Angelic & Victoria Rossa

Checking out two scone-serving cafes in Sri Hartamas, starting with Angelic at Plaza Damas.

Angelic's signature sandwich _ bountifully stuffed with avocado, omega-3 eggs, red cabbage, cucumber, carrots, citrus chutney, sesame, pumpkin and sunflower seeds _ is a marvelous mix of creamy and crunchy textures.

Pumpkin mini pie _ essentially puff pastry packed with pumpkin mash _ alongside a scone with Devonshire cream and strawberry jam that's as delicious as the ones at Haute Food nearby.

Nuwara Eliya Sri Lankan tea, mild and light. Plus, a detox mocktail of green apples, kiwi juice, passion fruit, aloe vera and fruit enzymes.

Be advised though that Angelic's prices are high; tea for two can cost RM100. But there are numerous little touches here that elevate the experience, such as wet cloth hankies for customers to wipe their hands before the meal.

Note: Angelic's business hours seem uncertain. Sometimes it's open, but often it's not, even on weekend afternoons. Best to call before coming here.

Next up, inside Hartamas Shopping Center, there's the Victoria Rossa English Tea Room. Charming or kitschy? Can it be both?

Scones are Victoria Rossa's specialty, with a surprisingly wide variety of fillings. These raisin-laced ones are not bad at all _ fresh and fragrant, with a crusty coat.

Cranberry cheese scones with Devonshire clotted cream. Victoria Rossa only closes at 8:30 p.m. everyday, so these teatime treats can be enjoyed for an early dinner.

Toad in the hole, with a twist. Looks like a mutant muffin, but break it open and it's Yorkshire pudding batter _ served warm, stuffed with chicken sausage and sprinkled with aromatic herbs.

English butter cake. Not the richest or most moist version around, but satisfactory.

Hazelnut and apricot biscuits, alongside orange meringue. Feel the crunch!

No fewer than 33 types of tea are served. We had an Edwardian blend with white figs.

Victoria Rossa English Tea Room.

Angelic Tea and Scone House.

Angelic Tea and Scone House,

Plaza Damas, Taman Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-6203-1794

Victoria Rossa English Tea Room,

Level 1, Hartamas Shopping Center, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-6201-4703

Hugo's On 6 @ Best Western Premier

Hugo's On 6 is Best Western Premier Hotel's haven for Mediterranean tapas and mezze.

Kick back in this sixth-floor restaurant's cavernous interior or lounge outdoors by the pool, watching the sun sink over both the KL and Petronas Towers.

Thrill-seekers can stomach the "callos y chorizo" _ beef tripe in a savory stew of sausages, chickpeas and smoked paprika, stirring memories of meals in Madrid.

Hugo's soft-launch menu is limited but nevertheless includes something for everyone. Always nice to nibble on air-dried tuna with Manchego cheese on toast.

Free-range chicken in garlic-paprika cream sauce. Not too memorable, but it's worth noting now that Hugo's prices are pleasing: this cost RM16++, on par with, say, La Bodega.

Baba Ghanoush, a comfort-food puree of oven-baked aubergine and sesame seed paste. 

Super-soft potatoes in a tangy tomato-sour cream sauce.

Chili Orange Martini and Negroni, executed with flair to spare.

Hugo's is open daily starting in the evening, with happy hours between five and seven.

All in all, not a bad stop, but many might criticize it for being less than lively. It's not the outlet's fault though, since it's still not on people's radar.

Hot night, wind was blowing; unfortunately, neither ripped jeans nor skin was showing.

Hugo's on 6,

Best Western Premier Dua Sentral, 

Jalan Tun Sambanthan, Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-2272-8888 (General line)

Jamming With Elvis @ MyBurgerLab Seapark

Wrapping up what's become a MyBurgerLab trilogy. Earlier entries: July 11 and July 16.

Jamming With Elvis, a gone-in-sixty-seconds guilty pleasure. Beef, peanut butter, blueberry jam, caramelized onions and cheese combine for one of the sickest burgers we've had this year. MyBurgerLab served this as a two-day special this past week, but we hope it'll become a regular.

