The 20 best dishes in KL

Only a five minute drive from the city centre, the dreamy French settings of Maison Française will make you feel miles away from town. Residence turned restaurant, Maison is fitted with elegant chandeliers, black table settings and glimmering glassware, all which create a modern European feel. The menu is purely French with dishes like foie gras terrine with onion and apple chutney, roasted snails in red wine sauce with fried onion rings and sauteed dover sole with meuniere sauce. Naturally, the Le Mont-Blanc and crêpe Suzette grace the dessert menu. Degustation menus of varying prices are available for those who would like friendly introductions to French cuisine. For more, see feature.

Hit & Mrs is an attractive nook in Bangsar focusing on experimental European cuisine. Helmed by Chef Keith Choong, he deconstructs classic dishes to create modern interpretations of French and Italian classics. The nostalgia-themed bar upstairs is reminiscent of old houses complete with rattan chairs, frosted panes and peeling cabinets.

Bangsar’s new family business invokes a warm cosiness that’s best suited with café-style breakfast meals. In place of bacon is an abundance of gravlax, raw salmon cured in salt and sugar that comes in three flavours: mustard, beetroot and lemongrass, and smoked paprika. The slices are stuffed into croissants in the mornings and served alongside fried potatoes and sour cream at dinnertime. Also a special is salted beef that’s cured for ten days and thickly layered in the Reuben sandwich.

May 2014 Every now and again, a new restaurant swoops in to shake up the fine dining scene, pulling in camera-slinging spectators and an onslaught of blog reviews. Three months later, attention diverts and all parties reposition themselves back to the start line. In one swift, unforeseen move, the smack-bang arrival of Ohla Tapas & Cocktails has changed it all. Before its opening about eight months ago, KL had never seen a young chef as masterly, as passionate and as present as Ohla’s Toni Valero. Formerly of El Celler de Can Roca and Mugaritz – taking first and fourth place respectively on San Pellegrino’s 2013 world’s best restaurants list – Toni is single-handedly shifting the course of Spanish cuisine in KL. Executing fine-dining techniques minus snooty waiters and sparkly glassware, Ohla revolutionises in KL the much-needed concept of fine, perfectly executed food in an accessible setting. It doesn’t aim to be a scene-stealing behemoth, but instead appeals to the tapas-loving everyman. As Ohla is shaped into a long bar facing the cooking station, Toni encourages diners to sit across from him to chat as he whizzes puree, shovels pans in ovens and garnishes alfalfa sprouts onto dainty meats. All three of my visits to Ohla have been enhanced by this culture of casual chitchat; whether Toni gushes about importing river prawns from the Mediterranean Sea or demonstrates the nuances of a sous vide machine, he speaks with a somewhat naïve childlike joy that reels you in. Thou

Most head to Jalan Gasing to tuck into chicken rice or banana leaf, but we found ourselves at a cosy little bar on a Wednesday night, in what felt like a sudden time warp. Rennie’s House of Ox-tail, a landmark to PJites and those from the suburb’s surrounds, looks like it hasn’t changed since day one. A glance at its aged carpet and the padded bar will confirm this, but we checked with its owner just to be sure. (Nope, not one thing, she said.) You won’t miss the spot, anyhow. On the same row as Kanna Curry House, Rennie’s is fronted by a mock Tudor façade, with darkened windows that shroud the time capsule within. The bar area is what greets you first, and it’s intimate, cosy, and at full capacity, would probably require an ample amount of squeezing around. There’s a dining area at the back, too, if you’re after a meal. And do dine-in once. After all, they don’t call this the House of Ox-tail for nothing, and their eponymous dish – a generously portioned oxtail stew – is comforting and, quite possibly, life-altering. You got dumped? Order this magic brew. Just lost your job? The stew will get you back on your feet. A pint or two may also have the same effect. If you’re after draught, it’s Tiger and Guinness on tap, and they have all the usual liquors and spirits, too. Just don’t go asking for a drinks menu. There isn’t one here, but they do have a collection of witty signs and old posters behind the bar, which they’ve amassed over the years. Here’s one simian saying that

