Urban Spoon

It's fusion cooking that's fearless & flamboyant: Urban Spoon scoops up forkfuls of Asian & European ingredients, then jackknifes on unexpected tangents from what might as well be a parallel-universe kitchen.

Make mine Malaysian: Poached salmon is a culinary cliche, but splatter it with sambal ikan bilis & it's like a salty breath of fresh air for anyone drowning in an ocean of ordinariness. This plate's embarrassment of riches also includes grilled taro, shallot confit & watercress pesto.

Chinese chow: Emperor Tang's Duck Confit, with accoutrements of soy & calamansi reduction, maltose, braised cabbage & roast potatoes. What grade should we give meat that's this tender & therapeutically tasty? Something better than an Asian F, for sure.

Impressively Indian: Lamb Keema Pizza, topped with spicy minced lamb & tomato chutney, covered completely with boiled egg & Italian balsamic dressing. The worlds of Gujarat & Gallipoli collide in one big bang, evolving into a farrago of full-bodied flavors.

Let's call it a Thai: Mussels in a broth of coconut milk, galangal & lime, accompanied by French fries & aioli. A tangy twist to the recipe of "tom kar gai," heavy enough to make customers want to crawl upstairs to Urban Spoon's first-floor lounge for a post-meal nap.

Turning in, I'm turning round, I'm turning Japanese: Chicken roll with enoki mushrooms, carrots in sweet vinegar & tomato salsa. Wish they would use thigh meat instead of breast; this could be so shamelessly succulent, you wouldn't need a samurai's sword to slice through it.

Desserts fail to display the same East-meets-West razzmatazz, though the chocolate caramel cake with sea salt & peanut butter banana cake are nonetheless as virtuosic as anything else on the menu. But why do both look so familiar? A clue might reside with the boy who baked them.

Morande Pinoero Chardonnay, available by the carafe.

Morande Pionero Merlot.

UrbanSpoon Bistro & Lounge,

63, Jalan Sri Hartamas 1 (opposite Hartamas Shopping Center),

Taman Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-6201-2108

Ben's Independent Grocer

Not content with conquering Bangsar Village, The BIG Group has set its sights on Publika, uncorking a colossal store that overflows with food.

Remember that American game show, Supermarket Sweep, which featured contestants racing through the aisles, attempting to accumulate precious merchandise? Ben's Independent Grocer would be an ideal setting for that.

Highlights here include hydroponically grown lettuce, which customers can pluck & purchase. As the sign at this "Botanical" section says, these veggies are as fresh as fresh gets.

There's everything you'd expect to find (and maybe more) at a superbly stocked supermarket, from wine to watermelons, truffles to tofu, blue cheese to beef jerky.

Even potted plants are available. Prices seem relatively competitive.

The look & feel here are unmistakably BIG, supplying the store with a distinctive identity that links it inextricably to eateries like Ben's, T Forty Two & those other names with which KLites have become so familiar in less than 12 months.

The store is still a work in progress; there'll be a Plan B coffee bar on the premises soon, as well as a chocolate cafe, a cake section & a porky deli potentially called S.Wine.

For now, customers can rest their feet & pamper their palates at a new branch of Ben's General Food Store, located within the 50,000 square-feet supermarket.

Spit-roasted chicken with pumpkin & potatoes. Finger-lickin' good, for sure; a hearty platter of flavorsome meat & fluffy carbs, enough to leave us in a mini-food coma.

We also bought a packet of (halal) French-produced duck pate at the grocer, sneaking it into the Food Store to consume (shhhh!).

Slather some pate over Ben's rosemary-&-sea salt flat bread. Instant gratification!

Pop tarts! Perfect for kids between two & ninety-two.

Spanish Rioja, bought from Boozeit, the wine & spirits purveyor at Ben's.

Would have loved to take this home. But some things, alas, are not meant to be.

P.S. The grocer will be closed this Mon-Thurs (Oct. 24-27) for fine-tuning, so head there NOW if you're reading this today (Oct. 23) for discounted fresh meat & veggies!

Ben's Independent Grocer,

Publika, Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur.

A Li Yaa 2 @ Plaza D

It's the end of an era: A Li Yaa has moved, forced by noise complaints to leave its beautiful white bungalow at Lorong Dungun & relocate to relatively cramped quarters at Plaza Damansara.

The silver lining: we still have a place to savor A Li Yaa's vast range of delicious Sri Lankan dishes. For a hearty supper, order the "lamprais" _ a Dutch-influenced baked recipe that feels like a cross between banana leaf rice & nasi lemak. Magnificently moreish.

Desserts are always a treat here. The top choice: Tom's Special _ essentially "vatilaapam," a soft, sweet pudding made of coconut milk, brown palm sugar, eggs & cinnamon, splashed with a shot of Kahlua. And separately in the background, a simple but elegant mix of curd & honey.

House cocktails: Kumari Cooler (Mendis Sri Lankan whiskey, sweet & sour, cherry brandy, soda, grenadine) & Aliyaatini (vodka, midori melon, chocolate puree).

Elephant Walk (southern comfort, ginger ale, bitters, lemon wedge) & Frangelico Zesti (frangelico, brown sugar, fresh lime).

This new outlet occupies two floors; the top level was still a work in progress when we checked it out earlier this month, but it should be all ready by now.

Entry on Aliyaa @ Lorong Dungun, Damansara Heights: February 17, 2009.

A Li Yaa,

48 G&M, Plaza Damansara, Medan Setia 2, Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur.

Click here for online reservations.

This restaurant is available for bookings under TABLEAPP, which enables customers to make instant reservations at Malaysia's top restaurants, while saving time and money in the process. Reserve your table at this restaurant by clicking here.

Durian Durian & Tong Pak Fu

Suria KLCC's concourse could soon become a real hub for sugar-seekers, thanks to an array of dessert specialists that are launching on this level.

One kiosk _ Durian Durian _ is a dream come true for fans of this fruit, serving a dizzying selection that includes delightful durian custard puffs, bursting with creamy decadence.

Durian mochi. Chilled satisfaction _ soft to the touch, pleasurably sticky to the bite.

It's fine to cut the cheese: durian cheese mousse (with a milky smoothness reminiscent of tiramisu) & durian cheesecake (with a freshly baked feel if you buy it in the morning).

Durian pancakes, made to order. A more Western approach to pancakes, less luscious than the paste-packed, pillow-like ones sold at Chinese restaurants & shopping mall outlets.

Durian ice cream. Terrific, thanks to its surprisingly subtle flavor & luxurious texture.

Durian kuih bahulu. If you're a lover of traditional sponge cakes, you might think this version lacks flair, since it tastes more more mass-produced & commercialized.

Also on this level of KLCC, check out Tong Pak Fu, which hails from Hong Kong & serves Taiwanese shaved ice creations.

There's more durian here! Tong Pak Fu's "Durian Snow Ice," made with Tracka durian pulp, is a delicate, melt-in-the-mouth beauty _ more agreeable than expected. Partnered with grass jelly & sago pearls, this truly is a princely portion.

Warm walnut cream. Alas, this one tastes a little too artificial to recommend.

Soon to come on this floor: Bruno's Gelato, Candylicious & Garrett Popcorn!

Durian Durian & Tong Pak Fu,

Concourse Level, Suria KLCC, Kuala Lumpur.