EAT Food Village

EAT Food Village: Round Two. Earlier entry: August 21.

Here's more from this Solaris Dutamas food court, starting with Kin Kin Chili Pan Mee. Even though Kin Kin's main outlet on Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman is only a 10-minute drive from my office, this was my first taste of its yolk-sloshed, anchovy-fraught noodles. Delectably creamy and savory, but I heeded everyone's advice by not pouring in too much chili.

The cult of claypot recruited us with this Hun Kee Tian Yuan ginger duck rice, a 40-year-old recipe from chef See To Hun. Well worth the calories, featuring a bonanza of steaming-hot, aromatic rice & tender, gravy-enhanced meat.

Sentul's Ah Yap potato flour noodles, fried in the fashion of Hokkien mee. Not as starchy as feared, though not as satisfying as regular Hokkien mee (dude, where's my pork lard?).

Loke Yun Hainanese chicken rice from Ampang. Fair but forgettable; what we really enjoyed was this set's freshly made ginger chili sauce (not in photo), which proved astonishingly addictive for a mere accompaniment.

Lorong Seratus Tahun curry mee. Nothing like the sight of hearty cockles to warm the cockles of our heart (though the curry seemed too oily to finish).

Bukit Mertajam yam rice with stewed pork & egg. Fragrant grains, flavorful protein.

E.A.T. Food Village,

Publika Shopping Gallery,

Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur.

EAT Food Village

This cavernous food court, specializing in non-halal Chinese street fare, is the first eatery at Solaris Dutamas' soon-to-open Publika shopping gallery.

Reminiscent of Lot 10's Hutong, EAT Food Village gathers a slew of beloved businesses from the Klang Valley & Penang under one air-conditioned roof.

Straight from Sentul, Ah Yap's charcoal wok-fried Hokkien Mee is a lard-laden pleasure, certainly comparable to Hutong's Kim Lian Kee (though perhaps with slightly less 'wok hei').

Also from the 50-year-old Ah Yap: buttermilk pork ribs, creamy and a bit spicy.

Bukit Mertajam loh bak, boasting a fresh, flavorful feel. Crisp outside, hot & juicy within.

Also worthwhile, hailing from somewhere on Penang's mainland: salted pork & a savory soup brimming with pork liver, intestines & pig's blood tofu.

Lorong Seratus Tahun char kuey teow, a mainstay in both Penang & Petaling Jaya's SS2. Decent, though some extra cockles would make this much more satisfying.

More outlets will be opening here soon, including bak kut teh from Klang among others.

Business hours are 10am-3pm daily, but they'll be extended through dinnertime eventually.

E.A.T. Food Village,

Publika, Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur.

Craft Bakers

Bread baked with passion helps to set this cafe apart from many others of its ilk.

The selection seems less than sweeping, but quality trumps quantity here. Loved the ciabatta with mature English cheddar cheese, cucumbers & tomatoes. Fresh from the oven, the warm organic wheat bread was wonderfully crusty, but not dry or chewy.

Chocolate-stuffed croissant & Chelsea currant bun. Both were equally excellent; the crisp croissant featured a rich filling of smooth chocolate cream, while the bun was surprisingly light and sweetly scented with cinnamon.

Craft Bakers' hours might seem inconvenient, since it closes by 5 p.m., but early risers will be gratified to hear they can grab some gourmet coffee here at 7:30 a.m. By the way, it looks like a slew of sandwich specialists are now opening, so here's a potential trend prediction for KL: these final months of 2011 could well belong to the bakery-cafes.

Craft Bakers Malaysia,

D2-G3-05, Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur.

Closed Sundays.

Profiteroles

Japanese savories & French sweets? Sometimes, it's the unlikeliest union that breeds the best results; in this case, the proof is in the profiteroles.

This charming cafe offers a reasonable range of basic fare _ everything from ramen and chicken katsu to gyoza and prawn tempura. We were pleasantly surprised by these handrolls, one stuffed with warm unagi and the other with tamago. There was minimal rice inside, substituted mainly with super-fresh greens for a springy crunch.

We had mixed feelings, however, about the outlet's namesake _ its profiteroles. I liked their creamy, custard-like chocolate filling, but my friend insisted they made his teeth ache.

More macarons? Really? But these do offer something different. There are several interesting flavors _ sakura, lavender, salted butter caramel _ that absolutely hit the spot, featuring less sugar compared to other macarons out there. But purists might say the ganache filling in this version is too thick and heavy.

Vanilla & chocolate sables. Classic cookies, nicely baked. Crisp and buttery all at once.

The walls here are decorated with real photographs taken of the cafe's own food, helping to create a warm, comfortable atmosphere. If all works well, this humble hideout could become Solaris Dutamas' next hip hangout.

One point: Profiteroles might currently seem impossible to find, but here are the basic steps _ take the escalator up from The Pink Sage, look for a Subway store, take the staircase from there up another level, then search for a cafe with no signboard.

A final note: no dinners are served here for now. The outlet is only open 10am-6pm, Mondays through Saturdays, but that should change later this year.

Profiteroles,

A3-01-07, Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-6205-5503

Melina

So many tempting types of honey-sweet, guilty-pleasure treats are showcased here, but a language barrier and the lack of a clear menu kept us from knowing how to narrow our choices.

Baamieh (Persian egg cake) & pistachio butter puff. Starchy and sugary, with all the aromas that swathe Middle Eastern desserts (a hint of yogurt, a splash of rose syrup, a tinge of nuttiness).

This beautifully illustrated menu that explained nothing ...

... and an Arabic-to-English dictionary were our only real guides to ordering.

Iranian Swiss rolls? We'll return sometime to investigate. Ermmm, or maybe not.

Sufficient cookies for an open-house feast to feed a multitude!

Not sure how Melina ever finishes selling its wares, since the outlet is often empty.

Melina Persian Confectionery,

Iranian Fine Pastries & Cakes,

Jalan Solaris 3, Solaris Mont Kiara, 60480 Kuala Lumpur.

Bar'licious

The sprawling complex of Solaris Dutamas remains a family-friendly hangout; even the watering holes here seem brightly lit and sleaze-free.

Kids might relish the burgers at Bar'licious, but their elders can skip those and swoop on the Mojito & Moscow Mule instead (after all, what else is the 'bar' in this outlet's name for?). Standard cocktails, satisfactory but not stellar.

Barlicious,

Solaris Dutamas.