Celebrities Hall of Music @ SohoKL

Ning Baizura's club recently hosted students from the International College of Music for "ICOM's Night Out," a charity gig in aid of Pakistani flood victims.

This is currently the best nightspot at SohoKL, where at least half-a-dozen clubs have opened and eventually closed over a span of nearly two years.

Let's hope this one meets a different fate; unlike those other hangouts, Celebrities Hall of Music focuses on live music and comedy performances (ICOM's showcase featured everything from a teenage violin prodigy to an R&B songstress belting out Mariah's "Emotions").

Food isn't available for now, but a fistful of nuts might stave off the munchies.

Creatively named cocktails: Birth of Kwannon (banana liquor, malibu, peach liquor, milk, orange, pineapple) & Goddess of the Dawn (grand marnier, triple sec, cacao white).

Lights of Solaris (malibu, midori, pineapple, orange) & Celebrities Famous Fruit Punch (strawberry puree, watermelon, gin, vodka, grand marnier).

Iced lemon tea for teetotalers.

Celebrities Hall of Music,

SohoKL, Solaris Mont Kiara.

Hoofed @ Taman Tun

TTDI isn't exactly paradise for pork-lovers, but Hoofed could help change that.

Besides various pork-laden recipes, there's a satisfactory range of wines available here; don't bring your own, since the corkage charge is a staggering RM100 per bottle.

Siew yoke. A large portion, but it lacked the show-stopping succulence, unctuous flavor and perfect crackling that we always hope for when ordering this.

"Lam yee" fried pork belly. An addictively savory snack, thanks to the fermented bean curd batter. Surprisingly well-prepared _ crisp, piping-hot and not greasy at all.

Pork ribs. Chunky and reasonably tender, but rather uninspiring. The meat was bland and seemed less than fresh, while the cloyingly sweet sauce did it no favors.

Half-portion of suckling pig. Hearty, with crunchy skin, but very, very fatty.

De Berloti Willowglen Cabernet Merlot (Australia).

Is there room for improvement? Sure, but it's still early days. Head here if you wanna escape the crowds that throng this street's pubs. Service is sparkling, with lotsa warm smiles.

Hoofed,

Jalan Rahim Kajai 14, Taman Tun Dr Ismail.

Axis @ Doubletree by Hilton

Doubletree by Hilton's lobby lounge is calm, comfy and fairly spacious.

The hotel's signature chocolate chip cookies. Struck an impressive balance between being nutty, crunchy and creamy. Ask the staff to warm them up, but beware: each piece is a whopping 70 grams and contains nearly 350 calories.

Caipiroska (ketel one vodka, lime) & Negroni (tanqueray gin, campari, sweet vermouth).

Wake Up Call (carrot, kiwi, yellow pepper, ginger & lemon) for the teetotaler.

Axis Lounge,

Doubletree by Hilton,

The Intermark, Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur.

Mai Ramen @ Jaya One

Recognize anyone? This place was a hub for coincidental encounters on a recent evening.

On paper, the most alluring choice here is the buta kakuni ramen (ramen with stewed pork). A hearty bowl of Maggi Mee-like noodles in warm, subtly salty white broth. The pork was reasonably tender, but it was marred by a somewhat stinky flavor.

Nankotsu karaage (deep-fried chicken soft bones). KFC Original Recipe-ish.

Ajitsuke tamago (seasoned half-boiled eggs). I love eggs, but this was forgettable.

Butayaki okonomiyaki (pancake with grilled pork). A guilty pleasure, thanks to the rather addictive yam-like base. Close your eyes and it's almost like munching on those fried dim sum yam balls stuffed with minced pork.

Butaniku enoki (skewered grilled pork). No complaints; the meat was juicy and went well with the golden mushrooms.

Unagi yaki (grilled eel balls). Wasn't as greasy as versions at some other outlets, but there was only a miniscule, barely discernible amount of unagi in this.

Choya umeshu with soda. Watered down (or iced down, in this case).

Mai Ramen,

Jaya One.

Four Seas @ Bangkung, Bangsar

The concluding chapter of our Four Seas trilogy.

For earlier entries, click: Aug. 4 & Aug. 6.

Four Seas' aquarium has finally come to life, awash with Coffin Bay and New Zealand oysters, flower and meat crabs, lobsters and tiger prawns.

NZ Oysters Mornay. We've kicked off every entry here with oysters; no surprise, since Four Seas offers five different preparations for these molluscs. One point though: the Coffin Bay variety seems juicier and tastier.

Seafood chowder. Comfort food for a drizzly evening, but not entirely memorable; basically like any decent cream-of-seafood soup.

Tiger prawns with asparagus & baby corn. Swimming in the aquarium one minute, grilled over charcoals the next. Sweet, smoky and succulent.

Oven-baked sole. Fairly fresh fish, clean-tasting and with lean, flaky flesh.

Charcoal-grilled lobster with rosemary roasted potatoes and ponzu & lemon butter sauces. One of the smaller ones in the tank. No complaints here.

Thyme & pine nut tart. Intriguingly aromatic flavors for a crisp, not-too-crumbly dessert with a straight-out-of-the-oven feel.

Lemon tarts with Haagen-Dazs ice cream. Sorta sourish, but some might enjoy that.

Waipara Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand) & Taylors Claire Riesling (Australia).

Four Seas,

Jalan Bangkung, Bangsar.

White House @ Petaling Jaya

This cozy kopitiam is operated by the family of a prominent opposition politician, only a few doors away from his party's headquarters.

Nasi kerabu. Bland rice; not moist at all. But thankfully, everything else on the plate _ from the ikan percik to the budu & ulam _ was well-prepared and tasty enough to salvage this.

Nasi lemak. Also unsuccessful, since the rice lacked any fragrance or fluffiness whatsoever, while the fried chicken was tough. During off-peak hours, customers might also be disheartened by cold/lukewarm rice and accompaniments.

Ayam percik (creamy sauce, chewy meat) & fried keropok (crisp, not too oily). Perhaps we were there too late in the evening; things might have been better earlier.

Milo Panas & Kopi Kelantan.

The outlet's business hours are rather inconvenient for most of us who work in the city, since it closes around 7pm on weekdays and isn't open on weekends.

Nevertheless, staff members here are helpful and welcoming. Free wi-fi is available.

White House,

Merchant Square @ Tropicana.