The Oriental Park, Suria KLCC

The Oriental Park is Suria KLCC's sleek new cafe-restaurant that fuses Japanese finesse with Southeast Asian flair, putting a playful take on everything from pho to coconut curry with rice.

Helmed by the founders of The Tokyo Restaurant, Azabu Malaysia and Bask Burnt Cheesecake, The Oriental Park promises the poise and pedigree for a pleasant experience beside KLCC Park.

For lunch, the Wagyu Kelapa Curry is thick and comforting with Japanese and Australian wagyu beef slices in creamy curry with chilli-spiced chimichurri and steamed rice.

The Oriental Park's menu crosses borders with enjoyable ease: Tuck into Tohoku White Miso Hummus with fried cauliflower and Saikyo Miso Salmon, moistly marinated, lively with daun selom, winged beans, baby spinach and cherry tomatoes.

For a fuss-free cafe lover’s dessert and drink, indulge in devilishly decadent Gianduja Chocolate with vanilla chantilly, coupled with a rika black tea latte. 

The Oriental Park

Suria KLCC, Kuala Lumpur.

 

Kopi Kubo KL, Ampang

Kopi Kubo KL is Ampang's new glass-fronted, two-level cafe with a treehouse-inspired deck - this is the first Malaysian branch of a Philippine-born brand that runs scores of coffee outposts on the rural coast.

Expect a rustic, relaxed hangout that specialises in Filipino-cultivated coffee beans, smooth and lightly bitter - try the Yerba Mate Coffee, intriguingly blended with the vegetal notes of South American yerba mate, optionally sweetened with agave nectar.

It's a pleasant place to spend the morning, an escape from the city's cosmopolitan clamour, with Matt O'Ree & The Blues Hounds singing on the speakers.

Kopi Kubo KL

34, Jalan Ampang Kiri, Jalan Berembang, 55000 Kuala Lumpur.,

Che Restaurant, Ampang

Ampang's new Che is enticing to explore, brimming with houseplants and home-made birdcages. Its eclectic menu includes Indonesian-inspired Kambing Bakar Cairo, a sizzling slab of lamb served with meaty soup, herbed rice, sambal and pickles. 

Che Restaurant

322C, Jalan Ampang Kiri, Kampung Berembang, 55000 Kuala Lumpur.

Dive deeper into tonkotsu triumphs by Ramen Kumo in Lot 10, Bukit Bintang

We're returning to Ramen Kumo, diving deeper into tonkotsu triumphs that comprise both classic and contemporary creations.

Ramen Kumo is a Japanese-helmed ramen specialist that was first born in Kota Kinabalu, founded by Akira Nagata. In 2022, it spread into KL, splashing into Lot 10 in Bukit Bintang following three Sabah-based branches. 

Ramen Kumo has perfected every part of its produce and process.

Its kitchen maestros have chosen the best Kyushu-style hosomen thin ramen, complemented by broth that's creamy and soulfully soothing.

The broth takes hours to make; it blends a secret-recipe variety of pork bones, head, skin and belly with an aged kaeshi foundation of vegetables, shoyus and konbu. The chashu is meticulously marinated, then broiled to order for the ultimate tenderness and tastiness.

Even the equipment is specially selected, including thermometers and densitometers. A Japanese-constructed pressure cooker cooks the broth up to 136 degrees Celsius until every ingredient dissolves cleanly, maintaining its consistency and complexity of flavour.

The result is remarkable ramen, top-notch on every level. 

The collagen-rich broth can be laced with saba mackerel oil for extra umami. Ramen Kumo serves several variations of its tonkotsu ramen, including some with shrimp oil, curry oil, chilli oil or black garlic oil for additional aromatics.

The Tonkotsu Ramen is the ideal introduction, but you'll also find fun seasonal specials such as Black Sesame Ramen and even Tom Yam Ramen. Mazesoba is delicious here too, as well as scrumptious izakaya snacks like tori karaage, gyoza and binchotan-grilled kushiyaki.

Ramen Kumo is set up to evoke a typical Fukuoka ramen shop - customers have a clear view of the open kitchen from every table, watching all the action as each bowl of ramen is cooked.

Watch the white broth being ladled in every serving, thick and steaming-hot, complete with freshly torched pork belly slices and firm, flavoursome noodles.

The Tonkotsu Ramen Kumo. tinged with saba oil, is our favourite ramen in KL's city centre, priced at a very fair RM24. It's a mouth-watering medley of ingredients that come together in harmonious unison, hearty and nourishing, uplifting the spirit in every spoonful. 

Every part is precisely prepared, from the toothsome noodles to the body-warming broth, the succulent pork to the jammy eggs.

The Black Sesame Ramen (RM28.80) is a current seasonal special, available for a limited time. It's dark and deep with a delightfully delicate nuttiness, conveying an earthy fragrance and flavour that embraces each sip of the broth.




Japanese and Thai traditions merge for the Tom Yam Ramen (RM29.80), a perky pleasure, exclusively for a limited time, bright and lively with a spicy tomato tang in the tonkotsu broth, cooked with prawns, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, chillies, shallots, galangal and garlic. 

The Spicy Mazesoba (RM24.80) is our choice for a comforting lunch or dinner - the classic Nagoya brothless ramen, showcasing thicker noodles to be tossed with spicy minced meat, soy-based sauce, egg yolk, seaweed and various vegetables. 

Mix well and sprinkle a dash of konbu vinegar. It's slurp-worthy and lip-smacking to the last strand, served with soup as well as a scoop of rice to soak up the sauce.

Beyond ramen, Ramen Kumo also serves other Japanese staples such as smoky skewers, grilled on Japanese charcoal for absolute authenticity.

The Kushiyaki 5 Types (RM29.80) is a sampler to share or to indulge in for a complete protein-packed feast - plump pork sausages with bacon, mozzarella cheese with bacon, enoki mushrooms with bacon, shiitake and eringi mushrooms for a playfully charred five-some.

Fried fare also shines. We love the Chicken Karaage, tender and chunky with a gorgeously even crunch, juicy but not overly oily or salty (RM13.80 for 3 pieces; RM22.80 for 5), and Gyoza, boasting a crisp bite and textured chew (RM10.80 for 5 pieces, RM19.80 for 10).



Ramen Kumo
P1-15, 4th Floor, Lot 10 Shopping Centre, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Bukit Bintang, 50250 Kuala Lumpur. 
Open Monday-Friday, 12pm-2:30pm, 6pm-9pm; Saturday-Sunday, 12pm-9pm.