Fast approaching its first anniversary in KL, EL&N London pampers the palate with picture-perfect pleasures - from only-in-Malaysia Nasi Lemak Arancino to international bestsellers like EL&N Fish & Chips and Nutella French Toast, there's always something tasty to try here.
Freshly launched this month is the new high tea set, complementing an indulgent range of pastries and cakes. Whether we seek a special brunch spree or a teatime escapade, EL&N London hits the spot for a delicious destination.
Fun facts: EL&N London's foray into KL marked the brand's 30th cafe and its first in Asia. Its name is short for Eat, Live & Nourish, while its mission is to provide the ultimate stylish setting for a mouth-watering meal.
Every outpost of EL&N London around the world is distinctively designed, making each worth exploring, stylishly inspired by everything from classic carnival carousel rides to golden-age diner arcades.
At Pavilion KL, the mood is bright and airy, bathed in natural sunshine that streams through the glass walls, garlanded in colourful flowers, centred by a cherry blossom tree replica at the alfresco area. It's fun and fashionable, chilled-out and cheerful.
True to EL&N's ethos of celebrating life, this is a popular cafe for people to come together and enjoy every special occasion. When we visited, we saw multiple birthday gatherings here - EL&N even offers a complimentary cake for customers who spend RM200 in-store during their birthday month!
EL&N's menu spans crowd-pleasers to creative concoctions, such as the Malaysian-Italian hybrid of Nasi Lemak Arancino (RM32). Playfully evoking a coconut husk, stuffed with a creamy-centred boiled egg, wrapped in layers of minced chicken, pandan rice and panko breadcrumbs, this is a one-of-a-kind rice-ball reinterpretation of Malaysia's national dish. Bursting with aromatic allure, complete with a rich, thick sambal on the side.
The EL&N Fish & Chips (RM42) is a satisfying signature - the battered perch is chunky, fresh and flaky, gently crisp to the bite, gorgeously moist to the chew. It's enhanced with three dips - traditional tartar sauce, mushy green peas, plus Japanese-style katsu mayo to jazz things up!
The Spaghetti Aglio Olio with Prawns (RM38) is generously loaded with fresh, full-bodied tiger prawns, the ideal seafood companion for pasta that's smoothly tossed with sautéed garlic, chopped parsley, cherry tomatoes and olive oil for a lovely lunch.
Fans of all-day brunches will relish the Eggs Benedict (RM36), reimagined with tantalising twists, with plump poached eggs, beef bacon, avocado slices, chilli butter and hollandaise sauce atop English muffins. A subtly spicy, scrumptiously savoury take on a favourite.
Not to be missed for Nutella enthusiasts: EL&N's Nutella French Toast (RM35) features fluffy-soft, house-baked brioche coated copiously in Nutella, finished with cream, cinnamon and fresh fruits. One of the most irresistible French toasts in the city centre!
There's much more to experience here, from Eggs Florentine to Shakshuka, Chicken Aioli Focaccia to Korean BBQ Chicken Baguette, Katsu Crab Burger to Baked Macaroni & Cheese, Dutch Baby Pancakes to Pandan Lava Chiffon.
On Mondays to Fridays, EL&N serves up a value-for-money lunch set: Add RM3 to a meal item to get a complimentary beverage of choice plus bread-and-butter pudding for dessert.
Save space for a slice of EL&N's brilliant bakes. We'll chirpily choose cheesecakes like the Mixed Berry Cheesecake (RM24) and San Sebastian Cheesecake (RM24, caramelised vanilla cheesecake with choice of strawberry, mixed berry, salted caramel or Nutella sauce).
Craving chocolate? Chomp on the Chocolate Rocher (RM26; hazelnut-crusted ganache with milk chocolate mousse) and Chocolate Ganache Cake (RM26; dark chocolate with chocolate sponge and chocolate sponge for a triple threat of chocolaty tastes and textures).
Other evergreen EL&N staples include Red Velvet Cake (RM26), Pistachio Cake (RM28; with gluten-free sponge, pistachio cream, rose cream and rose petals) and Strawberry Cake (RM26; vanilla sponge with strawberry jam and strawberry mousse).
Croissants in varieties like butter, almond or chocolate and sandwiches are also available for cheat-day temptations.
Newly launched this month, EL&N now serves a sumptuous High Tea Set - an artistic arrangement of beautiful bites.
Relish sweet and savoury sensations at RM88 for a single set (for one patron, with one choice of beverage) or RM168 for a double set (for two patrons, with two beverages).
The set features tiers of sultana scones and plain scones with clotted cream and jam; strawberry red velvet sponge cake, rose mousse and green apple pistachio mousse; plus truffled egg finger sandwiches, tuna mayo finger sandwiches, smoked salmon and cream cheese canapés and cheesy bites.
A refillable serving of tea or coffee rounds out the experience. Tea recommendations range from Egyptian mint to Earl Grey, Dragon Well Green, English breakfast, jasmine pearl, or chamomile, while French press and V60 drip coffee choices showcase single-origin Honduran beans, full-bodied with citrusy orange notes.
Even EL&N's beverages surprise us with their cheeky wit.
Sip on speciality lattes like the super-unique Rose Spanish (RM18; house espresso with condensed milk, steamed milk, rose water and beetroot juice) the dessert-like Turkish Delight Hot Chocolate (RM22, white hot chocolate with whipped cream, served with Turkish delight) and Matcha Rose Iced Latte (RM23, Japanese matcha with almond milk, rose syrup and rose petals). The coffee comprises 100% Brazilian Arabica bean with caramel and chocolate notes.
For the current heatwave, beat the humidity with refreshingly cool thirst-quenchers - fruity flourishes flow throughout the Ombré Passion Fruit (RM16; butterfly pea flower tea with mango, passion fruit, honey and lemonade), Pitaya Mango Cooler (RM18; pitaya and dragonfruit puree with mango juice and lemonade) and strikingly massive Chemex Strawberry Mojito (RM20; Sprite with fresh strawberries and lime).
If thicker drinks are your preference, slurp on the Mocha Frappe (RM28) and Strawberry Coconut Milkshake (RM28; blended with strawberry ice cream, coconut milk, strawberry puree, whipped cream and fresh strawberries).
EL&N London
Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur.
Daily, 8am-11pm. Tel: 03-2118-8833