Khao by Rama V Setia City & My Elephant Aman Suria

The cult of Thai cuisine is setting the suburbs on fire, with two of the Klang Valley's top tom yam specialists _ Rama V and My Elephant _ burning brighter with new branches at Setia City Mall and Aman Suria respectively.

First up, Khao by Rama V is one of the better eateries at Setia City Mall, which features mainly predictable outlets that range from Tony Roma's to TGI Friday's, Secret Recipe to Starbucks and Papa John's to Pappa Rich.

More excellent news for Rama V fans: there'll likely be a THIRD branch opening this year, named Fa Ying, located at Paradigm Mall.

Khao's starters are perfect for sharing: the mieng kham is loaded nicely with the necessary shrimp, peanuts, lime, shallots and chili, while the crispy fried prawns are cutely constructed and the tom yam chicken with coconut milk will spice up everyone's lives.

Can't complain about the crispy catfish salad ...

 ... or the red beef curry ...

... or these shrimp and minced chicken wrapped in fried egg noodles.

Duck and lychee curry, the crowd-pleasing choice.

Larb kai. Portions and prices are fair; a meal for two here shouldn't exceed RM80.

Fried rice. Khao's menu is familiar, with no surprises, which can either be a comfort or a curse.

Complimentary hot Thai tea. Unfortunately, wine is unavailable at Khao.

Next up, My Elephant is embarking on its third branch, which should easily repeat the success of its Section 17 and Hartamas outposts.

Expect all of My Elephant's signature recipes, like thick, tongue-tingling tom yam ...

... and creamy green chicken curries ...

... and outstanding omelets here, located somewhere in between Rosemary Bites and Chatime

Crunch crunch, munch munch; these platters were part of a recent meal for friends and family. My Elephant at Aman Suria might open either Tuesday or Wednesday this week.
Note: there's no signboard yet for My Elephant.

Khao by Rama V,
LG 21, Setia City Mall.
Tel: 03-3358-3159

My Elephant,
22, Jalan PJU 1/43, Aman Suria Damansara, Petaling Jaya.

Flavours @ Telawi & Suanson @ Bangkung

Fourth time's the charm? Chef Riz Redz has opened Flavours Restaurant at the Telawi address where Nasi Lemak Antarabangsa, Nasi Lemak Tanglin and Heritage Food consecutively lived and died since 2009.

One thing remains constant: there's always nasi lemak here. Flavours' nicely presented rendition (about RM6) tastes fair, thanks to a satisfyingly savory sambal, though the rice could be much more moist and fragrant.

Flavours offers traditional side dishes to accompany the rice: have some rendang ayam nagori (RM6), or choose from the selection of ayam kampung goreng bumbu, dendeng daging balado, sambal tumis sotong kering and paru goreng.

Western fare sits alongside Asian recipes on Flavours' menu. For a pasta that partners the best of both sides of the culinary world, this spaghetti flooded with buttermilk garlic sauce, cili padi, curry leaves and crispy calamari is absolutely addictive.

Our visit to Flavours last week was during its trial run, so only rice and pasta were available. But in the weeks ahead, expect to see familiar favorites from Chef Riz's original outlet, On The Table _ such as his signature beef burgers and beef goulash pie _ surface at Flavours.
Entry on On The Table at Solaris Dutamas: June 9, 2010.

Seeking sweets, we took a three-minute jaunt to Jalan Bangkung, where Suanson's Specialty Cakes sells some of Bangsar's most voluptuously creamy cupcakes.

Besides the chocolate mousse and red velvet cupcakes, it's worth trying Suanson's madeleines, muffins, eclairs, cream puffs and everything else that's on the shelves. To trot out a cliche, each bite is a delight.

Pineapple tarts, mini ones that are no less mouthwatering than bigger varieties.

Flavours Kitchen,
51G, Jalan Telawi 3, Bangsar Baru, Kuala Lumpur.

Suanson Specialty Cakes (closes early in the evening),
Jalan Bangkung, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur.

Pierre Ledent @ BSC & Kasdi & Allen @ Delicious

Macaron mania has a shot at resurfacing in KL, following this week's launch of Pierre Ledent's booth at Jasons Food Hall in Bangsar Shopping Center.

Main entry on Jasons Food Hall: May 21, 2012.

Flown in from Belgium, these might be KL's priciest macarons, costing RM10.90 apiece (!!!). But they constitute a masterclass in creaminess, distinguishing themselves with assertively flavorful ingredients like Bora Bora vanilla and the best chocolate we've tasted in a long time.

