Newstand Burger Cafe @ Taman SEA

Thought the Klang Valley's boom of blooming burger restaurants was over? Not quite: Here's another newbie, Newstand Burger Cafe, revving up the F&B trade amid auto workshops in PJ.

Newstand's burgers are basic, but they look decent, especially in the dense wholemeal buns. Prices start at RM15 for a no-frills burger, RM21 for a set with coleslaw, fries & a beverage, plus RM3 for add-on burger toppings.

This outlet allows customization: Order a beef burger (the patty's OK; it is what it is) & pick a preparation style (we recommend 'with classic cheese') & add-on (choose crispy pork bacon). Satisfactory for a hearty lunch.

Better still, check out the better-than-expected pork patty, herb-laced for flavorsome succulence & topped here with honey apple mustard.

What seals the deal: An add-on of pleasurably crispy pork lard (lots of it, more than enough).

Chicken burger with black pepper sauce & portobello mushroom. Not bad for fowl.

All in all, these burgers turn out fair enough & taste very fresh; let's hope everything will continue to be fine-tuned according to customer feedback.

Desserts here include Boston cheesecakes, chocolate cakes & red velvet cakes.

Newstand calls itself a "reading cafe," so plenty of magazines are available for patrons.

Newstand Burger Cafe,

58, Jalan SS 23/11, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Tel: 03-7886-3583

Open noon through 10:30pm, except either on Mondays or Tuesdays (call to check)

Foodtique @ Bangsar & Chang Xian @ Solaris Dutamas

Scrounging for satisfying Chinese cooking? Here are two fresh possibilities: Foodtique, which opened this month at Bangsar, & Chang Xian, one of Solaris Dutamas' more recent additions.

Foodtique's one of the most eye-pleasing new eateries to populate Telawi this year; sure, some folks might insist that only the taste of food should matter at a restaurant, but that's a sad repudiation of the importance of sight & our other senses in creating a well-rounded experience.

Luscious, crispy-skin goose, gorgeously roasted & dripping in savory juices, RM75 for a substantial cross-section of dark meat. Foodtique is run by the folks behind Empire Gallery's Four Seasons, so there's lots of fowl play here, from aromatic duck to steamed chicken.

Foodtique is a no-pork outlet; some people will whine about the absence of siu yok & char siu, but it's still reassuring to welcome a new Chinese outlet to this neighborhood following the recent demise of Bangsar Village's Reunion. Wine is expected to be offered eventually.

Foodtique kowtows to fusion flavors here & there; this fried rice with foie gras, smoked duck & tobiko flying fish roe (RM20) is fairly fun. Customers can also sample recipes such as salads of soft-shell crab with avocado or salmon with rocket leaves.

If you enjoyed learning about Foodtique in this entry, please remember to return to this site on Oct. 1, when we unveil "Eat Drink KL: 100F," the next stage in this blog's evolution, comprising a new resource that we hope this city's restaurant lovers will support; it'll be free of charge, but it'll require a substantial readership in order to become sustainable.

Next up, for rainy-night comfort: Chang Xian, which is flying under the radar in Solaris Dutamas.

Chang Xian puts plenty of stock in its steamboat soups: Choose from the likes of the lamb-heavy signature broth, flooded with the meatiest of flavors ...

... or herbal shark bone (not fins), peppery pork belly, bitter gourd, white fungus & more. Mostly RM4 before taxes for unlimited servings.

Pork pleasure: Kidneys, small intestines, liver & abdomen, about RM5 per plate ...

... with skin & blood. No part is wasted or too weird for this steamboat selection.

Chicken in Chinese wine (RM8), the top pick in the poultry section.

Squid tentacles (RM5); the seafood selection includes scallops, oysters & clams.

Seaweed strips & coriander leaves help bring some green into our lives.

Can't skip the eggs, century, quail & hen's, all equally a pleasure.

Delicious? Definitely. We should do steamboats more often, maybe.

Chang Xian's house-made sauces are nice too, though certainly on the spicy side.

Hurray! No corkage charge; buy a bottle at Ben's Independent Grocer to bring here.

Foodtique,
Telawi Square, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur. Beside Tous Les Jours.
Open daily, morning through night.

Chang Xian,

A2-G1-8, Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur.

Same row as Ante & Pappa Rich.

Tel: 03-6206-3928

Obanhmi & Chopstix @ Damansara Uptown

Sneaking a peek at two Damansara Uptown newbies, starting with Obanhmi, producers of the best Vietnamese sandwiches available in the Klang Valley, bar none.

 Run, not walk, here: This baguette crammed with lemongrass pork, ham, pork pate, pickled radish, carrots, house-made mayo, sriracha chili sauce & cilantro seizes a spot among the tastiest things we've eaten this year. At RM11.20, it's a lunch option that's both filling & fulfilling.

