Palate Palette & Malones

Almost six years old & still going strong, Palate Palette sets an excellent example for F&B outlets.

The food menu here is as memorably quirky as the decor, with mainstays like "asparagyu," "minimalist burgers" & "chicken lollipops," but we tend to gravitate toward the terrific drinks.

Lines on a mirror from the flavor cartel: Bangkok shooters _ Sauza tequila & lime wedges with lines of crushed chicken bacon (!!!), salt, pepper, herbs & spices.

Snort it up, slurp 'em up: Bermuda shooters _ Matusalem Classico rum & orange wedges with brown sugar & cinnamon powder.

Feisty, fiery flavors: Spicy Jacky (cili padi-infused Russian Standard vodka, milo, milk) & Wassup B (vodka, wasabi, lemon juice, simple syrup).

Caffeine with booze help to keep us awake a little longer; try the Jamaican Coffee, featuring espresso, cruzan aged rum, coffee liquor, cream & brown sugar.

Palate Palette,

Jalan Mesui, Off Changkat Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.

Less than a kilometer away, at Pavilion shopping mall, another success story: Malones has truly thrived in the Klang Valley, opening four branches in two years.

Entry on Malones @ KLCC: Nov. 3, 2009.

Southeast Irish-style seafood chowder, with clams, salmon, mussels & white fish. The food here is hearty & tasty; not extraordinarily memorable, but worthwhile.

Seared beef stewed in Guinness for four hours with root veggies. Something that Irish pubs across the world might serve.

The Irish theme persists in the cocktails: St Patrick's Sangria (red wine, Jameson whiskey, fruit juice, soda) & Irish Martini (absolut, vermouth, Irish whiskey).

Malones,

Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur.

Jing-Si @ Tropicana

A cafe in Tropicana Shopping Mall seems like an unlikely spot to seek serenity, but this Buddhist-run outlet could be an oasis for the troubled & the restless.

Staffed by soft-spoken folks, the setting is spacious & silent, with sufficient privacy.

No food is available, but there's Genmaicha (Japanese green tea combined with roasted brown rice) to soothe both body & soul.

Organic Oat & Job's Tear cereal beverage, to nourish the spirit & the stomach.

Books to peruse & purchase.

Oh, what does "Jing-Si" mean? "Still thoughts," apparently.

Jing-Si Books & Cafe,

Tropicana Shopping Mall.

Los Galayos

Spain, Part III: For more than a century, Los Galayos has fed ravenous customers at Madrid's Plaza Mayor, a historic site that has hosted bullfights, soccer matches & even public executions.

Grab a table at the alfresco area to indulge in people-watching while enjoying traditional Spanish recipes at this all-day-dining restaurant.

Crusty bread with olives. Why is soft bread so hard to get in this country?

Complimentary tapas. An addictively mushy mix of tuna, potatoes & veggies.

Greasy potatoes with blood sausage (pork blood) & eggs. Sinfully laden with carbs, fat & cholesterol, but we couldn't stop munching until the plate was clean.

Nothing we ate here was healthy. This Madrilena tripe was a huge stew of slimy, gelatinous blobs in tangy tomato-&-onion broth. Protein-packed with unidentifiable cow parts & chorizo. Reputedly a poor man's recipe, but tasted very rich.

Foie gras with Pedro Ximenez sweet wine. Too oily to recommend.

Paella, brimming with meat, seafood & veggies. Miraculously, the two of us still managed to walk away after this lunch & continue shopping for fridge magnets.

And of course, a little wine to make the afternoon merrier.

Los Galayos,

Madrid, Spain.

Romanza @ Hock Choon

Romanza: Round Two. Earlier entry on Romanza: February 15.

Just when we thought that duck liver pate could no longer wow us, this came along; rolled in beetroot dust, it's the textbook definition of "unctuous," in the most pleasurable fashion. Served with toasted brioche & dehydrated strawberry chips for a creative, eye-catching preparation.

Possibly the tastiest red snapper recipe ever _ a ziggurat of oven-roasted fish with a decadently creamy mix of butternut puree, carrot-&-beetroot chips, fish roe, mushrooms, asparagus & lemon veloute.

Lavender-crusted lamb rack & lamb shoulder with roasted grapes, pommes dauphinoise, lentils & seasonal veggies in thyme jus. This course confirmed a trend: Romanza takes familiar ingredients & confidently composes them into a chorus of components that not only complement but elevate each other.

Couscous with beetroot & a butternut-&-sage risotto. Some places serve couscous, others offer risotto; here's a rare opportunity to sample both on one plate in all their grainy glory. Sure, the risotto could be firmer, but the couscous was flawless.

Raspberry sorbet with white chocolate mousse, cocoa tuile & white choc-filled choux pastry, sugar shards & raspberry coulis. Not too sweet, not too sour. Stellar!

Complimentary chocolates.

And jellybeans too, to take with the receipt.

Cocktails _ not as indelible as the food but still impressive. Try the Watermelon-&-Rose Martini (vodka, watermelon schnapps, sour apple schnapps, rose water) & Heart of Africa (African Amarula cream, Nachtmusic hazelnut liquor & brandy).

Margaritas, drenched in tequila & made tangy with lime & orange liquor.

Being bubbly: the wine selection isn't sweeping, but it's sufficient.

Romanza Le Restaurante @ Ampang,

Terrace at Hock Choon, Off Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-4252-6059

Willow Tree @ Hartamas

A sixty-second stroll from Souled Out, this Hartamas bistro looks like a pub, but it's setting its sights on more ambitious fare than mere chicken wings.

Willow Tree's Moroccan-raised chef Adi Elhadi cultivated his culinary career in London; unsurprisingly, his food could be considered British classics with Mediterranean undercurrents. But whatever its provenance, this garlic-mushroom tart _ glazed with warm, oozy goat cheese _ should prove undesirable only to vampires & people wary of strong flavors.

Freshly prepared creamy chicken liver parfait with onion chutney. Another recipe that might be a turn-off if you prefer mild-tasting dishes; moist bordering on mushy, the parfait is unmistakably made of offal, with a full-on fowl flavor that some will call foul.

Salmon fishcakes with a tomato-&-herb salsa. From the bread to the fishcakes, Willow Tree bakes & makes many items in its own kitchen. Give them a B+ for both the effort & the results (that goes for the efficient service team too).

Honey-roasted duck breast with coriander, caramelized beetroot, apricots & almond couscous. Prices here are exemplary in this era of escalating costs; customers who choose prudently can partake of a three-course meal _ including this duck _ for RM60 or less.

New Zealand leg of lamb with mushrooms, veggies & dauphinoise potatoes; essentially as good as what Hartamas' more established hangouts offer. While nothing here knocked our socks off, Willow Tree is a peaceful, pork-free alternative to Finnegan's & Jarrod & Rawlins.

Ice cream with chocolate sauce, tinged with 25-year-old balsamic vinegar for a sweet-sour bite.

Wine is sold by the glass & bottle. A low-key, easy-drinking variety, whatever this was.

Tom Collins & Whisky Sour. Decent cocktails too, not watered down or anything.

Taylor's Port & Archers Peach Schnapps.

Sunday Roasts are also available at Willow Tree, costing RM45 for adults & RM25 for kids. Expect hearty helpings of rib-eye beef with Yorkshire pudding.

Willow Tree @ Desa Sri Hartamas,

Wisma Rapid, Jalan 30/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-6201-2330

Open daily through midnight.