Varieties include rum-infused Mojito, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, yuzu-wasabi, violet-blackberry, pistachio-raspberry, cinnamon, caramel-sesame, banana-apricot, grapefruit and rhubarb-strawberry. Not all are available all the time; when stocks of each one run out, it might take a week to bring new batches into Malaysia.

The macarons are stored in a custom-made sliding counter at ready-to-eat temperatures. Each lasts about three days after purchase and can be purchased in hand-crafted boxes at more than RM200 per package of sixteen pieces.

If happy ever after did exist, we'd still be eating chocolates like these _ Pierre Ledent also offers pralines in beautifully designed jewel boxes of various sizes. A container of three pieces: RM38.

The most lust-worthy ones are laced with liquor, like the sultry-smooth concoction with Champagne-raspberry ganache, or Remy Martin Cognac, Calvados-cinnamon, Irish coffee, Armagnac or cherry-Cointreau.

Hopping from one Bangsar mall to another: following a victorious debut at Dish, Chef Steve Allen worked with The Delicious Group's executive chef  Kasdi Dahari to introduce 25 new recipes now available at Delicious' outlets in Bangsar Village, Mid Valley, Marc Residences, Dua Residency, 1 Utama, Sunway Pyramid and Setia City Mall. 

Entry on Steve Allen at Dish: April 11, 2012.

We had these on Tuesday night at Bangsar Village, so we can't vouch for Delicious' other branches. But the red pesto gnocchi with arugula and tomatoes (RM22.90++) could please fans weary of mushroom mascarpone spaghettini (which nevertheless remains on Delicious' menu with other longtime favorites like the Seriously Delicious Cheeseburger).

Pumpkin risotto with char-grilled prawns, squid and toasted almonds. The seafood was fresh and bountiful, partnered with plenty of pumpkin and nuts. But the rice seemed surprisingly too watery. For RM25.90++ though, this is still worth every ringgit.

Sixteen-hour-braised beef short ribs in a mushroom broth with soba (RM32.90++), something that tastes somewhat Oriental. Here's the caveat: whatever we tried was good but not great, falling short of the heights of Dish. But prices at Delicious are substantially lower, so fair's fair.

Speaking of cheaper, remember Dish's cream of pumpkin with truffle oil, mushrooms and Parmesan cheese? Delicious now serves that soup too, in a smaller portion at RM13.90++ versus Dish's larger RM22++ one.

As with Pierre Ledent, we wrap up this visit to Delicious with chocolate, served as a warm, thickly melting pudding with ice cream (RM14.90++).

Of the opposite temperature (we love framing fearful symmetry): cold chocolate fondant with caramel and macadamia brittle.

Pierre Ledent @ BSC & Delicious @ Bangsar Village,
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Paradise Dynasty @ Paradigm Mall

Singapore-born Paradise Dynasty is our top pick for now at Kelana Jaya's Paradigm Mall, thanks to its intriguing interior and innovative food selection.

Stroll past the open kitchen of surgical-mask-wearing cooks, take a table by the Buddha statue and order the Legend of Xiao Long Bao signature sampler of eight steamed dumplings, each with different-colored skin and different-flavored soup stuffed within.

Original, foie gras, black truffle, crab roe, cheese, ginger, garlic and spicy Szechuan (RM24+). The hot broth in each of these is distinctive and delicious _ bite into the truffle one and let its earthiness wash over your tongue; the foie gras and crab roe varieties, on the other hand, bathed our taste buds in uncompromising richness.

Somewhat less successful: la mian in pork bone broth with pork belly and boiled egg (RM18+). Essentially a ramen recipe, but with Japanese noodles swapped for Chinese ones. The soup tastes cleaner but less satisfyingly complex compared to, say, Menya Musashi's.

Finish with a flourish: scrambled egg white with scallops, fish, raw egg yolk and vinegar (RM20+). Mix it up for a luxurious softness that bears the flavor of shark's fin soup, minus the guilt.

No wine is available; customers can presumably bring their own and pay a corkage fee.

Paradise Dynasty is part of the Paradise Group that also runs the popular Paradise Inn at Sunway Pyramid and Kungfu Paradise (also here at Paradigm Mall), which is a little less lovable, but that's likely a tale for another time.

Prowling through Paradigm Mall in search of booze is a tough task, since few eateries here have liquor licenses, but Plan B saves the day. It's The BIG Group's second Plan B to open this month, following the 1 Utama branch; another may launch at Mid Valley soon.

Paradigm's Plan B is only serving a test run menu of coffee and cakes for now, but the service team obliged our wine request, even though no wine glasses were ready yet. Thanks!

Paradise Dynasty,
Level One, Paradigm Mall, Kelana Jaya.
Tel: 03-7887-5022