Marini's on 57 @ Petronas Tower 3

There might be no better perch in KL for sipping a Sangria while soaking up the sunset; launched this month at Petronas Tower 3, Marini's on 57 hopes to raise the bar for what a rooftop bar and restaurant can be.

The entrance to Marini's can be best spotted from outside Mandarin Oriental Hotel's lobby; take the express elevator, which whisks customers within 60 seconds to near the top of the 58-floor Petronas Tower 3.

Spacious, sleek and sleaze-free, flooded with natural light in the early evening. Marini's opens by 4pm everyday, closing a full 12 hours later before dawn breaks.

Marini's on 57 features air-conditioned and alfresco areas. There'll be separate sections for an Italian restaurant and a whiskey lounge by mid-July; we're keen to see what those will look like.

And for folks keeping count, yep, this is now KL's highest-level watering hole; Skybar, Luna Bar and The View are mostly on the thirtysomething-floor of their buildings.

The trump card might be the unbeatable proximity to the Petronas Twin Towers. Positioned as both an after-work haunt and a late-night party place, Marini's seems to require reservations for the best tables.

Bar bites here are better than average too, but as expensive as expected. Nevertheless, these French fries (RM15++) are mighty fine, especially with a moreish house-made truffle dip that's buttery-creamy and earthy-fragrant.

Lamb kofta with harissa sauce grilled bread (RM28++). Giving the staff members here their due: service is lightning-swift and sunshine-warm.

Marini's happy hours stretch from 4pm through 9pm. Excellent bargains include RM25++ for a glass of Prosecco La Fara ...

... or a glass of Italian Coste Delle Plaie Rosso ...

... or a pleasurably potent Mojito.

As more eateries work to open before Ramadan, we're looking forward to the next few weeks.

In an eerie coincidence, this entry on Marini's on 57 comes a day after our Midi 57 post (the former's on the 57th floor of its skyscraper, the latter's No. 57 on its street). Perhaps that's a number that warrants a closer watch.

Rest assured, a few more up-in-the-air hangouts will open before 2012 is over; keep an eye out for THIRTY8 by the time the Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur opens in September.

Marini's on 57,
Menara 3 Petronas, Persiaran KLCC, Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-2161-2880

Midi 57 @ Bangsar

The Bangkung Row has been heating up this month, thanks to the entry of two Italian eateries that take their business seriously _ first, Madisons, spearheaded by an Australian chef, and now, Midi 57, whose kitchen is energized by an Italian.

Run by the folks behind Bangsar Shopping Center's Le Midi Mediterranean restaurant, Midi 57 takes over the corner lot previously occupied by D'Ceilo. Like Madisons, it's a pork-loving outlet.

Midi 57 features a relaxed feel that works for both romantic dates and family dinners; kick back, put yourselves in the hands of the friendly service team and enjoy some rustic bread, served with rosemary olive oil within a minute or two of placing your order.

The single-page soft-launch menu contains no real surprises, but customers craving simple Italian fare would probably have no problem with this leaf-loaded salad of herb-roasted piglet with tomatoes (RM27++).

Spaghetti carbonara (RM30++), brimming with bacon and black pepper, enhanced with an egg-and-parmesan sauce. Other pastas here include the familiar vongole, pesto and aglio olio varieties, alongside house-made fettuccine, tagliolini and ravioli with pork ragout and what-not.

Midi 57's Campagnola wood-fire pizza (RM33++) is well-executed enough, topped with plenty of pork sausages, a sunny-side-up egg, tomatoes, mushrooms and mozzarella. If it's pizza with panache and pasta with a porky punch that you want, Midi 57 might be worth considering.

With a nice red to pair with the food, the minutes turn into hours before we can notice.

Needing more to munch, we walked over to Madisons, where the crowd was easing up at 10pm.

Earlier entries on Madisons: June 4 and June 20.

Madisons' fritto misto (RM27++) comes in a snack-sized serving that's much easier to manage compared to most other Italian restaurants' sharing-for-two battered seafood platters.

Slow-cooked pork belly croquettes (RM20++), moist, meaty and marvelous with corn puree.

A nice surprise: complimentary sous-vide OP rib-eye. Unfortunately, we couldn't really do justice to this humongous portion of brawny beefiness, since we were too stuffed by now.

Madisons' cocktails are less extensive than Leonardo's next door, but the classics are present.

From Mojitos to Margaritas, everything's fairly priced and fairly potent.

Comparisons between Madisons and Midi 57 might not be warranted; both are different enough to thrive on the same street, though we hope Midi 57 will install more powerful air-conditioning (the temperature seems a little too warm) and perhaps add more adventure into its menu.

Midi 57 and Madisons,

Jalan Bangkung, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur.

Coffee Famille

One of the Klang Valley's coziest coffee corners, with a homey intimacy that's very welcoming.

Liquor-laced concoctions are among Coffee Famille's pleasures; the happily named Joy Keeper (RM25) features an espresso tinged with rum and topped with vanilla ice cream and a raisin.

Black and White (RM23) _ kahlua, vodka, milk and espresso.

Mix it all up for a comfortingly creamy concoction.

Teetotalers, try the Rwanda Maraba coffee (RM24++); the menu describes it as having "a crisp lemony acidity with notes of flowers and an aroma of grapefruits." Maybe someday, we'll have acquired the experience to detect all that.

Other creative combos flow throughout the menu, including this apricot-accented Nice Day (RM17), which blends coffee and fruit tea with milk and gula Melaka. No worries, it's nicely mixed, not sickeningly sweet.

Rose, rose, we love you: Wild Dream (14) of iced black coffee, rose honey and milk foam.

There's food too: the house-made rosemary bread sandwiches are excellent, their warm aroma partnering perfectly with fillings like chicken ham, veggies and cheese.

Moist, fresh cheesecakes are also available, soft to the fork's touch.

Coffee Famille, 

Sunsuria Avenue, Persiaran Mahogani, Kota Damansara.

Tel: 03-6150-5126

Tues-Sat noon-10pm, Sun 10am-8pm.