Lok Yun & Big Joe's @ SohoKL, Solaris Mont Kiara

Walking through SohoKL can be haunting, thanks to memories of the many restaurants that closed here; Lok Yun, one of this complex's newbies, occupies a corner lot that previously belonged to no fewer than three East Asian eateries: Zhen Shan Mei, Pin Shan & Peking Duck.

Lok Yun's another Chinese outlet with OK food; we liked the pork belly fried in salted egg yolk, though it could have been crunchier ...

... while various other pork parts, including neck & spare ribs, proved less memorable ...

... fried with salted fish, braised with bitter gourd or ginger, it's all a blur in our foggy recollection.

Wine's available & service is solid, but we're not sure whether longevity is in Lok Yun's future.

A few doors away, Big Joe's is another recent entry, taking over what was once Dubrovnik.

Big Joe's main attraction: shelves of books that include some unexpectedly tempting titles.

The food's a hodgepodge of meat-heavy Western fare (think mushroom soup, spaghetti bolognese & chicken chop), plus occasional specials like sandwiches like paprika spelt bread stuffed with butter, paprika, cheese, tomato & lettuce.

Plenty of pastries & cakes, plus German beer chilling in the fridge; perhaps worth a lunch stop for folks working here.

Lok Yun & Big Joe's
Ground Floor, SohoKL, Solaris Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur

The Oct.-Dec. inaugural edition of Eat Drink KL: 100 Favorites is now available in an eBook for free, convenient reading on computers, tablets & smartphones. It comprises reviews & information for 100 pretty nice eateries that span various locations, cuisines & budgets. Please click here: http://eatdrinkkl.publ.com/Eat-Drink-KL-100-Favorites-Oct-Dec-2013 (This link expires Dec. 31, 2013; see blog entries after that date for new link).

Fiercer by Fierce Curry House @ Solaris Dutamas

It's a fine week to be Fierce: KL's biryani professionals have unveiled their new outpost, Fiercer, a relatively upscale interpretation of their Bangsar curry house.

 Fiercer retains its big brother's friendly casualness, transplanted into a modern restaurant-bar setting that suits its Solaris Dutamas surroundings, with strains of "Besame Mucho" playing on the speakers.

The menu's limited at this early, soft-opening stage, comprising mainly the classics ...

 ... a variety of Hyderabadi Dum biryani that taste as terrific as Fierce's originals ...

... packing plenty of potent flavor, heat & moisture to be unlocked beneath a doughy swaddle in custom-made steel bowls.

 Mutton's probably our favorite (RM22+, with mixed raita, pickled veggie acar & gravy), thanks to the robust punch of the tender meat that layers the rice ...

 ... though chicken (RM20+) is certainly no slouch in supplying satisfaction ...

 ... while fish (RM20+) furnishes fragrance, not foulness ...

 ... & a vegetarian-appropriate rendition (RM14+) brims with bean curd for Meatless Mondays.

 It's likely that Fierce's premium biryani _ lobster, scallops, crab & more _ will become available later, along with a wider range of other food & beverages.

 What makes us giddy with glee: Wine's offered at Fiercer, costing RM20+ per glass.

 Nice start for Fiercer; will there be a Fiercest eventually? We sure hope so.

 Click here for earlier 2012 entry on Fierce Curry House at Bangsar.

Fiercer by Fierce Curry House

D1-G3-5, Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur. Behind Publika, kinda beside Barfly

Daily, 11am-11pm (1am Friday & Saturday)

Click here for online reservations.

This restaurant is available for bookings under TABLEAPP, which enables customers to make instant reservations at Malaysia's top restaurants, while saving time and money in the process. Reserve your table at this restaurant by clicking here.

The Oct.-Dec. inaugural edition of Eat Drink KL: 100 Favorites is now available in an eBook for free, convenient reading on computers, tablets & smartphones. It comprises reviews & information for 100 pretty nice eateries that span various locations, cuisines & budgets. Please click here: http://eatdrinkkl.publ.com/Eat-Drink-KL-100-Favorites-Oct-Dec-2013 (This link expires Dec. 31, 2013; see blog entries after that date for new link).

Way Modern Chinois @ Clearwater, Damansara Heights

Sensual elegance isn't something that a Chinese restaurant is expected to exude, but Way Modern Chinois sets out to be a breaker of multiple rules, painting on a broad culinary canvas.

Opening this week in Damansara Heights, the sister restaurant of Ploy is swathed in shadows, cultivating a cozy-cushy intimacy in a strikingly small space free of traditional banquet tables; it's perhaps the ideal place in KL for a Peking Duck-craving couple to enjoy a romantic evening.

Start with dim sum, served both for lunch & dinner; the Pac-Man platter (RM22 before taxes) is a cute one, comprising steamed prawn dumplings marinated with Szechuan spices & ponzu, to be consumed with a cracker resting on mashed avocado.

