Hartamas area guide

Though they specialise in vintage furniture and homeware, Arcadia stocks a whole load of paraphernalia unrelated except that they’re all cool. Limited...

Away from the harrying corridors of Publika is our pick for best bottle shop in KL. Obscured behind espressolab on a lonely Solaris Dutamas lane, Ales & Lagers...

Bang Bang Geng is not a camera shop. Owner Chin Koon Yik enshrines his impressive camera collection (there’s a Kodak Autograph 3A made in 1914) on shelves and...

We’ve heard of people driving across the city to do their weekly shop in BIG, and we don’t blame them. It has everything you need in a supermarket: excellent...

With over 3,000 costumes available, Century Fiesta should be your choice if you don’t fancy heading into the city to pick out an outfit. We were impressed by...

The charity arm of British India is now open and it’s perfect for bargain hunters who like the same design aesthetics of its mother store. The store stocks an...

This local children's label mixes textures and colours in a subdued, classy way. The tiny traditional-wear-inspired outfits are made in about 20 pieces each,...

If ubiquitous IKEA furniture and household items are too passé for your liking, then Island & Republik should be your next port of call. Featuring...

Tumbling waves, pink-tinged tips and braided updos are the name of the game at number76, the city’s latest Japanese import. The brainchild of a KL-based...

Owned by former ad man Romaizie Mustapha, also known as Rom, the idea behind Dumpster is to make sure local artistic talents don’t go to waste by...

Located within the enclaves of the ultra-hip Publika, Galeri Chandan is a unique multi-disciplinary art, design and project management group. Apart from...

Located at Solaris Dutamas, Artemis Art specialises in contemporary works from up-and-coming artists. The art gallery aims to share the stories of talented...

The Edge Galerie aims to promote local and regional art. Besides exhibiting works by both upcoming and seasoned artists, the gallery also organises auctions to...

Segaris Art Centre aims to represent the best of modern and contemporary Malaysian art. Not only is the gallery used to display artwork but also to organise...

Galeri Titikmerah is a pop up gallery by artists from Studio Rumah Terang.

This vegan joint serves up a list of local and Mexican-inspired dishes in a no-frills and cosy setting. Despite lacking any form of meat in its dishes, Sala...

While there’s no guarantee of finding your oppa here at The Cafe Chicken in Hartamas, at least you’ll have good Korean fried chicken. The menu can...

When Coquo – one of our Best New Openings in the Time Out KL Food & Drink Awards 2016 – closed in October with Chef Toni Valero moving to Singapore, it felt as...

The Spanish restaurant in Desa Sri Hartamas whips up authentic tapas, paella and churros, but the classic tortilla de patatas (Spanish omelette) is a...

With stroller parking, an ample number of highchairs and a cute kids' playground adjoining, Benbino is a welcome addition to KL's selection of family-friendly...

Founded in Nagoya, Tonkatsu by Ma Maison is known for serving up hire (fillet) and rosu (loin) breaded deep-fried pork cutlets. Signature meat aging and...

Some people say a trip to Ubud doesn’t count without a meal at Naughty Nuri’s. One must drop everything for pork ribs and martinis, and one must take photos of...

January 2013 Settling on a restaurant in Solaris Dutamas is quickly becoming one of the city’s biggest culinary conundrums, with many Publika-goers...

Not only does the first KL outpost of Real Food from Singapore source its ingredients directly from farmers, the founders also visited the farms personally to...

You're obviously here for the steaks and lobsters, and the Sri Hartamas restaurant doesn't disappoint. Have the signature flaming live American lobster grilled...

The Bee is a buzzing neighbourhood food and drink joint that serves fuss-free food and quality coffee. The cosy place fills up during brunch hour serving...

Naughty Babe Dirty Duck is the kind of restaurant you want more of in the city. Interior-wise, it has the trappings of a hip café – salvaged wood...

The monarchs of Japanese dining in KL – haughtily led by the likes of Kame Sushi – may never go out of fashion but sometimes we’re allowed to...

This yakitori bar may be under-the-radar, but its handwritten menu packs a punch. We swear by the grilled kawa (chicken skin), pork with mentaiko and ox...

Tokyo’s Kaisen Sumibiyaki Hamasho sees its first international outlet and it’s only right that Hartamas is the suburb of choice. On a Tuesday...

The team behind Toridoki only skewers the chicken or vegetables over the fire. At this yakitori bar, the chefs combine the different parts of the chicken on...

