Malaya Kawan, Setapak

Tanks for the memories: Setapak’s new Malaya Kawan befriends rainbow-hued nasi hujan panas with ayam percik, ayam balado or ayam bumbu bali amid nods to nostalgia.

Swirl, Petaling Jaya

Section 17’s friendly new soft serve shop, Swirl unfurls with a twirl of treats to make hearts whirl.

Try the vanilla soft serve, creamy-dense and milky-smooth, in a parade of playful preparations: As a scrumptious sundae showered with pandan kaya, crispy with kuih kapit; partnered with bakes like gluten-free orange poppy seed muffins; and turned into fizzy-frosty floats with passion fruit kombucha or fun flurries with a mix of cakes.

Cafe Dearest, Imbi

Cafe Dearest is Imbi's new Japanese-and-Malaysian-led bakery-cafe, a bright space for bread and brews - oven-fresh highlights include the bunny-eared usagi sesame-cheese bun and the umami melt beef bacon brioche.

Mad Bebek, Petaling Jaya

Duck tales in Damansara Uptown: PJ’s new Mad Bebek food truck features insane levels of fieriness for its Indonesian-inspired bebek goreng, aromatic with lemongrass, galangal and turmeric, full-fleshed and tender, satisfyingly served with pandan rice, runny egg, tofu and the spiciest sambal.

Find this friendly truck currently outside Public Bank.

Kick'n Chick'n, Chow Kit

KL's fresh spot for Southern U.S.-inspired chicken, Kick'n Chick'n punches through with fried-and-true fowl, golden like a June summer sun, crispy like a firecracker on the Fourth of July, complete with down-home biscuits, mashed potatoes and slaw. 

Find Kick'n Chic'n in Chow Kit's Heritage Valley alfresco food hall.

Laai Thai Kitchen, Plaza Mont Kiara

For a Thai workman’s lunch, Plaza Mont Kiara’s Laai Thai Kitchen cooks up classic single-plate sustenance of basil chicken stir-fries and railway fried rice, fast and fuss-free to fuel the body.

Xi Thai Cafe, Ara Damansara

Ara Damansara’s new Xi Thai supplies a satisfactory hit of Thai specialities, from stirringly spicy pad kra pao to pad mama, chicken noodle soup to tom yum or green curry with rice.