 No-carb, no-meat dim sum? No problem. Lettuce-wrapped, carrot-filled 'treasure pouches' (RM17) taste like a healthy treat, enlivened with pumpkin sauce.

 Cheong fun stuffed with shredded duck (RM17), as expertly executed as everything we had here.

 Gyoza-like dumplings, pan-fried & packed with mutton & chives (RM12 for five pieces).

Way is a no-pork eatery, but that won't stop its chicken-based xiaolongbao (RM12 for four) from supplying satisfaction.

This one's wonderful: Wickedly creamy-smooth congee (RM68), constructed with chicken stock, slow-cooked for 12 hours, crowned with abalone & aromatically enriched with plenty of truffle oil.

Tropically tempting: Pina Colada Crab (RM33), chilled crustacean of the flower variety, its meaty flesh coated in soft ice flavored with pineapple & coconut. 

Way's derring-do extends to its cocktail menu; try this "Journey To The West" of Ron Zacapa rum, dried longan, dried dates, ginger beer, lime juice & lime peel. The downside: It costs RM50. 

"Long March," with jasmine tea-infused vodka, elderflower syrup, egg white & lemon juice.

 Note: The way into Way is currently concealed; press the button outside to open this entrance.

Fun fact: Way is the Chinese name of the owners' son. It can mean 'unique' in Mandarin.

Way Modern Chinois
G-1, Work@Clearwater, Jalan Changkat Semantan, Damansara Heights, Kuala Lumpur
Currently open for lunch & dinner, except Sundays. Tel: 03-2095-1118

Click here for online reservations.

This restaurant is available for bookings under TABLEAPP, which enables customers to make instant reservations at Malaysia's top restaurants, while saving time and money in the process. Reserve your table at this restaurant by clicking here.

The Oct.-Dec. inaugural edition of Eat Drink KL: 100 Favorites is now available in an eBook for free, convenient reading on computers, tablets & smartphones. It comprises reviews & information for 100 pretty nice eateries that span various locations, cuisines & budgets. Please click here: http://eatdrinkkl.publ.com/Eat-Drink-KL-100-Favorites-Oct-Dec-2013 (This link expires Dec. 31, 2013; see blog entries after that date for new link).

L.A.P Loud & Proud @ Solaris Dutamas, Isaiah 40 @ SS15 Subang & Coffee Sprex @ Petaling Jaya

Checking out a trio of very different cafes scattered across the Klang Valley, with well-prepared coffee & a fuss-free simplicity being their sole similarities.

First up, L.A.P by Loud & Proud, a women's clothing boutique that also boasts a coffee bar on a relatively tricky-to-trace strip of Solaris Dutamas.

L.A.P's latte is exactly how we like it, creamy & rich, with enough complexity to intrigue & the optimum temperature to warm us without scalding our tongues. Food wasn't available during this visit, but it's possible that pastries & cakes will be offered soon.

 Next up, Isaiah 40, located on one of those Subang shop-house rows where parking is scarce.

 Isaiah 40 serves Puro fairtrade coffee; this is a socially responsible cafe that apparently also participates in community outreach initiatives.

 Toasty; might not be the best coffee in the Klang Valley but it's certainly drinkable.

 And it's always a pleasure to see affogato on the menu too.

 Basic cakes are served; customers are unlikely to regret a slice of the carrot cake.

Finally, Coffee Sprex, a Petaling Jaya cafe that's notably owned by two deaf & mute friends; Kent bakes & cooks, while Angie prepares beverages.

Coffee from around the world is taken seriously here, with Vietnam, Brazil, Sumatra, Colombia, Tanzania, Guatemala, Honduras & Ethiopia all featuring on the menu.

Steamed lamb, pork or beef burgers are among the hot food served here.

For sweet treats, there are blueberry pies & sugee cakes, plus tiramisu.

L.A.P by Loud & Proud

D3-G4-7, Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur. 

One of those blocks at the back, hidden from the main road, behind Publika, one floor above outlets such as Coffee Societe

Wed-Mon, noon through 8pm. Tel: 03-6211-2373

 Isaiah 40 Cafe

70 Jalan SS15/4B, Subang Jaya

 Coffee Sprex

9, Jalan SS25/23, Taman Plaza, Petaling Jaya

 Daily, 8am-7pm

The Oct.-Dec. inaugural edition of Eat Drink KL: 100 Favorites is now available in an eBook for free, convenient reading on computers, tablets & smartphones. It comprises reviews & information for 100 pretty nice eateries that span various locations, cuisines & budgets. Please click here: http://eatdrinkkl.publ.com/Eat-Drink-KL-100-Favorites-Oct-Dec-2013 (This link expires Dec. 31, 2013; see blog entries after that date for new link).