Malay Mail • 4th October 2026

Asian Rice Pot, Kelana Jaya: South Indian mixed rice that’s still a neighbourhood favourite 20 years on

PETALING JAYA, Oct 4 — What is the function of a restaurant? Plainly, it is a business that serves food and beverages to customers. But beyond the commercial and financial incentives behind any business, restaurants are unique in how widely they vary: from bare-bones operations where the relationship between customer and business is purely transactional, like a fast-food outlet, to high-concept, luxury establishments where dessert comes with a side of discourse, and then the bill. Restaurants often...

Malay Mail • 1st October 2026

A day in Bengaluru: Flower markets, Andhra bhojanam and Farmlore, a produce-driven restaurant set on a 33-acre farm at the edge of India’s Silicon Valley

BENGALURU, Oct 1 — Bengaluru, the capital of the southern Indian state of Karnataka and the country’s third-most populous city, is perhaps best known as India’s “Silicon Valley”. It is home to the headquarters of Infosys and Wipro, two of India’s “Big Six” IT companies, and to multinational giants like Amazon, Microsoft and Google, which unveiled its “Ananta” campus in 2025, a sprawling 12-storey structure of roughly 1.6 million square feet, with seating for more than 5,000 employees. I visited th...

Malay Mail • 27th September 2026

At Lucky Garden’s Madam Tim Chicken Rice, a comforting chicken rice laced with a remarkable ginger paste

KUALA LUMPUR, Sep 27 — In the never-ending, self-destructive pursuit of the newest, hottest, most viral food, we’ve forgotten the capacity of a run-of-the-mill, everyday meal to excite and satisfy — and, more than that, to jolt us awake from the AI-generated negative feedback loop we call our daily routine. Or maybe that’s just me. Every neighbourhood should have a place like that: a restaurant or a stall that keeps you well fed, even tantalises the senses, without drawing too much attention to i...

Malay Mail • 25th September 2026

Seputeh’s Kedai Makanan dan Minuman Ah Gan is reborn as AG. Deli & Charcoal Grill, serving housemade charcuterie and steaks grilled over an open flame

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 25 — When chef/butcher/restaurateur Logan Terence Lopez converted his Seputeh central kitchen into Kedai Makanan dan Minuman Ah Gan last year, all he hoped to do was utilise the space more. The plan was simple: noodles, rice, and old-school dishes like roti babi. Then he started serving a garlic pork roulade that really took off. Viral fame followed, along with the inevitable crash-and-burn of multiple slammed services. Business was good, if chaotic and unsustainable. It had becom...

Malay Mail • 20th September 2026

L’entrecôte de Potager in Bamboo Hills serves KL’s most refined steak frites

KUALA LUMPUR, Sep 20 — When I wrote about the surge in bistros opening up in the Klang Valley a few months ago, I could have swapped just about every mention of “bistro” for “steak frites”, and the story would’ve still worked. In fact, it probably would’ve covered an even wider range of eateries; such is the portability of the dish that it turns up in all shapes and sizes, from the classic version in all-day bistros to budget-friendly variants in cafes and even loosely inspired renditions in sha...

Malay Mail • 17th September 2026

The early bird gets the worm at Nasi Lemak Abu in Kelana Jaya

PETALING JAYA, Sep 17 — Happy belated Malaysia Day. I hope you were able to stay safe from the haze, show off your allegiance to the country by bidding for special car plates, or at the very least, hand over your hard-earned money to corporations pretending to care about Malaysian history by incorporating it into a promotional campaign. No, no, I get it — the drink is only RM6.30. It’s very clever. In some ways, this article risks being guilty of the same contrived approach: a nasi lemak story an...

Malay Mail • 13th September 2026

Enjoy a satisfying plate of ‘char kuey teow’ from Pei Yin Char Kuey Teow at 111 Bee Fatt Restaurant, Damansara Utama 

PETALING JAYA, Sep 13 — In this line of work, I get all sorts of tips in all shapes and sizes. Over drinks with a friend. Chatting with my aunt(ies). Being sent a zoomed-in screenshot of my friend’s colleague’s boyfriend’s sister’s Instagram story — you know, the sort of boots-on-the-ground journalism we’ve come to expect in our time.In a first, I was tipped off to a char kuey teow stall after my parents tried it at a birthday party. It was a grand affair — the sort with themed costumes and besp...

Malay Mail • 11th September 2026

Sun Kar Hee Restaurant in Taman Kok Lian serves up seafood delight with their ‘pao fan’

KUALA LUMPUR, Sep 11 — The first time I tried pao fan — a classic Teochew dish of rice submerged in a pork or seafood broth, usually topped with crispy rice — it unlocked something in me. Growing up, I did enjoy my rice sufficiently lubricated, but submerging it entirely in broth felt a touch too close to congee territory, which I hated. I wanted banjir, not Guantanamo. Any concerns about rice soaked to a soggy, mushy death in coloured water were immediately quelled by the first mouthful. My first...

