Big Hug Burger @ SS15 Subang Square

A big bear hug for Big Hug Burger: The Klang Valley's burger frenzy has found a focal point in Subang, where multiple outlets are opening for SS15's college crowd. 

Big Hug Burger, which launched this week, is one of the nicest-looking burger joints so far, thanks partly to the fact that its owners include a graphic artist. The cafe's tailored for the young, with Justin Bieber & Jessie J playing on the speakers, a huge teddy bear for cuddling on a couch & a within-walking-distance location from INTI & Taylor's.

As far as recipe inventiveness goes, the law of diminishing returns is taking effect, but Big Hug's owners say their emphasis is on using comparatively healthier ingredients, from wholemeal buns to grass-fed Aussie beef & fresh corn oil.

Red meat to relish first: Big Hug's lamb burger (RM14, no taxes or service charge) features a house-made grilled patty, roasted cherry tomatoes, caramelized onions, mozzarella & cheddar cheeses, gherkins & lots of crisp lettuce.

The bamboo charcoal bun beef burger (RM15) comes with the same toppings & even more, including sauteed shiitake mushrooms & garlic aioli. Hearty & tasty, but no longer revolutionary, not at this point in 2013.

What's actually awesome here: the Big Hug Crispy Chicken Chop burger (RM19 with extra egg), boasting a jumbo chunk of ultra-juicy thigh meat, onion rings, pineapple slices & an uber-creamy "secret sauce" that's absolutely addictive. This is the one to order.

 Fun for fish fans: Salmon fillet & battered dory burgers (RM14 & RM12) respectively.

Herb-sprinkled fries, soft & fluffy-thick, though missing the crisp that some might prefer.

We've buried the lead here: one major teething trouble must be noted. On opening day, some among the stunningly patient lunch crowd of 50-plus patrons had to wait over two hours (!!!) for their burgers to be served (150 minutes to be exact, enough time to drive to Malacca or watch most of The Godfather: Part III).

In other words, some who ordered at 12:30pm only ate at 3pm. Many might advise not coming at peak hours to avoid swamping the three-member kitchen crew, but here's a caveat: Big Hug opens noon through 10:30pm, but on the first day, the burgers were sold out hours early. The terrific news is the owners have vowed to make improvements very soon.
Update: As of May, the waiting time has improved to below thirty minutes at peak hours.

Big Hug Burger,

CT-G-03, Subang Square Corporate Tower, Jalan SS15/4G, Subang Jaya.

Tel: 03-5613-4788

Closed Mondays.

Cafe Blu @ Bukit Bintang

This cool-looking cafe has sprouted seemingly out of nowhere, outside Sungei Wang Plaza.

Cafe Blu offers two intriguing settings: Take a table in the air-conditioned interior, where windows supply glimpses of cars speeding toward Bukit Bintang ...

... or snatch a seat at the alfresco section, perfect for pedestrian-watching & graffiti observation.

Tapas whipped up by a Singaporean chef might be the top temptation here. Choices include the miso-glazed eggplant stacked with hummus & feta (RM20+) ...

... as well as crisp coriander fish cakes coupled with chili tomato jam ...

... & sauteed mushrooms (RM12+) made mouthwatering with garlic & a splash of cider.

Additional attraction: The Milkshake Factory has relocated here from Jalan P. Ramlee, so customers can come to Cafe Blu to savor shakes with plenty of potential mixers, from Mars bars to Kellogg's Pop-Tarts. Cafe Blu also serves its own ice cream, ideal for hot afternoons.

Cafe Blu provides no liquor, but no need to be blue about that; we can always paint the town red at some other outlet, like Mid Valley's Blu Med.

Blu Med whips up fun cocktails, including this one-of-a-kind Cempedak Daiquri (!!!).

Also creative: a creme brulee martini, made with rum, creme de cacao, milk & kahlua.
Entries on Blu Med's food: Jan. 17 & Feb. 7.

Cafe Blu @ Bukit Bintang

Cafe Blu,

Jalan Sultan Ismail, Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2630-9415

BurgerByte @ Taman Dato Senu, Sentul

KL's truest burger buffs must nowadays be as scent-savvy as bloodhounds, sniffing out even the faintest fragrance of meat & tracking it tenaciously through tricky territory. 

Traveling to Sentul's warung wonderland might seem highly illogical, but this trek to boldly go where few burger fans have gone before beamed us up into a new-generation eatery that melds a street stall's suppertime sloppiness with a hipster cafe's contemporary creativity.

BurgerByte nonetheless knows who its main patrons in this culinary-conservative neighborhood will be, so the menu features no overly outre components such as charcoal-black buns, beetroot-colored mayonnaise or peanut-butter-on-patties.

