Nasi Ulam Cikgu @ Kampung Kraftangan, Kota Bharu

Price Range: Budget

Cuisine: Nasi campur, Kelantanese style

Halal

If lunch doesn’t count to you if rice is not involved, then you’d appreciate this fuss-free eatery famed for rice with ulam and assorted lauk (like the legendary giant keli!)

Sushi Tei @ Tropicana City Mall

Price Range: A full meal here costs an average of RM50 onwards per person 

Cuisine: Japanese  

Pork-free

Nothing's worse than meal time approaching and you're bombarded with the question, "What to eat?" 

This time around, we let our pocket full of Worthy Book vouchers decide where to head to, and we ended up with a pleasant meal at Sushi Tei =) 

Franco @ 1Utama

Price Range : Slightly splurge-y (mains are mostly RM20 and above) 

Cuisine: Japanese-French fusion 

Cat-phobia-Friendly?: Yes 

Pork-free (some dishes have traces of alcohol, which they highlight in the menu)  

Franco has got it going on in this busy street in OU for quite a while now, though some may have known it by its previous label, Miam Miam. We're sincerely glad Franco won the name battle ;) 

Little Yum Yum @ Kota Damansara

Price Range : Mid-range 

Cuisine : Nyonya

Catphobia Friendly? : Yes
Halal

What started out as a wife's unbridled affection for her husband by learning the intricate ways of Nyonya cooking from her mother-in-law, is now one of the top Nyonya restaurants in town! 

FIQS Gastronomy @ SS19, Subang Jaya

Price : Mid-range 
Cuisine : Fine dining-ish 
Recommended For : Enjoying expertly crafted foods without the pretentious frou-frou setting
Catphobia Friendly?: Yes siree! 

Fancy foods in a comfy, casual space? You're looking for FIQS Gastronomy. Tucked away in a random corner of SS19, the unassuming little eatery is truly a breath of fresh air! 

The menu is delicate and thoughtful, and we had quite the debate trying to decide on our dinner dishes! 

Payuk Bali Cooking Class @ Ubud, Bali

After several days of chomping our way through glorious Balinese dishes, we decided to up it a notch and spend a morning learning what goes into these culinary wonders!

Mee Ketam KL @ Jalan Keramat, Dato Keramat

Price Range : Mid-range   

Cuisine : Noodles & Seafood 

Recommended For : When table etiquette is completely out the window 

Catphobia-Friendly? : Surprisingly, yes! =D 

So the last time we were here, we were on the Life & Times Fabulous Food Hunt. Since time was of the essence, Jules was to gulp down the steaming bowl of crab noodles as inhumanely quickly as possible (we didn't win the race anyway hahaha!). Despite the quick guzzles of the bowlful, the incredible flavours still shone through and we made a mental note to come back. 

Dim Sum A La Carte Buffet Brunch @ China Treasures, Sime Darby Convention Centre

Price Range : Mid-range   

Cuisine : Dim Sum

Recommended For : Good halal dim sums! 

Catphobia-Friendly? : Yes

One of our biggest struggles when it comes to food (makan oso got struggles! First world problems habis!) has always been finding good halal dim sums!   

For a reasonable RM50++ per person, China Treasures ends the search for us with its utterly satisfying a la carte buffet, with over 48 different dim sum dishes to choose from! 

Shucked Oyster & Seafood Bar @ BIG, Publika

Price: Splurge 

Cuisine: Fresh seafood 

Recommended For: An indulgent pit-stop while shopping through BIG's aisles 

Catphobia-Friendly?: Oh, yes 

Sometimes, you crave for something super basic like nasi lemak, which shouldn't be too hard to tend to. And sometimes, you crave for something rather specific like a platter of oysters. The question is, where to find a good plate of fresh oysters in KL? (besides buffets, that is). 

Call for Nominations: Time Out KL Food Awards 2013

It's that time of the year again! 

Yes, Raya is indeed around the corner, but we're referring to another exciting event that's also got us pumped: the Time Out KL Food Awards! 

The awards, which honour the best of the best food finds in the city, are all the more exciting due to the fact that the nominees are all voted by the public! What better way to get to know the best restaurants in town than through the eyes of its seasoned dwellers? Plus, the shortlisted restaurants make an awesome makan-makan to-do list! Here's last year's list for your reference. 

Nominations are now open until 31st August 2013, so head on over to the voting page and enlighten Kuala Lumpur on your favourite food haunts! Categories this year include Best Cheap Eats, Best Healthy Eats, Best Place for Coffee, Best New Restaurant and many more. (We had a hard time picking just one favourite restaurant for each category, traipsing from one insanely scrumptious memory to another, but pulled through somehow). 

Happy voting! =) 

Ikan Patin Masak Tempoyak @ Restoran Sri TTDI, Shah Alam

Price Range : Budget 

Cuisine : Malay (Nasi Campur) 

Recommended For : An Omega 3-loaded lunch 

Catphobia-Friendly? : Not at all  

A few weekends back, a mild craving for ikan patin was a good enough excuse for us to up and leave to Temerloh for lunch. Having a chronic craving for the fatty freshwater fish on a weekday like today, however, it seems Temerloh is hardly an option.

