Pipers @ Mont Kiara & La Taverna @ 10 Boulevard

Checking out a couple of cafes, starting with Mont Kiara's Pipers, a nice neighborhood hangout for casual lunches & leisurely dinners.

Pipers' luscious layers: hand-picked crab meat, chopped avocados, tomatoes & roe-topped cream combine for flavorsome comfort cuisine.

Wild mushrooms with crispy noodles & mizuna leaves. Meat-free but nonetheless satisfying.

Asparagus risotto with a welcome surprise: crunchy battered spears & onion rings.

Wine & cocktails are available to accompany Pipers' well-prepared nourishment.
Note: Pipers replaced what was formerly Mont Kiara's Savory Bistro. It's also a performance arts venue, sometimes hosting classical music recitals & open-mic gigs.

Next up, La Taverna, tucked away somewhere off ... the Sprint highway? Or is it Kayu Ara? Damansara Jaya? Bandar Utama?

Tapas are among La Taverna's attractions. Asparagus & scrambled eggs with beef bacon might be something found in a workman's eatery on a Madrid backstreet.

For the carnivore: Beef, marinated in balsamic vinegar, braised in red wine.

La Taverna's lamb cheeseburger boasts a house-made 100-gram patty. Request a runny egg.

Cocktails & wine are all available at La Taverna too.

Pipers,

First Floor, The Fare, 10 Mont Kiara, Jalan Kiara 1, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-6211-6111

Open Mon-Sat, 11am-11pm

La Taverna,

C-G-45, Block Camelia, 10 Boulevard, Petaling Jaya.

Tel: 03-7733-1151

Mon-Sat, 8am-midnight

Wheatz & Grainz @ Taman Tun

Fanz of carbz can have a field day at Wheatz & Grainz, Taman Tun's latest bakery-cafe.

Spotlessly sunny & spacious, fresh-looking & family-friendly, this is a welcome entry to the row renowned for watering holes like Sid's, Hoofed & East 42.

Quality reigns over quantity; the bread selection is smaller than expected, but it comprises the likes of loaves mixed with U.S. potatoes, roasted garlic & rosemary, plus healthy choices made with rye, whole wheat, red millet & walnuts.

Hot treats are available too, like juicy quiches, jam-packed with veggies & chicken purchased from Encik Salleh at the TTDI market.

Toasties (RM5.90), topped temptingly with cheese, tomatoes & house-made pesto sauce. Breakfast includes free-range boiled eggs with bread & Lescure butter.

Cranberry biscotti, fruit tarts, choc chip cookies, choc-beetroot brownies, for the sweet tooth.

Cakes include blueberry ones, as well as banana, carrot & cappuccino varieties.

Wheatz & Grainz, opened this month by three female friends, prides itself on nutritious products, eschewing preservatives.

Coffee is on the menu, naturally, as are orange, apple & carrot juices.

Wheatz & Grainz @ TTDI Rahim Kajai,

46, Lorong Rahim Kajai 14, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-7732-7981

Open Tues-Sun, 8:30am-7pm

Kikyo Jen @ Puchong

Kikyo Jen's attraction: All-you-can-eat weekday lunches & dinners that currently cost RM39.90+, a fair price but not a steal, considering what's served.

The selection comprises some 80 choices, mainly stomach-stuffers. Sashimi is restricted to salmon & albacore (though tuna is sometimes available), not too generously portioned, basically of regular buffet standards.

Highlights of the maki section: Spider rolls & spicy ebi, competently executed.

Shishamo's a safe bet here, addictively fried or acceptably grilled.

Shriveled salmon & mussels? Edible, but not exactly a happy sight.

Tempura's well-prepared though, crunchy-juicy & not crazy-oily.

Battered dishes dominate, from chikuwa to calamari, small shrimp to big ones.

Skip the tofu; it's pretty pointless. Note that Kikyo Jen is expected to boost this menu to a hundred items in June; prices will likely change accordingly.

The list goes on: chawanmushi, gyoza, yakitori, yakiniku, handrolls, ramen, udon & soba.

Ice cream saves the day (sorta): Black sesame, green tea & wasabi. In the end, it is what it is; let's avoid needlessly declaring that we'd rather spend xxx more ringgit & have the buffet at xxx Japanese restaurant instead.

A free flow of Coke & green tea is supplied; plus, for every four customers, a complimentary 150ml carafe of sake (remember to remind them).

Kikyo Jen,

10, Jalan Puteri 2/2, Bandar Puteri Puchong.

Tel: 03-8060-1766

Whisky Tango Foxtrot @ Medan Damansara

This speakeasy-style lounge, showcasing whisky & cigars, is making Medan Damansara even more of a magnet for patrons needing a nice night out after office hours.

Shrouded in masculine shades on the second floor above this row's renowned restaurants, Whisky Tango Foxtrot might look like a gentleman's club, but tongue-in-cheek signboard aside, rest assured that women are welcome here.

Cigars aplenty for aficionados, hailing from Cuba, Cameroon, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua & more. Folks forking out membership fees can secure private humidors inscribed with their own initials to store their purchased cigars.

The lounge isn't large, so it'll easily be crowded once night falls. Reservations are recommended.

Whiskies & wine are available only by the bottle; our wallets might endure a hit.

Whisky Tango Foxtrot has no kitchen, but the silver lining is that customers can order food to be brought up from Medan Damansara's eateries, including La Risata, where the burrata cheese & cherry tomato salad is worth the wait.

House-made gnocchi with lamb chorizo sausages & ricotta cheese in red pepper sauce.

Wood-fire-oven-roasted beef ribs in a reduction of red wine sauce.

Poached fillet of king fish with creamy mascarpone spinach sauce.

Squid ink risotto with baby octopus & squid.

Not consumed at Whisky Tango Foxtrot, but La Risata's house wine is well chosen.

Theoretically, Whisky Tango Foxtrot's customers can also order from Gills, but we opted to stroll there instead, simply for old times' sake, since it had been years since our most recent visit to this Indian institution.

Gills seems to be less popular these days, but that's a shame, since plenty of pleasures remain on its menu, including kebabs mixed with minced chicken, lentils, potatoes, beans & cheese.

Good gravy: Lamb keema with eggs, herbs & spices pairs perfectly with 'maharaja' pilau rice.

Wine & lassi to wrap up a weekday night when thoughts of work needed to be banished.

Whisky Tango Foxtrot, La Risata & Gills,
Jalan Kasah, Damansara Heights, Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur.
Whisky Tango Foxtrot can be reached at 03-2011-2056. It's closed on Sundays.