SkyBar @ Traders Hotel, Kuala Lumpur

Click here for previous entry on SkyBar (Feb. 13).

Trio of oyster shooters in different styles: bloody mary; yellow pepper cucumber gazpacho; leek tomato salsa. Oysters and alcohol are always an unbeatable combo.

Breakfast Martini (cointreau, lemon juice, orange marmalade), Manhattan (sweet rosso vermouth, bourbon, orange, maraschino cherry) and Lychee Rose (belvedere vodka, lychee liqueur, rose syrup).

SkyBar,

Traders Hotel.

Tel: 2332-9888

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.

Paradize @ The Lodge, Raja Chulan

Is there an identity crisis going on here? This place was once called Paradisso, but it's now Paradize. It previously specialised in tapas and pasta, but now it serves Thai cuisine with a side menu of Western grilled meat and seafood.

The food options weren't too inspiring, so we figured we'd just have a few drinks and head elsewhere for a full dinner. But the staff enthusiastically recommended the Thai spring rolls for a snack. Pretty enjoyable; crisp, not oily and stuffed with veggies, tofu and shrimp.

Brain Damage (Bol's Peach, Bailey's Cream, Grenadine) & Apple Juice.

Baby Guinness (Kahlua, Bailey's) & Paradisso (Gin, Grand Marnier, Orange, Lemon).

Paradize,

The Lodge, Jalan Tengah, Off Jalan Raja Chulan.

Tel: 2142-0122

creAsian @ Bukit Bintang

It's a Balinese furniture and art shop! It's a spa with milk baths and body scrubs! But luckily for us, it's also a restaurant and bar.

Customers can dine indoors using the tables and chairs that are also for sale. It's cosy but a little claustrophobic because of the cramped space.

There's more room outside, where the bar operates amid a booming soundtrack that swings from Michael Bolton to Rihanna.

The two-page food menu comprises mainly local recipes. Nothing exciting, but the offerings are well-prepared, satisfyingly tasty and surprisingly cheap.

The Bandung noodles were packed with plump prawns, chicken slices and a fried egg. A terrific choice for a cold, rainy evening.

The devilled curry chicken with potatoes & rice might not be spicy enough for hardcore chilli lovers, but it was flavourful and hearty enough to suit us fine.

Booze is available! CreAsian Blue Island (rum, blue curacao and triple sec) & CreAsian Drive (vodka, triple sec and orange juice).

Jason's Dip (baileys, sambuca, brandy) and Kahlua on the rocks.

creAsian,

21, Jalan Jati, Off Bukit Bintang.

Tel: 2141-1108

798 Wine Bar @ Tropicana City Mall

No relation to 7atenine, this al fresco bar is a laid-back place for chilling out.

The menu offers options from nearby outlets inside Tropicana City Mall, including Santini and Royal Thai. The Fior Di Rucola Pizza, topped with mascarpone, rocket leaves and tomatoes, was a crisp, thin-crust concoction that was ideal for sharing.

The Pad Thai was bursting with shrimp and other stuff. Not too oily, thankfully.

Cranberry Cooler, Quicksand and Kahlua Banana cocktails.

Electric Lemonade and 798 Sunset cocktails.

798 Wine Bar,

Tropicana City Mall.

Paddington House of Pancakes @ Mid Valley Gardens

The amazingly extensive menu makes it worth returning here over and over.

Brussels buckwheat galette topped with cheesy beef bacon, onions, mozzarella, egg, baked beans and guacamole. Not bad, even though everything tasted a tad too processed.

Classic Buckleberry blueberry American pancake stacks with scrambled eggs, mushrooms, cream cheese and beef bacon, served with maple syrup.

Dessert pannekoek, laden with bananas, pineapples, strawberries, peaches, raisins, almond flakes and ice cream. This wonderful treat proved that Paddington's dessert pancakes are better than the savoury ones.

Austrian Special Kaiserschmarren pancake, torn into bite-sized pieces. Served with sauteed strawberries with balsamic vinegar, raisins and ice cream.

Paddington House of Pancakes,

Lower Ground Floor, The Gardens, Kuala Lumpur.

Rocket United Cafe @ SS2 Petaling Jaya

A one-of-a-kind "political cafe" that serves surprisingly decent food. Way better than many of the modern kopitiams that keep sprouting across the city.

Nyonya rice. For less than RM10, you get a well-prepared platter filled with flavourful ingredients, including fluffy, blue-dyed rice and moderately spicy, tender chicken rendang.

Sarawak laksa, made with a sambal belacan base and mixed with tamarind, garlic, galangal, lemongrass and coconut milk, then served with omelette, chicken strips, prawns and coriander. Tasted reasonably authentic.

Otak-otak Muar. Four pieces cost RM3, which seems like a low price, but there isn't much fish paste inside. Nevertheless, worth trying if you like otak-otak.

Rocket United Cafe,

18, Jln SS2/63.

The Apartment @ KLCC

Click here for previous review of The Apartment (March 29, The Curve).

Oyster shots with three different dressings: ceviche Peruvian citrus & tomato; Apartment-style lemongrass, ginger, cucumber, lime & mint; "Trina's choice" of soya, wasabi, lemon & coriander. They all tasted terrific, though it was tricky trying to figure which was which.

Crab and salmon cakes with chili lime aioli. Addictively scrumptious.

Clams in creme fraiche & white wine. We wiped the sauce clean with bread.

Peking duck rolls (crepes wrapped around roast duck with cucumbers, spring onions & plum chutney with orange emulsion). Not as good as the ones at Chinese outlets, but passable.

Red & white wine for the alcoholic and watermelon juice for the teetotaler.

The Apartment,

Suria KLCC.

Tel: 2166-2257

Bad Ass Coffee @ Tropicana City Mall

Bad Ass Coffee has several things going for it: a catchy name; a cool setting with mellow Hawaiian-themed music floating from the speakers; friendly, witty staff members and gourmet coffee that tastes pretty good even to someone like me who isn't a fan of caffeine.

Alas, food isn't its forte. The mahi-mahi fish burger sounded like a unique option but the fillet was rubbery & too processed. More of an artificial fish cake than a natural-cut fillet.

Loko Moko, a Hawaiian favorite of beef patties with rice, eggs & gravy. Tasted as tragic as it looked. The eggs were overcooked, while the beefballs were tough and chewy. Someone could whip this up with leftovers from the fridge.

Dry, bland, cheese cake stick. Wonder how long this sat on the display counter.

The coffee here is the saving grace. Both the Bad Ass Mocha latte (with a mix of dark and white chocolate) and triple-shot espresso were rich, intense and distinctively aromatic. Definitely worth a try.

Bad Ass Coffee,

Tropicana City Mall.

Ban Lee Bak Kut Teh @ Jalan Ipoh

Our first time here, but we left unimpressed. Maybe we expected too much.

The bak kut teh was not quite flavoursome enough. The meat was tender and the portion was reasonably hearty, but there's much better bak kut teh elsewhere.

Ban Lee Bak Kut Teh,

Jalan Ipoh.