Sniffing out the F&B options at Starwood's Aloft KL Sentral, the city's latest hotel, which features everything from a Polynesian-inspired rooftop bar with hand-carved Tiki totems to a twenty-four-hour lobby pantry for midnight munchies.
Aloft's main stop for solid sustenance is the first-floor Nook, whose intriguing interior represents Poole Associates' creativity (the folks behind 7atenine, WiP, EEST & QBA).
Lots of natural light, plenty of space & heaps of buffet offerings for RM78+ at dinnertime.
From prawns, mussels & smoked salmon on ice to salads & a noodle counter that whips up a bare-bones rendition of Sarawak laksa ...
... to East-&-West hot food that includes milk-roasted chicken, pan-fried orange-soy snow fish, briyani gam Johor, sambal tempe & kari ketam ..
... to dim sum of 'ma la' style beef, squid in belacan sauce & steamed egg in aloe vera sauce ...
... there's enough to keep customers going back for seconds, thirds & fourths ...
... all the way to desserts that might be defined more as 'guilty' than 'pleasure.'
Nook does not officially serve alcohol, but wine can be brought over from Aloft's bars, thanks to friendly servers & venue managers like Mr Maran.
Nook closes at 10:30 pm, following which peckish guests can check out Re:Fuel, a pantry that conveniently stocks the likes of bircher muesli, Greek yogurt, Nicoise salad, muffins, nasi lemak, loh mai kai, salmon bagels, mushroom pies, egg sandwiches, cheese cakes & coffee.
Further socializing & pool-playing can be had at the comfortingly calm, lobby-level W XYZ Bar.
Standard bar snacks, plus the tried-&-tested selection of liquor, are available here.
Seeking a less sedate evening? Head up to Aloft's poolside Mai Bar, on possibly the 14th floor.
Take a table beside Tiki statues created by Australian artist Tony Twigg at the alfresco lounge or sit indoors; both sections offer OK views of KL's skyline.
For novelty value: Mai Bar's 'Out of the World' cocktail, a Mai Tai served in a Tiki cup alongside a mixer of pineapple juice, vanilla & cinnamon.
Everything might look blue, but who would have guessed that Mai Bar serves a jackfruit cocktail? It's as good a reason as any for now to visit this 482-room, 300-million-ringgit hotel, which will be linked later this year to the upcoming Nu Sentral mall.
Aloft KL Sentral, Jalan Stesen Sentral, Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-2723-1188