No stranger to the Japanese food scene, the people behind Kurata in PARKROYAL add another restaurant to their list with Yakitori Dining Fukuda by Torifuku, a...

July 2013 When you eat out as often as I do, it’s a rare experience to stumble across a great restaurant, and rarer still to encounter food that’s...

Taking over the impressive Haute Food Co, Tray Cafe is following its former tenant's footsteps in masterful dessert-making. The cakes and tarts at Tray are...

This café in Hartamas offers well-executed brunch fare, some of which feature their signature ingredient – wild honey. Owner KK and his uncle...

Owned by Korean partners David Son and Liz Kim, CuBs & CuPs in Desa Sri Hartamas attracts a good crowd of pet owners and those eager to hug resident dogs...

First Step’s house-roasted beans are the coffee of choice for Mont Kiara residents in the know; here you’ll find none of the pretension and heaps...

Finding this pâtisserie-café can be a chore as it’s hidden in a less trodden corner of the confusing labyrinth that is Plaza Damas. But...

A Korean eatery that goes beyond kimchi, Doma serves up contemporary Korean cuisine with a sense of imaginative playfulness that’s uncommon among the...

The Red Beanbag is a modern Australian inspired café serving up hearty portions of eggs Benedicts, burgers and French toasts among other brunch...

Previously of Penang’s Coffee Elements, Akmal Zaki is now at The Prep Room. The menu – a labour of love, quirkily hand-illustrated – features...

A cool minimal espresso bar in Plaza Damas offering an equally focused menu – coffee from BluKettle roasters plus cakes and pastries from home-bakers....

The ambiance is cool and cosy, and their double espresso is beautifully pulled with its thick layer of crema on top.

We like Coffee Stain’s medium body espresso; its intense, long finish is a result of a delicate blend of beans from Papua New Guinea (for the smooth...

The Ice Cream Bar is the latest venture by the same people behind your favourite ice cream parlour, Inside Scoop. Things are done differently here as this bar...

The good folks behind Cielo Dolci are behind Publika’s newest ice cream addition – a twee space that appropriately brings its name to life. After...

The Big Group has a sweet new addition – Ben’s Bake Shop that sells nothing but the sugary, caramelised and everything nice. Located within...

Some of the best cakes in the city have come out of the ovens at Swich. Owner Cheng uses seasonal fruits to come up with masterful surprises like the now...

Chocolatier Salon du Chocolat serves a short list of chocolate staples – brownies, hot chocolate and waffles – but shame on anyone who skips the...

There’s no screaming sign here, but in-the-know patrons walk up a stairway (hint: look for The Prep Room) to gain entry via a vault door – hence,...

Away from the harrying corridors of Publika is our pick for best bottle shop in KL. Hidden along a lonely Solaris Dutamas lane, Ales & Lagers doesn’t share the...

This closet of a space is accessible via a discreet door behind Naughty Nuri’s, the beloved Balinese pork ribs house that racks up a full house nightly. At...

Barfly takes the crown for the cheapest beers in town. How does RM12 nett for a pint of Tiger and RM14 nett for Guinness sound? Like a party. The crowd of...

We’ve made a couple of cloak-and-dagger visits to this corner-lot bar in Desa Sri Hartamas, and on most occasions, have been greeted by generous crowds...

A steady fixture in the KL night scene for over ten years now, Souled Out remains a popular hangout spot, especially among the city’s youths. The extensive...

Bangsar has gone through many phases – unobtrusive residential area, clubbing haven, arts and culture quarter, and now, café district. From the...

Populated by expatriates and upper middle class families, Hartamas is fancy – even its name says so (‘harta’, treasure; ‘mas’,...

The wide land that is Damansara has the privilege of being both KL and Selangor. It can be confusing – Bukit Damansara for example, is not exactly near...

Your cheat sheet to all the best restaurants, shops and things to do in the main areas of the city centre including Bukit Bintang, Petaling Street and Pudu.

Damansara Utama is home to Damansara Uptown, the land of hard-to-find parking spots and more cafés than you can shake a stick at. We say park in the new...

Let’s not mask the fact that Sunway is an area dominated by students, which isn’t saying that it’s a bad thing. If you need help getting...

Sri Petaling is a mixed bag of old eating establishments, massage parlours and cafés. You can get around most of the Jalan Radins by foot, although...

To say that Petaling Jaya (aka PJ) is huge is an understatement. Divided into several areas and neighbourhoods (better known as 'seksyen'), there are your...