 Fun but not flustering burgers with a bite here come topped with the likes of cilantro-spiked pesto, garlic butter or jalapeno peppers, elevating what would be merely enjoyable into something somewhat more memorable.

The house-made patties (choose beef or chicken, both the surprising equal of each other) are reassuringly respectable, seasoned sufficiently to supply savoriness, not saltiness, & juicy-firmly chew-worthy, neither profligately processed nor densely dry.

Our recommendation's this one with Tex-Mex beef chili, tortilla chips & an egg; but despite its potentially crowd-pleasing deliciousness, there's no real crowd so far at BurgerByte, possibly because the cost of most offerings here surpass RM10.

 Still, the very existence & veritable enthusiasm of BurgerByte might encouragingly reflect how _ in matters of food & other important instances _ the tide of change rises slowly & sometimes shakily, but its eventual triumph should prove unstoppable.

BurgerByte has branches in Sentul's Taman Dato Senu & Ampang Jaya's Kolam Air Lama. 

BurgerByte,

832B, Jalan Sentul Murni, Taman Dato Senu, Sentul, Kuala Lumpur.

Sentul branch opens daily, 630pm-1am.

Il Faro @ Pavilion

Il Faro feels fairly vulnerable to the elements, making this semi-alfresco restaurant quite a fascinating stop during ferocious thunderstorms.

While winds howled & rain pounded outside, we settled in for a long look at Il Faro's lengthy list of mainly Mediterranean marvels. Even on a chilly day, a cold soup can be fun: Gazpacho with hard-boiled eggs & crunchy croutons (RM12.90 before taxes).

Roasted beetroot hummus. Now here's something we've never encountered before, a blend of blood-red beet & mashed chickpeas that's really refreshing.

Crispy pita chips with brie cheese, marvelous for mindless munching.

Avocado & gorgonzola cheese combine with tomatoes & herbs for a satisfactory salad.

Turkish-style honey-spiced chicken with lime yogurt. Could be lunch for a light eater.

Bread with crispy beef bacon & sage. Il Faro, which opened this year, has attracted little fanfare compared to neighbors like Circus, The Pressroom & La Boca, but it's a nice, unassuming nook with a menu that's distinctive. Well worth visiting.

Not Pavilion's best cocktails, but passable: Dirty Martini & Il Faro Special (vodka, whisky, rum, tequila, gin, blue curacao, beer, sour mix, cranberry juice).

Red blazes through, in wine on its own (RM23 by the glass) & in a tasty Sangria.

Coffee cocktail, mixed with Baileys, kahlua & frangelico. Yums.

il Faro Bistro & Lounge,

Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2101-4979

Bone Marrow Burger @ Ril's Bangsar

Returning to Ril's at Bangsar for its recently launched carb-laden, creativity-loaded lunch menu.

Earlier entries on Ril's in Bangsar: Dec. 31 & Jan. 27.

Now available every afternoon: the behemoth of a Burger Royale (RM56 before taxes), boasting a house-made beef patty with (deep breath!) bone marrow, foie gras, cheddar cheese, caramelized onions & roasted garlic puree.

The pinkish patty would be awesome even alone, but the full package offers big bites of brilliance, not for the fainthearted or the weak-kneed.

Pour plenty of gravy, laced with morsels of marrow, & enjoy with chunky chips & purple slaw.

Other (slightly) less devilish dishes, for lighter lunches, include toasts with truffle-oil-tinged scrambled eggs, cream cheese, rocket & parmesan shavings (RM26) ...

... as well as more foie gras, this time spread in the style of a pate/mousse/terrine with camembert cheese & red onion jam (RM32).

Bready bunch: Every meal here includes rolls, Ril's addictive onion buns with garlic butter.

Desserts feature no scarcity of starch either: Ril's brunch/lunch menu has highlights like chocolate French toast with Nutella, bananas & cream (RM16) ...

... & (peanut butter alert!) deep-fried peanut butter & jelly sandwich with sticky toffee sauce & cinnamon whipped cream (RM16).

Advance orders might ensure that customers can still sample the lunch menu in the evening, when the bar springs to life & serves some of Bangsar's best cocktails, including this one with Campari-baked cotton candy, gin & vermouth.

See http://www.keek.com/eatdrinkkl/keeks/gtsEbab for how this Cotton Candy Negroni is served.

Only Jerks Smoke: Smoky whisky, lime juice, passion fruit, apple brandy, sugar, lemon zest & more whisky, sprayed on the rim.

Champagne Fizz: Champagne, cognac, angostura bitters & a brown sugar cube.

Ril's @ Telawi, Bangsar,

30, Jalan Telawi 5, Bangsar Baru, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2201-3846