Ben & Col Cafe, Taman Universiti

Helmed by husband-and-wife founders harnessing Penang family recipes, PJ’s Ben & Col serves home-made lor bak with a pleasantly meaty bite and juicy bang kuang char flavourfully laced with pork belly, convincing of a matriarch’s careful cooking.

Asian rice platters are also an attraction - Thai pad kra pao satisfies with a spicy punch.

MendeD Cafe, Kepong

Homalomenas and hojicha cream cakes: MendeD is the new cafe inside Kepong's LitiGreen houseplant store, soothing the senses with lattes and lushness.

Limapulo Terrace, Tong Shin Road

Tong Shin Road's Limapulo Terrace is the new spin-off of the Limapulo family of restaurants, serving Peranakan classics in a charismatic space that channels 1960s charm. Pair the signature Nyonya laksa, sultry and soulful, with the Baba tea, laced with gula Melaka for soothing sweetness.

Ting Shan, Tuah 1895

Ting Shan is the flagship Chinese restaurant of Bukit Bintang's new Tuah 1895 dining hub, serving specialities that span classic dim sum to Cantonese and Szechuan creations like mala roasted kampung chicken, chilli crab soup dumplings, and lotus roots stuffed with sticky rice.

Nomad's, Chinatown

A minute’s walk from Central Market, Nomad’s is a welcomingly weathered new cafe that woos wanderers from around the world.

Nomad’s comforting cooking crosses cultures, from Japanese kare raisu with crackly karaage chicken and soft omelette to U.S. Dutch pancakes, puffy-eggy and bronzed with berries and Bulla ice cream, paired with the piquant Matcha Lemonade and Grapefruit Green Tea.