Pik J, Petaling Street

Pik J is Petaling Street's new tea parlour, pouring oolongs to pair with soulful fare like freshwater prawn broth with crispy rice. Open every evening, the space sits above Pik Wah but has its own management and menu, including Cantonese-inflected cocktails.

Nommeco, Wisma Cosway

Wisma Cosway’s new Nommeco promises plant-powered sushi, prepared fresh to order: The signature set of ten, completely vegan, features Pad Kra Pao Uramaki, ‘Tuna’ Uramaki, ‘Egg Mayo’ Uramaki, ‘Calamari Ring’ Rice, ‘Unagi’ Nigiri, Crusted ‘Egg,’ ‘Salmon’ Inari, Ground ‘Beef’ Inari, ‘Crab Mayo’ Inari and Rendang Inari. Vegetables and fruits stand in nobly for seafood, meat and egg, with enjoyably elaborate ingredients layered over tender Korean rice, rich in flavours and textures. A scrumptious workweek lunch.

Siru, Desa Sri Hartamas

Named for the Korean earthenware steamer used for centuries to make rice cakes, Desa Sri Hartamas' new Siru celebrates tteok tradition with handmade confections that bridge the classic and contemporary.

The Rice Cake Sampler changes everyday: You might find pillowy pumpkin injeolmi coated in castella powder; Gaeseong juak, gently fried and glistening in syrup; chunky pea with ground mung bean rice cakes; chocolate seolgi with a cocoa-rich crumbliness; pumpkin seolgi; and matcha chocolate chapssal, unified by a full-bodied chew.

Fun fact: Siru is run by the friendly Korean founders behind Hartamas' popular Buldojang and Dubu Dubu restaurants.

Dough Days, Lin Ho Building

It’s a new dawn for Dough Days, leaving Ampang for a lovingly restored locale with weathered textures in the decades-old Bangunan Lin Ho, a five-minute stroll from both Chinatown and Central Market.

Wander into this fresh-faced space in the nick of time for fresh-baked butter kaya toast, brioche sandos, bronzed bagels, croissants, cookies and more.

Ramen David, Taman Tun Dr Ismail

TTDI’s new Ramen David engineers pork-free ramen with scientific precision and soulful passion, calibrating noodle to broth, tare to toppings, by the founders of Cafe Bistrot David. 

The Kaki Shio is richly structured: Noodles cut to a 1.4mm width at medium hydration, holding their springy bite while carrying the briny broth, a semi-creamy slow simmer of golden sea bream and chicken bones, kombu and shiitake mushrooms, enriched with blended oyster meat, finished with shio tare, katsuobushi and niboshi oil, topped with poached oyster, chicken and house-aged tai fish ‘cha siu.’ With that extent of care and effort, this is ramen to remember.