Taan Thai, Sunway Velocity

Sunway Velocity’s new Taan Thai is top-tier, bringing long-respected consultant chef Korn’s touch to thoughtful cooking with balanced seasonings, fresh herbs and pounded-from-scratch curry pastes.

Hand-shucked cockle yellow curry proves uniquely unmissable, a joyously juicy spicy siham symphony cushioned with sweetly tender acacia leaves.

Hor mok pla is steamy-soft with upliftingly aromatic mackerel mousse, while the pork neck salad is Isan-irresistible, succulent-smooth grilled meat and kitchen-roasted rice powder with a vivacious tang.

Taan Thai is in a mall, but its exuberantly enjoyable efforts resist commercial cliches, representing hard-earned culinary insights handed through generations.

Penko Sushi & Grill Izakaya, Medan Pasar

Set in a striking heritage haven on Medan Pasar, Penko Izakaya is the city’s captivating new Japanese-run izakaya for sushi, kushiyaki and robata-style grilled seafood. 

Shell out for a shellfish trio of akagai, tsubugai and tairagai sushi, then smoke out the yakitori, with succulent-sultry temptations like garlic butter bonjiri, buoyantly bouncy-fatty, plus a charcoal-fired catch of Hokkaido sardines, straight from the burning hearth, delicately moist with textured miso paste and ginger cili padi sauce. 

Pelisky, GMBB

Pelisky is GMBB’s cosy new den for caffeinated cool, fuelled by friendly Malaysian and Czech founders with an artistic soul. Check in for a calm workweek escape or a creative weekend event, such as a Fumeworks musical collab this Saturday.

Sal's, Ilham Tower

Sal's is Menara Ilham’s new modern sandwich shop with international deli inspirations.

Hero rolls? The Reuben, mighty and meaty with house-smoked pastrami, cheddar, gherkins, English mustard and sauerkraut, and The Banh Mi, lively and luscious with own-cured duck mortadella, pate, Vietnamese egg mayo butter, hot pickles and crispy shallots.

These signatures are super-scrumptious, loaded with richly layered flavours and fresh textures, plumply packed in Sal’s kitchen-baked bread with a bite that’s somewhere between baguettes and brioche.

Other options include The Hainanese (with Malaysian kaya and French butter) and The Shawarma (with dukkah chicken, labneh and chicken crackling), which can also be stuffed into croissants.

Wagyu Theater, Chow Kit

Chow Kit’s new Japanese-fronted Wagyu Theater delivers beefy drama, spotlighting wagyu steak bowls and wagyu hambagu bowls with garlic buttered rice on an open-kitchen stage in striking style. Sushi, gyoza and parfait desserts come up for encores.