March 2014 Graze is very different from its previous incarnation, Senses. Its wood-accented interior is now cosier and more casual, less intimidating. The menu, a one-page fitting in everything from appetisers and soup to rice, pasta, main course, cuts of meat, side dishes and desserts, is very easy to understand. Graze’s new modern European concept could have a wider appeal, but in this case, with a predecessor as illustrious as Senses, it becomes a double-edge sword. When Hilton KL opened in the mid 2000s, its restaurants were the hottest thing in town. Senses was the main attraction, and through the years its food direction has seen multiple reinventions, from the experimentations with molecular techniques to a seasonal produce-driven modern Australian menu. Graze is simple and hearty, no doubt a testament to the kitchen’s fine skills in cooking and execution, but compared to Senses’s more risk-taking ventures, it feels a little uninspired. My dinner companion had the minestrone soup to start while I chose the more interesting grilled quail with warm apricot salad. The soup was flavourful, packed with cubed vegetables (as it should be), ultimately very satisfying. My quail was well cooked: The meat was tender, well seasoned, and the crackling of salt and pepper on the skin provided a delightful burst of flavour. The sweetness of the soft apricot paired well with the nuttiness of the arugula. It could have been perfect if not for the heavy-handed use of oil dressing. My

Superstar chef Chris Bauer - who was once responsible for the brilliance of Frangipani - heads the French restaurant within Troika Sky Dining, a stunning 23rd-floor space that sports a fantastic view of the city. The food here sees sparks of genius on the part of Chris in the form of foie gras satay, roast Wagyu sirloin, butter poached lobster with fried beef tendon and the somewhat deconstructed apple crumble. Technicality, intricacy and innovation are well-practised at Cantaloupe, ranking it a restaurant of high standards in KL. The bar holds an extensive range of wines and liqueurs. Awards Food Awards 2013   Cantaloupe won Best New Restaurant in the Time Out KL Food Awards 2013. It was also shortlisted Best Fine Dining in the same year. Founders Christian Bauer and Eddie Chew were named Food Personalities of the Year in 2013. Our food awards are 100% voted for by the people of KL. This way, we guarantee that popularity and consistent performance are rewarded. Food 40   Food 40 is our monthly, definitive guide for where to eat in the Klang Valley. No entry into the Food 40 has provided any Time Out team member with a free meal or other incentive. If you have eaten somewhere that you think should rank amongst KL's top 40, email us and we'll check it out: editor@timeoutkl.com.

March 2012 In an era where ‘good enough’ seems to be the mantra, rare is the gem where boundaries are strenuously pushed and every possible detail, however minute, is tended to with meticulous care. That’s why Acme Bar & Coffee – an exquisite exercise in perfection – is quite possibly the best thing to have happened to the Kuala Lumpur gastronomic scene for a lamentably long time. Breathtakingly stunning interiors (picture a converted loft in a fin de siecle building in the heart of New York) are complemented by a mood that is irreverent but stylish, playful but chic, and with a modern retro sensibility that is irresistibly infectious. A cohesive design narrative starts at the main dining room, and meanders upstairs to the loft bar and intimate niches for private gatherings. Acme may not be the first ultra-stylish eatery to hit KL, but it differs from the rest because no matter how hard you try, it’s nigh impossible to find any cut corners here. Teething problems – usually par for the course with new eateries – were also absent in their first week of operations, and service and food quality were satisfyingly impeccable even with a full house. By extension, the menu is similarly thorough, and familiar food is given a well-thought twist to produce creative new proffering. This is perhaps best encapsulated by the dunking salad, which consists of unadorned honey romaine and a jar of dressing. Deceptively simple, the salad is both visually and texturally appealing, just as th

The signature restaurant of Grand Hyatt KL is undoubtedly the hotel's best. Mornings call for a buffet breakfast of fancy eggs, toast and granola, often hailed as one of the best buffet breakfast spreads in town. The ala-carte menu is a mix of grills and steaks, seafood, sushi and a particularly glorious sashimi platter. The wine list is as extensive as the food menu, and wine can be consumed at the wine bar, fitted with a killer view of the city. With everything going for it, we don't see why this restaurant shouldn't be on every high-flying tourist's list. Awards Food Awards 2013   THIRTY8 was shortlisted Best New Restaurant in the Time Out KL Food Awards 2013. Our food awards are 100% voted for by the people of KL. This way, we guarantee that popularity and consistent performance are rewarded.

On a hill behind our old Istana Negara sits a stretch of ikan bakar stalls, but it’s Kedai Kat Jat (more commonly referred to as Gerai No. 3) that stands out. The lone man at the grill may be the silent type but his perfectly cooked, banana leaf-wrapped seafood does all the talking. It’s the freshness of the fish that hits you first; the spicy marinade complements but doesn’t take away from the true taste of the fish. For an extra kick, have it with sambal belacan and wash the spiciness down with a cold glass of air kelapa. As featured in Time Out KL's 101 things to do in KL Awards Food 40   Food 40 is our monthly, definitive guide for where to eat in the Klang Valley. No entry into the Food 40 has provided any Time Out team member with a free meal or other incentive. If you have eaten somewhere that you think should rank amongst KL's top 40, email us and we'll check it out: editor@timeoutkl.com.