Bulging with Aussie grass-fed beef, a perfectly crisp hash brown and mustard-like curry paste, the Curry Crunch is a fresh, flavor-rich entry on the menu. It'd be a brilliant brunch burger, if MyBurgerLab ever opens in the morning.

The Shroom Shroom Shroom should satisfy mushroom maniacs _ a threesome of portobello, shiitake and enoki, caressed by sensually creamy Swiss cheese.

Customize a burger! We call this the Big Beautiful Mess. Take a Beautiful Mess Version 3.0 _ beef, fried portobello, egg and mozzarella _ then pile on a chicken patty, cheddar and Swiss cheeses for an Olympian-sized Goliath that earns a gold medal for juiciness.

"The only thing we have to fear ... is fear itself" - FDR.

If/when MyBurgerLab expands, let's cross our fingers that the next branch will feature milkshakes and/or booze. But for now, nightcap-thirsty customers must find their way to, say, The Bee at Publika, always buzzing in the evening.

There regularly seem to be new cocktails and alcoholic milkshake flavors here, such as this terrific Two Men Tent Espresso Martini (vodka, kahlua, espresso) and absolutely awesome Cointreau milkshake, filled with bits of orange peel for extra texture.

The Bee's Affogato, boasting white chocolate butter ice cream by The Last Polka.

Nymph of the Nile (organic white peony tea with Persian rose and Egyptian basil).

MyBurgerLab,
14, Jalan 21/22, Sea Park, Petaling Jaya.
Open 5pm for four to six hours, closed Mondays.

The Black & White Kopitiam

Opened by the operators of The Warehouse and Ril's Steakhouse, Black and White Kopitiam offers mainly Malaysian fare less than a ten-minute walk from KLCC.

The fried rice looks good and tastes fine, but at RM10.90++, it seems rather expensive. 

Ditto for the mee rebus (RM7.90++); Black and White's menu is compact, but its offerings nevertheless range from nasi lemak to banana peanut butter toast, sup ekor to Hainanese chicken chop.

In recent weeks, Black and White shared its outlet with Ori, a Vietnamese-run stall, but Ori has since moved next door. Worth visiting them for this 'bun cha gio' (RM7.90) _ vermicelli with wonderfully crispy-juicy spring rolls. 

Ori's 'bo kho' (RM12.90) can probably be skipped. Tender beef and fresh leaves, but the stew on the whole could be a little less watery and a lot more flavorsome.

Black and White's cinnamon ice blended and hot tea. Espressos and lattes will be offered soon. 

Brilliant opening hours: Black and White only closes for three hours everyday. 

Some nice touches in the decor, as can be expected from the folks of The Warehouse.

The Black and White Kopitiam,

Jalan Law Yew Swee, Off Jalan P. Ramlee, Kuala Lumpur.

Nanyang Authentic @ Pavilion

Patrons of Nanyang Authentic can't chicken out of pigging out.

Familiar fare is featured in fulfilling fashion at Pavilion's latest Chinese eatery; streaked with a surplus of sweet-savory succulence, the honey-barbecued pork strives to satisfy. 

Roast pork, leaner than usual. It's worth informing Nanyang's helpful team of your preference.

Organic kampung chicken, RM28+ for a slickly glossy quarter-bird. Fowl rarely tastes finer.

The crisp-skinned roasted variation is unimpeachable too _ firm, fleshy and flavorsome.

Steamed bean sprouts, fat and springy-juicy, transported in regularly from Ipoh.

Side dishes shine here; every pleasurably oily grain of the chicken rice and each meaty mouthful of the pork-cuttlefish balls made us contemplate having Chinese food more often.

Complimentary chicken feet-pork rib-preserved veggie soup.

Soju, as well as both Chinese and Western wines, are available by the bottle.

Nanyang Authentic,

Level 4, Pavilion, Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.
Same row as Morganfield's and Overtime, below GSC's multiplex.