Bistro42

Revised name, revamped menu: T Forty Two at Bangsar Village has become Bistro42 _ possibly The BIG Group's crown jewel as far as food as is concerned.

The selection is more decadent and delightful than before. This melted goat's cheese on toasted brioche with hazelnuts & honey tastes as warmly glorious as it looks. A Breakfast of Champions indeed, available all day long.

Among Bistro42's slew of heavy recipes for hearty eaters, the coq au vin might wallow comfortably in a Parisian bistro. This superbly seasoned stew comprises half a chicken _ roasted, then slow-braised in white wine with shallots, mushrooms, smoky beef bacon & ciabatta chunks.

Scallop & prawn omelet with lobster bisque sauce. Sadly, prices here have shot up, commensurate with the caliber of the cuisine. This omelet is the most expensive starter at RM39.90++, but that's also how much the cheapest main courses cost.

Baked orecchiette with lamb meatballs, sausages, Mediterranean spices & fresh mascarpone, feta & mozzarella. Diners will require caloric carte blanche to consume this hefty pot of pasta, swollen with cheese & carbs at their most weight-threatening.

Fight flab with Bistro42's spring salad, aptly described on the menu as "a riot of colors" with edible flowers, veggies & chopped nuts in ranch sauce. The dressing is less than ideal, but the carrots, cauliflower & legumes are as guilt-free as it gets.

The piece de resistance: an astonishing pear-&-avocado salad, tossed with arugula, white balsamico, shaved parmigiano-reggiano & toasted pine nuts. One of 2011's most delicious salads, raising the bar even higher for The BIG Group.

"Run, run, as fast as you can, you can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man." That childhood refrain popped in our mind as we carved up this spiced pineapple tart with gingerbread ice cream. Desserts here always leave us smiling.

Mont Blanc, essentially pavlova with marron ribbons encasing ferrero roche candy. This might look unappetizing, but the combination of chocolate & chestnut-flavored cream with crisp meringue was a triumphant textural treat.

Lychee jelly & elder flower pannacotta, a silky-smooth, cool concoction with beautifully fruity & floral flavors.

Mocha & blackcurrant marshmallows. Could marshmallows be the next macarons?

Bistro42's specialty cocktails comprise fascinating tea-based mixes. Here are the Elder Chamomile Flower (gin, chamomile tea, elder flower syrup, lemon juice) & White Sangria (rum, white wine, cointreau, lemonade, mixed fruits).

Oolong Mojito (rum, lime, sugar, mint leaves, oolong tea) & Watermelon Mar-Tea-Ni (vodka, green tea, watermelon liquor)

Peppermint Appletini (vodka, peppermint tea, apple juice) & Lemon Meringue Martini (vodka, limoncello, sugar, fresh milk, lemon juice).

Bistro 42,
Bangsar Village, Kuala Lumpur.

Ricetaurant

Ricetaurant's name might evoke thoughts of Penang's curry-soaked nasi kandar, Madrid's saffron-scented paella or Bangkok's fluffy, fragrant khao pad moo, but the BIG Group's latest venture takes an unforeseen route, exploring the soul of old-school Chinese cooking instead.

Ricetaurant (we love saying that name!) replaces For Goodness Sake, ensuring that puns continue to have a place in Bangsar Village. This dimly lit eatery is meant to conjure impressions of alleyway food stalls from a bygone era, romanticized in contemporary pop culture via movies like Wong Kar-wai's "In The Mood For Love."

Ricetaurant (there's that name again!) hosted a preview dinner on the eve of its opening this week, treating nearly two dozen guests to a feast of simple but mostly satisfying fare such as these steamed mixed root veggies.

Lotus root & peanut soup. Always adored this when my grandmother made it more than two decades ago; still love it here. Comfort food for all ages.

Be sure to order at least a half-portion of Ricetaurant's fantastic fowl: the house specialty of chicken, aromatically smoked to succulent perfection.

"Four Kings" belacan veggies. Not a smashing success, mainly because the belacan lacks oomph compared to the full-bodied versions we grew up with in Malacca.

Another standout: wok-fried cod with soy sauce. The fish seems like some kind of miracle _ immaculately crisp on the outside, achingly soft and flaky within.

Criminally addictive salted egg prawns with curry leaves.

King Toh beef steak. Tender slices of meat, cooked medium well and slathered in a rich sauce that's a little sugary, a little savory, a little nutty _ but very much Chinese.

Red curry duck confit with lychee. More Thai than Chinese, but we can't complain. The curry is the thick, relatively dry kind, somewhat similar to rendang.

Omelet with bitter gourd. One of the cheaper items on the menu; except for the soups, which cost about RM6, most of Ricetaurant's dishes start at slightly over RM12.

Braised tofu with chicken & salted fish. Too bland to really recommend; basically comparable to what a mediocre "chap fan" stall might serve.

Putting the 'rice' in Ricetaurant: claypot chicken rice. For now, there isn't all that much rice on the menu here, aside from several fried rice recipes.

Red bean soup. Perfectly calibrated in both taste & texture: not too sweet, not too watery.

Pomelo juice and apple, elderflower & lychee juice.

Ricetaurant,

2F-29, Bangsar Village 2, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2287-1566