Erna Kitchen, Bandar Glenmarie

 

Diwane Hadramout, Putrajaya

2nd Breakfast x Cozy Cookies, Mutiara Damansara

2nd Breakfast and Cozy Cookies have combined forces for their first full-fledged space in Mutiara Damansara, serving terrific toasted muffin sandwiches, cookies, shakes and a brilliant banoffee pie.

Six breakfast sandwiches headline the menu, saucy and sloppy with the cheerful team’s own-crafted produce. Fowl Mood is lip-smacking, with a thickly succulent house-made chicken patty, torched cheddar, sun-dried tomato mayo and the kitchen’s pickles; pile on a fried egg for maximum satisfaction, folded in fresh, fragrantly tender muffins, coming in hot to the table.

Don’t miss the banoffee pie, a four-inch irresistible indulgence, lusciously layered, and brown butter cookies, rich with dark and milk chocolate chips, balanced buoyantly with sea salt for melt-in-the-mouth pleasure. Finish with a PBJT milkshake, bringing together vanilla ice cream with toast-infused milk, mixed berry jam and peanut butter.

There’s more to try, from seasoned tater tots to snickerdoodles to white miso hot chocolate. Bookmark this for tasty treats, made with skill and surprising soul.

Hahasard Bakeri, Petaling Jaya

PJ’s new stop for shio pan, bagels and canelés, Hahasard has launched a takeout stand to front its upcoming two-woman bakery-cafe.

Shio pan comes classic, firm with a suitably buttery-salty pull, or filled with scallion cream cheese, yuzu cream cheese or red bean paste.

Bagels balance a crisp crust with a tender chew: Tomato pesto cheese brings herbaceous Italian-inspired richness, while other combos span matcha mochi red bean, mentaiko crispy rice or garlic cream cheese.

Pistachio canelés pair caramelised shells with nutty creaminess. 

Hunt for Hahasard Bakeri in Block B1 of PJS 8’s Leisure Commerce Square, with dine-in set to start later this month.

Twenty Five N 25, Taman Paramount

Taman Paramount’s new Twenty Five N 25 promises a Taiwanese chef’s recipes rooted in memory, its name nodding to Taipei’s latitude, its menu leaning into generations-old culinary comforts.

Our best bet: Steamed Flatfish taps into household pantry traditions, dressed with cordia fruit seeds, with gently fermented juices seeping into the delicate fish flesh for salty-sweet depth.

Peeled Chilli Chicken Soup is an island classic of soulful simmered poultry with preserved green chillies, prized for mellow savoury heat, with plump clams lending the clear broth a clean oceanic lift.

Familiar Taiwanese favourites are also featured, from richly braised pork rice to beef noodle soup, three cup chicken to egg crepes.

News & Coffee, SMTH by ELSE

Barcelona-born News & Coffee is launching its first Malaysian pop-up in SMTH by ELSE, bringing its cult combo of speciality coffee and independent print to KL, summoning the spirit of the Catalonian capital’s street-side newsstand kiosks.

A possible springboard for Asia’s first permanent News & Coffee outpost, this compact store will run 4 Sept to 11 Oct, pouring Malaysian-roasted brews while customers browse over 100 magazine titles for sale beneath a bunga kantan chandelier, spanning TOILETPAPER to Little White Lies, centred on niche-press publishing for art, design, food, film and culture.

Cha:coal, The Gardens Mall

The Gardens Mall’s new Cha:coal Brews channels cha into chic creativity, pairing Japanese tea playfulness with handmade Korean hotteok amid silvery sleekness.

The Matcha Mont Blanc is capped in cream, with fragrant flickers of citrus cutting through light umami, while the Genmaicha Corn Brûlée weaves roasted-rice warmth through caramelised-corn sweetness, thoughtfully served in aluminium cups for temperature consistency.

For something to chew on, hotteok is winter street-fare comfort, concealing cinnamon-spiced sugary nuttiness.

Cha:coal fronts the upcoming Cha:coal Korean Dining, a contemporary charcoal-championing restaurant launching within a fortnight, complete with a Josper grill that brings meat to sultry succulence.