Checking out a couple of unconventional venues for food reviews: Petaling Jaya's Lotus Five Star State Cineplex ...
... & Pudu's Tung Shin Hospital.
First up, PJ New Town's Lotus State Cinema, where Magic 1 opened this year, serving hawker specialities in a setting that's well-lit, clean-looking & completely comfortable.
Penang favourites form the focus; the selection ranges from a passable char kuey teow (below RM6, with several somewhat shrivelled cockles & a few fair-sized prawns) to assam laksa ...
... & Hokkien Char with sambal belacan (relatively uncommon in the Klang Valley) to chicken lor bak, ais kacang & cendol.
The big surprise: Magic 1 offers wine (!!!), including an unusual Australian red laced with green tea (a little less alcohol, a lot more antioxidants), pleasant-tasting & refreshing for hot afternoons.
Next up, Private Corner, a basic cafe that gets pretty busy near Tung Shin Hospital's main lobby.
Private Corner's advantage: its low prices. A bowl of pumpkin soup is RM3; not the most memorable, but (fittingly enough for a hospital eatery), it tastes wholesome.
The latte costs RM6, but it can be skipped. Not much flavour in this cup.
Magic 1
Ground Floor, Lotus State Cineplex, Petaling Jaya
Daily, 8am-midnight
Private Corner
Tung Shin Hospital, 102, Jalan Pudu, Kuala Lumpur
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As a separate initiative, the latest edition of Eat Drink KL: 100 Favorites for January-March 2014 is now online, featuring 100 pretty nice eateries, including more than 20 new entries for this quarter. This eBook of restaurant recommendations is available for free, convenient reading on computers, tablets & smartphones at this link: http://eatdrinkkl.publ.com/Eat-Drink-KL-100-Favorites-Jan-March-2014 (This link expires March 31, 2014; see blog entries after that date for new link).