Malay Mail • 6th September 2026

Root House by gēn, Penang: Chef Johnson Wong’s plan to evolve Malaysian-Chinese cuisine by going back to its roots

GEORGE TOWN, Sep 6 — Root House by gēn opened this year inside the newly restored 1926 Heritage Hotel on Jalan Burma, the latest restaurant from chef Johnson Wong following gēn and Communal Table by gēn. The recipient of the Michelin Guide Kuala Lumpur and Penang 2024 Young Chef Award, Wong built his name by spotlighting Penang produce at his fine-dining flagship, gēn. Root House takes the same produce and explores it through a distinctly Malaysian-Chinese lens, spread across the dialect groups...

Malay Mail • 3rd September 2026

Swee Xiang Restaurant, Klang: This ‘hong bak’ is king in ‘bak kut teh’ country

KLANG, Sept 3 — My friend and colleague Keertan, who has the biggest collection of colourful shirts in the office, recently graduated with a Master of Public Policy degree. It was a moment of celebration not just for him, but for me too, as it had been the main thing putting off our long-overdue makan appointment. It was one that I was determined to make him keep, as he’s the only person I know willing to make the 30-plus minute trip to Klang on a weekday for lunch with me. Which is why, on a rec...

Malay Mail • 30th August 2026

Jason Yeoh on two decades in Malaysian food TV, why he’s not afraid of losing tradition and his new series, ‘Axian’s Local Eats’

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 30 — Long before the age of content creators, AI-generated scripts and “influencer voice,” there was the food television boom. The turn of the century was the golden age of food and travel programming on TV: Andrew Zimmern, Bobby Chinn and David Rocco took viewers to the far reaches of the globe — though I always got a tickle watching them exoticise food from our part of the world — and then, of course, there was the man himself: the very face of food and travel TV, often imita...

Malay Mail • 28th August 2026

Kedai Makanan Soon Kee: Shark ‘lips’ and one fearless ‘si tau po’ in Segambut

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 27 — “Is this the right place?” my girlfriend asked. “I don’t know. My dad said to look for a bunch of car workshops, and I assume these are the workshops we’re looking for.” I replied, painfully aware that this end of Segambut is practically made up exclusively of car workshops. Ever since my father’s office moved to Jalan Ipoh a few months ago, he’s become our household’s de facto guide for the best food around Jalan Ipoh and Segambut. We were following up on a tip from him...

Malay Mail • 23rd August 2026

Chef Andy Choy on his culinary journey, building a restaurant empire and his upcoming fine dining restaurant Villa A.C. in Kuala Lumpur

PETALING JAYA, Aug 23 — There’s no other way to say it: chef Andy Choy is building an empire. In the last two months, he’s either revamped or opened four new brands. June saw the arrival of Mala Bistronome, a fusion malatang spot in TTDI born out of Zaataru, the short-lived collaboration with Ameer Alzalek (Leen’s, S.A.J. Bistronomy) and Joel Kirk. In July, his hospitality group Cendul debuted Fleur Bakehouse, a Peranakan-inspired viennoiserie on the ground floor of Menara Access World in Seksyen 1...

Malay Mail • 20th August 2026

How to actually pair wine with Malaysian food

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 20 — As a country, Malaysia is what you would call a “dry culture”. It has nothing to do with rainfall or water supply, but everything to do with alcohol. In a wet culture, drinking is routine, woven into daily meals — a pint at a pub lunch in the UK, a glass of wine with dinner in France. In a dry one, it gets pushed to the edges: weekend parties, big celebrations, the after-work beer, the occasional brandy binge at a wedding. Wine has come a long way here since the days of Jac...

Malay Mail • 16th August 2026

Tsukishima Monja Koboreya, Bukit Bintang: KL gets its first taste of Tokyo’s ‘monjayaki’

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 16 — The phrase “ugly delicious” gets thrown around a lot to describe dishes from our part of the world. It’s meant as a self-aware compliment: this won’t look good on Instagram, but it’s tasty. It’s real. Authentic. And yet, it’s never sat right with me. Why are some dishes — sometimes entire cuisines — deemed “ugly,” and others not? More pressingly: why do “our” dishes make up so much of that first category? Any wannabe food stylist can turn a charcuterie board or a pasta tray...

Malay Mail • 14th August 2026

Asia Curry Noodle Cafe, Ara Damansara: Come for the curry ‘mee’, stay for the coconut shell-roasted pork

PETALING JAYA, Aug 14 — My unceasing, all-consuming love affair with curry mee is well documented: I eat it, and write about it with the same undiminished joy. And if the many bowls I’ve slurped down have taught me anything — some good, some great, some a crime against curry mee — it’s that good curry mee can come from anywhere. Sometimes it’s from a place you least expect. When I visited Tian MiMi Secret in Ara Damansara earlier this year, I drove past Asia Curry Noodle Cafe on my way out. The pro...

