FLAW+people, Melawati

FLAW+people is the new coworking space and cafe by Melawati’s Ground FLAW: Beef up on gyudon while grinding through deadlines in this daylight-drenched bastion of birch, concrete and calm contours, one floor below Ground FLAW’s main cafe.

Rothmans Place, Petaling Jaya

PJ’s new Rothmans Place nods to its location on the former Rothmans roundabout, pairing a clear sense of place with bright breakfasts of the silkiest scramble with house-baked muffins. Lunchtime brings everything from nasi kerabu to pizzas, pastas and sandwiches.

Bonus points for the live plants, with philodendrons and pothos flourishing on the wallscape.

Warung Putih, Bangsar

Bangsar’s new Warung Putih wears a Malaysian name and speaks fluent Italian under Bologna-born chef Manuel Sanzo, its menu spanning tagliatelle alla puttanesca to tagliolini e piselli, ragu-stuffed squid to truffle-scented chicken scaloppine.

Bunga Kantan, Bangsar Village

Bangsar Village’s new Bunga Kantan blooms with a blend of Penang street favourites and Peranakan home pleasures, in a spin-off of Little Penang Cafe.

Snack on steamed pulut, blue-hued with bunga telang, topped with sambal hae bee, and Nyonya Scotch eggs, salted yolks blanketed in spiced chicken mince.

Belum Friday, Raja Chulan Road

An illustrated menu inspired by Barcelona’s iconic architect Antoni Gaudí. An Art Deco interior with an arched steel-framed entrance hoisted by crane to the eighth floor. A kitchen that threads European finesse through Malaysian favourites like roti kaya, rojak, spring rolls, curry laksa, Hakka mee and more.

Belum Friday is downtown KL’s distinctive new kopitiam-cafe, perched atop Raja Chulan’s UR-MU @ Toffee urban museum with sweeping city views, with Nina Simone spinning on vinyl while Malaysian chef-founder Chantelle Lim reinvigorates familiar fare with flair.

Belum Friday’s Kaya Toast is gorgeous as golden-griddled brioche, crisp with subtle scents of coconut and pandan, ridged with seafood mousse rosettes; Crabs In A Blanket features pure crab flesh, stuffed in steamed rice noodle sheets; Curry Laksa showcases squid ink pasta in kitchen-blended curry, textured with house seafood stock, enlivened with herbs and spices, plus fresh Sabah tiger prawns and devilled eggs; Lychee Cheesecake is lusciously buoyant on a macadamia-laced base.

Every element is exactingly considered, from Breton butter for the cakes to Beacon seaweed-fed chicken for nasi lemak and chicken chops, brought together with a lifetime’s worth of culinary instincts and skill. Belum Friday is well worth a visit, any day, any week.