Elephants ahoy! Packing our trunks for trips to two places with a passion for pachyderms, beginning with Gajah Tiga.
Worth the trek to Taman Maluri, this stimulating space is spearheaded by a chummy team that tackles creative cooking. The founders label it best themselves: Malaysian 'Rojak' cuisine, Tanah Tumpahnya Darahku favourites with an international soul.
Our visit to Gajah Tiga was several months ago, so the menu has evolved since then - we tried this tasty Laksa Kedah (RM10), reputedly an authentic recipe from Alor Setar, but this appears to be no longer available. No worries, there are still other Asian temptations like an intriguing 'Pho-To' (RM10), said to be a cross between Vietnamese pho & Indonesian soto.
The eggs have it - we enjoyed these protein-&-carb pairings of baked eggs in bread pies & poached eggs over potatoes & cheese, but both recipes have been removed from the kitchen's repertoire too. That's OK - there's now supposedly everything from sweet potato fries cooked with BBQ sauce for a smoky flavour to what Gajah Tiga calls the city's finest cucur udang.
Gajah Tiga has fun with its beverages too, ranging from alpokat to dragonfruit smoothies, Milo Dinosaur to Espresso Cola.
Next up, checking out Dear Azalea, where the elephant isn't exactly in the room - it's on the corridor's colourful murals outside.
This family-run cafe cheerily caters to kids, who'll try to coax their parents to purchase T-shirts, lollipops & party supplies here.
Dear Azalea (named after one of the youngest members of the family here) serves a menu motivated by comfort food - everything from baked mac & cheese, creamy with lamb & tomato sauce (RM24), to poached eggs with aioli on baguette slices (RM10), nasi lemak to sardine sandwiches, meatball spaghetti to roast chicken, plus cakes & coffee of course.
Gajah Tiga
Kompleks Maluri, Jalan Jejaka, Taman Maluri, Kuala Lumpur. Open Mon-Fri, 10am-10pm, Sat, 10am-5pm
Dear Azalea
Riana Green Plaza, Jalan Tropicana Utara, Persiaran Tropicana, Petaling Jaya. Mon-Thurs & Sat, 12pm-10pm; Fri, 3pm-10pm
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