Sushi Breakfast @ Daiwa-Zushi, Tsukiji Fish Market, Tokyo

Price Range : Splurge  

Cuisine : Japanese (Sushi)

Recommended For : Finding out how sushi is MEANT to be

Catphobia-Friendly? : Yes

Articles after articles about the sushi at Tsukiji Fish Market conclude with a unanimous “You will never see sushi in the same way again.” It is not hard to believe their confident claims, what with Tsukiji Fish Market being the largest seafood market in the world! Where else would you find the freshest, plumpest piece of tuna for breakfast?

Homst Restaurant @ Persiaran Zaaba, Taman Tun Dr Ismail

Price : Mid-range

Cuisine : Chinese Muslim  

Recommended For : Eating with family and/or friends; dishes good for sharing

Catphobia-Friendly? : Yes

The last time we dined here, which was ages ago, we remember having a very forgettable meal. However, we were recently convinced to give this place a second chance (we were told Homst has been taken over by different owners quite some time back?) and were stunned to be met by a packed-to-the-brim full house!

“Is it always this busy?” we asked one of the smiley waiters, as he was setting up a table for us at the far end of the sidewalk. He replied earnestly, “Busy? No, no, this is not even considered busy yet…”

Despite the mad crowd, the service was highly efficient. We received our first dish less than 10 minutes from ordering. The main reason we were sold on giving Homst a retry was this:

Kokopelli Travellers Bistro @ Section 14, PJ

Price Range : Mid-range

Cuisine : Asian and Western 

Recommended For : A cosy date

Catphobia-Friendly? : Yes

We used to visit Kokopelli quite frequently back when it was located near University Hospital, long ago. One of the times that we had a hankering for their superb lasagne, our visit to the restaurant was met with severe disappointment when we learned that they had closed down.

It was only last year that we found out that actually they had moved to Section 14, PJ, in the row of houses right opposite Dataran 3 Two. Walking up the jungle-y driveway and through the glass doors, we were pleased to find that the restaurant had still retained its intimate, homey charm. Beautiful in its simplicity, with white being the primary colour of the interior, it conjures memories of a cosy cafe dined at on rainy Parisian nights.

Ramadhan Buffet @ Bora Asmara, Sungai Penchala

Price Range : Mid-range

Cuisine : Malay

Recommended For : A family gathering

Catphobia-Friendly? : Relatively. There’s a cat that makes a subdued appearance occasionally

We went to Bora Asmara with lowered expectations, what with the warnings from many a diners telling us that the food really isn’t that great and the place is highly overrated. While we value their concerns, we decided to give their buffet a try anyways. Admittedly, their food is not the best Malay spread we have ever had, but we did have an enjoyable meal nonetheless!

Thai Base @ Bandar Sri Damansara

Price Range : Mid-range 

Cuisine : Asian & Western 
Recommended For : A generally awesome meal 
Catphobia-Friendly? : Pretty much 


Thai Base. Sounds pretty offbeat for a restaurant, doesn't it? Which was why we were pretty sceptical when we were told to check this place out. We thank you, Azad, for introducing us to this unlikely, but now surely, favourite (we were so happy with this place, we actually came back again the next night for dinner).

On to the foods!

Al-Sinni All-You-Can-Eat BBQ & Steamboat

Price Range	Budget
Type of Cuisine	BBQ & Steamboat (Buffet)
Recommended For	A Middle Eastern-inspired twist on the standard grill and boil offerings
Catphobia-Friendly	Only one lazy cat around (that we know of)

We just got back from this place barely an hour ago and already we’re furiously typing away on our keyboard right now to gush to you all about this superb buffet place! This restaurant came highly recommended by our beloved fellow foodies, Azz & Yeen, and were we glad we went all the way to Bangi to try this place out! Okay, so there are a lot of places in KL that offer the whole BBQ and/or steamboat deal, but there are a few things about Al-Sinni that really makes it stand out.

Medan Ikan Bakar @ Jalan Bellamy

Price Range	Budget
Type of Cuisine	Malay (Grilled seafood)
Recommended For	As the title suggests, a good plate (or two!) of ikan bakar!
Catphobia-Friendly	Not surprisingly, there are WAY too many jumpy cats around

When talking about ikan bakar in KL, the first place that undoubtedly comes to mind is Jalan Bellamy. Super crowded at lunch time, this place is so popular with the KL working crowd that many have admitted to leaving the office way before lunchtime just to eat at this place (which is actually a smart move, considering the fact that if you reach the place later than 12pm, you can join the looooong queue of waiting for an empty table).

Ikan Bakar Tip Top @ Medan Selera Sg Chat, Johor Bahru

Budget Range	Mid-range
Type of Cuisine	Seafood
Recommended For	One of the best ikan bakars in the country
Catphobia-Friendly	There’s nothing cat-free about seafood places

As with most of the eateries we’d ambushed in JB, this place came highly recommended for food seekers. We were told that Tip Top is THE place to go for the best seafood dishes in the southern city, and our experience there did not disappoint!

Rawa Steamboat @ Taman Gaya, Johor Bahru

Budget Range	Budget
Type of Cuisine	Steamboat and Grill (Buffet)
Recommended For	Really (like, REALLY) hungry people
Catphobia-Friendly	Yes. Hardly any cats around

There are days when you can find the strength to say no to your favourite slice of cake.  And then there are some days when the glutton in you is unleashed and you feel like devouring every living thing in your path. When you’re having days such as the latter, Rawa Steamboat will be waiting for you happily! At only RM18 per head, the buffet truly satisfies.