2PlusOne.Coffee Rumah Kopi, Kajang

Coffee in calm, minus the crowds: 2PlusOne.Coffee is a home-turned-hideout for caffeine cravings in Kajang, open in the morning and evening. Lattes prove light with silky nuttiness, courtesy of the signature Ethiopia-Brazil medium-roast blend.

KOFFI WOC, Oval Damansara

Work-from-cafe calm: KOFFI WOC is Oval Damansara's hideout for walnut banana loaves and yuzu soda coffee, open everyday, spacious and soothing.

Salon by Hair Bar Estudio, Petaling Jaya

Haircuts, hi-fi and hot coffee: Officially opening 4 November, Salon by Hair Bar Estudio is PJ's new music-minded hair salon, serving fresh brews with a surprising soundscape powered by a CEC turntable and Mission speakers in Taman Medan Maju Jaya.

Restaurant JIE explores Hokkien inspirations and beyond

MEMI:R, The Exchange TRX

MEMI:R is The Exchange TRX’s new Korean buckwheat noodle haven, where the grain gets the full grind from stone mill to bowl in the open kitchen.

Freshly handmade buckwheat noodles surface in slender strands or wide-cut ribbons, served chilled, warm, in broth or with dipping sauces. 

Play it cool with perilla oil noodles, with herbaceous earthiness bringing sensuous silkiness to the natural nuttiness of the beef-topped noodles.

Some like it hot: Pollock roe cream noodles prove extra-indulgent, with briny richness coating the supple noodles, luscious with a firm bite.

Buckwheat dumplings and drinks are also available, including a sikhye rice beverage infused with roasted buckwheat.

Island Kitchen, Taman Tun Dr Ismail

From Langkawi with love: Island Kitchen in TTDI Plaza is KL’s new offshoot of Island Kitchen off Pantai Cenang, a favourite for home-style Malay fare.

Full-bodied flavours flare up with fresh, fragrant fieriness: Ikan jenahak in from-scratch, slow-simmered gulai panas; sotong petai, superbly smooth and succulent; ayam kampung sambal hijau, fall-off-the-bone tender; aromatically smoky daging salai masak lemak and other daily-changing dishes, cooked with skill and care, set by photographed scenes of Langkawi life.