Malay Mail • 9th August 2026

After Leen’s and S.A.J. Bistronomy, chef Ameer Alzalek ventures into ‘shawarma’ with Bab Shawarma and Grill in TTDI

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 9 — When chef and restaurateur Ameer Alzalek started Leen’s, he was selling hummus and traditional Syrian dishes at pop-ups and for home delivery during the pandemic. A dedicated following formed, and by the end of 2022, Leen’s had a brick-and-mortar home in TTDI. A year later, S.A.J. Bistronomy, its sister restaurant, opened basically next door. Then, in 2024, Leen’s was awarded a Bib Gourmand by the Michelin Guide, a recognition it has held onto since. After spending a decade...

Malay Mail • 6th August 2026

Tendon Kohaku: The ‘tendon’ chain bringing satisfying ‘tempura’ rice bowls to TTDI

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 6 — When I was younger, in my early twenties, my party trick was boring dates with facts like “You know, tempura actually originated with Portuguese Jesuits arriving in Japan”. It was almost always met with a flat “Wow, that’s so interesting.” Occasionally: “What’s a Jesuit?” And now, reader, you find yourself on the receiving end. Peixinhos da horta, a Portuguese dish of battered and deep-fried vegetables – usually green beans – is widely seen as the precursor to Japanese tempur...

Malay Mail • 2nd August 2026

Koha Bistro, Old Klang Road: A Dewakan alum brings restraint and refinement to all-day bistro fare

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 2 — The profile of a chef has never been bigger than it is today. Food media — us included — are mostly responsible for that, and the trend really took hold in the early 1990s, when television turned the likes of Emeril Lagasse and Bobby Flay, and later Gordon Ramsay, into household names beyond the restaurant world’s own circles. But the social media age has taken that attention further still. As restaurants scramble for new ways to stand out, even chefs well outside the fine...

Malay Mail • 31st July 2026

At De Maw Restaurant in Cheras, the bony ‘ikan terubuk’ is cooked soft enough to eat whole

KUALA LUMPUR, July 31 — The fish arrived at the table. There isn’t much on the plate, just the fish accompanied by a plastic figurine of a man fishing. A server brings bowls of oil, seasoned soy sauce, crispy garlic bits, thin strips of fried ginger, and coriander for garnishing, followed by two wide spoons that she wields like twin axes. After a brief pause to allow me to whip my phone out and hit record like a gormless influencer, she begins cutting into the fish. Crrr-ack. Crisped up by the care...

Malay Mail • 29th July 2026

Two Malaysian bars named in Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2026: Three X Co named the Best Bar in Malaysia at No. 32, while Bar Trigona ranks No. 38

MACAU, July 29 — Last night, two Malaysian bars were named in the 2026 edition of Asia’s 50 Best Bars at a ceremony in the Wynn Palace, Macau. Despite dropping from last year’s No. 15 ranking to No. 32, Three X Co earned the title of Best Bar in Malaysia after Penrose’s surprise drop out of the 50 Best list. Hidden away on the third floor of Bangsar Shopping Centre, the bar has been an integral part of the Klang Valley cocktail bar scene since it was founded in 2017. It first appeared on the Asia...

Malay Mail • 26th July 2026

Fine dining is dead. Long live fine dining

COMMENTARY, July 26 — Last month, I finished the final season of The Bear, the FX drama about fine dining chef Carmy Berzatto who returns home to run his late brother’s sandwich shop. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since. For one, it was immensely rewarding to watch Richie Jerimovich — once bitter and broken after the loss of his best friend, Carmy’s brother Michael — evolve into a slick, lovable, foul-mouthed, front-of-house manager who found newfound purpose staging at a three-Mi...

Malay Mail • 23rd July 2026

Duo Dining brings OUG’s seafood pork noodles to Desa Sri Hartamas

KUALA LUMPUR, July 23 — We’ve all had this experience. You’re hanging out with friends, talking about where you like to get your nasi lemak, your char kway teow, and then you hear that dreaded phrase. “Wah, so far? Cannot lah.” I’ll admit, I used to think little of people who consider themselves “foodies” and weren’t willing to drive for food. But I’ve come around to recognise the persuasive powers of the two P’s — parking and petrol. I sympathise now. For years, there’s been one place I haven’t...

Malay Mail • 22nd July 2026

Arthur Chang crowned champion of Malaysia Best Sommelier Championship 2026, sweeps four awards

KUALA LUMPUR, July 22 — Arthur Chang has been crowned champion of the Malaysia Best Sommelier Championship 2026, organised by the Sommelier Association of Malaysia (SOMLAY) at St Giles Mid Valley from July 17 to 19. Speaking to Malay Mail moments after the announcement, Chang said relief was the first thing he felt. “I finally started to breathe again. I was just holding my breath the entire time,” he said, adding that the competition was far from easy. “It’s given us a lot to think about in term...