 Obanhmi's cheerful chief, Hanoi native Daniel Nguyen, & his collaborators insist on soaring standards. Fab baguettes are baked fresh here (the cafe will post baking hours on its entrance), with each bite harboring a thin crisp that relents effortlessly to make way for a light, fluffy interior.

 Try the so-called "OMG" banh mi: Melt-in-the-mouth pork pate combines with thick, creamy layers of egg, ruthlessly rich but not cripplingly cloying, fashioned into a total triumph of taste & texture thanks to crunchy veggies & minced meat with herbal nuances. 

 Obanhmi's attention to detail extends to the dressing for its banh mi: Mayonnaise is painstakingly produced in-store for more natural flavors, while the chili sauce is Vietnamese, supplying a spiciness that lingers on the lips pleasantly without stinging.

 The menu's compact for now (for breakfast, Obanhmi serves baguettes with condensed milk or eggs for south of RM5), but expect more recipes like barbecued pork & skewered beef with dips in the weeks ahead. We'll be hearing more about Obanhmi, for sure.
Keep track of Obanhmi at https://www.facebook.com/OBMshop

Liquor is not available, but this Vietnamese iced coffee proves more than pleasant enough.

 If you enjoyed learning about Obanhmi in this entry, please remember to return to this site on Oct. 1, when we unveil "Eat Drink KL: 100F," the next stage in this blog's evolution, comprising a new resource that we hope this city's restaurant lovers will support; it'll be free of charge, but it'll require a substantial readership in order to become sustainable.

 Bonus Damansara Uptown stop: If Obanhmi makes you hanker for more things Asian, check out ChopstiX, where Malaysian noodles steal a soup-soaked spotlight.

 Nyonya curry asam laksa, a bit of a hybrid recipe; the broth could be more savory, but a request for extra cockles makes this nourishing enough. Can't really complain.

 The remainder of ChopstiX's menu includes chicken floss prawn noodles, fish ball loh shi fun & Marmite chicken rice; nothing wild, but the office crowd in this parking's-impossible neighborhood isn't actually the adventurous sort, right?

 Prices shouldn't spark protests at ChopstiX: Nothing exceeds RM6, for now.

O Banh Mi (serves pork),

33, Jalan SS 21/56B, Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya. Three doors away from The Ship.

Tel: 03-7732-8540

Open 8am-8pm daily. (Note: Closed through 5pm on Sept. 4 for renovations)

ChopstiX (no pork),

17-M, Jalan SS 21/58, Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya. Same row as Village Park.

Open 11am-3pm for now; open 12pm-8pm starting Sept. 9.

Hamky Panky, Fuku Fuku & Vom Fass @ Jaya Grocer, The Intermark

Returning to Jaya Grocer's new treasure trove of eateries at The Intermark, this time to check out Hamky Panky, Fuku Fuku & Vom Fass.

First up, Hamky Panky (have to love that name), an unabashedly porky stall at the Grocerant's non-halal section of its food hall, beside Lam's Kitchen & Sun Huat Kee (see August 30 entry).

 Sandwiches rank high among Hamky Panky's stars; customize your own, filling fresh focaccia with murderously massive slices of roast pork, cheddar cheese & BBQ sauce for only RM13.80.

 Ciabatta with German black forest ham, streaky bacon & honey mustard. Substantial in size, satisfying in flavor. Note: There's now also a Hamky Panky at Empire Gallery's Jaya Grocer.

 Hamky Panky serves a real whopper of a pork burger (RM19.80), saturated in savory juices.

 Virtue or vice? Opt for spinach salad or French fries to complement the burger.

 Prefer the food hall's halal zone? Try Fuku Fuku, affiliated to the enduring Fukuya restaurant.

 Fuku Fuku's offerings are basic for now; the focus might be steamed rice (served in bamboo baskets for dine-in customers), partnered with the likes of eel & soft-shell crab (RM28 nett).

Plenty of prepacked sushi, convenient for takeaway. Udon & soba are also available here.

 We still need liquor: Here's the third KL branch of the German-headquartered Vom Fass cask-to-customer business, dealing in spirits, vinegars & oils that are freshly decanted on purchase. The other two outposts are at Jason's Food Hall in Bangsar Shopping Center & 1 Mont Kiara Mall.

 Love this Nussino hazelnut liquor (RM33 for 200 ml). Other highlights here include plum liquor with Armagnac, various single malt whiskies, Italian-produced extra virgin olive oil infused with truffles, plus so much more. It'd be easy to go overboard with shopping.

Hamky Panky, Fuku Fuku & Vom Fass,

Jaya Grocer, Lower Concourse, The Intermark, Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur.