

Elegantly atmospheric with tropical-themed architecture and portraits of Sri Lanka's rural life, Ceylon House evokes a heritage hideaway in Bukit Ceylon, brilliant for business lunches, casual dinners and weekend celebrations. On Christmas Day, a festive brunch will feature meat-carving stations, a fresh appam kitchen and special desserts. For private events, patrons can order selected dishes from other venues in the Cinnamon Group.

Start with snacks to share: Mutton Cutlets (also available as fish or vegetables), Sri Lanka's classic deep-fried patties, gently crisp to the bite, revealing a warmly spiced, meaty centre, and Cashew Onion Pakoras, crunchy fritters with a fluffy lightness, crafted with Sri Lanka's large Kajugama cashews, prized for being naturally cultivated with a flavourful profile.

For fans of bountiful harvests, check out Ceylon House's newly introduced mallum range of fruits or vegetables tossed with coconut and spices in high heat.

Jackfruit Mallum showcases shredded baby jackfruit with an aromatically fleshy ripeness, while Broccoli Mallum is lively and luscious in gorgeous green hues, creamy with coconut.

Also order the Eggplant Moju, pickled eggplant seasoned with mustard seeds and vinegar, tender and tangy, a terrific companion for rice.

Ceylon House is our choice for crustaceans flown in from Sri Lanka, satisfyingly substantial in size, reliably fresh with springy-textured, sweet-tasting meat.

The Sri Lankan Crab Curry spotlights mud crabs with traditional tones, buoyed by coconut milk to mellow the rustic spices. Lip-smacking to the last claw and final spoonful of curry.

Conveying confidence and creativity, Ceylon House also reinvigorates Mutton Varuval, succulently steamed and saturated with Jaffna-style spices in dry curry, and reinterprets Beef Rendang, slow-cooked beef with a Kedah-style foundation, fragrant with a Sri Lankan spice mix of cumin, chilli powder and yellow turmeric powder, robustly balanced.

Round out the savoury fare by indulging in Dum Biryani, basmati rice layered lavishly with chicken, lamb or vegetables in a Hyderabad-inflected preparation. The meat is meticulously masala-steeped, laced with milk for juiciness, served with onion salad, curry and raita.

Don't skip the sweets: The Warm Coffee Cake comfortingly combines chocolate and Sri Lankan coffee for a caffeinated cocoa kick, its molten heat cooled by ice cream, while Sweet Appam is a staple of sponginess, centred with coconut milk custard for a crowd favourite, uplifted by jaggery sugar imbued in the batter for distinctively textured nectarousness.

Cocktails prove unique, especially the dessert-influenced Watalappam, which blends butter-infused whisky with silky house-spiced cordial, playful with an eggy custard pudding base. We also love the sparkle of the Vetz Spritz aperitif, with hints of Champagne and elderflower.

Ceylon House 
1, Lorong Ceylon, Bukit Ceylon, Kuala Lumpur.
Daily, 7am-1am. 

Tel: 012-235-5365