New Restaurants, Cafes and Bars: March 2015

At this gorgeous, light-filled cafe, a candidly greasy aglio olio with pork bacon would be a great choice for first timers. The dish is well seasoned with garlic and herbs, and the generosity of the pork bacon in the dish is to not be overlooked. Milligram brews Toraja coffee beans from Sulawesi, Indonesia - a type of single origin beans which is getting more popular amongst coffee connoisseurs. For cat lovers, look out for their resident cat, Gram, who loves hanging out at the cafe and sleeping by the outdoor seating area during hot afternoons!

Run solely by Auntie Jeannie, this cafe offers a comforting environment for anyone who misses home. Located just off the busy Federal Highway, Houshuen was initially meant to be a tea house but soon became both a place for coffee and tea due to consumer demands. Despite being a tea lover, Auntie Jeannie makes thirst-quenching iced Americanos with Columbian beans, and also offers a variety of tea in pots. For now, enjoy Auntie Jeannie's own version of fried noodles with a peculiar yet scrumptious combination of pork lard, bean sprouts and petai. Expect new dishes on the menu after Chinese New Year!

Who wouldn't want a gorgeous cup of ice cream in this heat, right? Located within the hustle and bustle of Damansara Uptown, Softsrve specialises in soft-serve ice cream with various toppings. To keep your ice-cream cool while you slowly indulge in it, the cup is placed above a bigger cup filled with dried ice. Burpple Tastemaker Michelle Cheah enjoyed the Breakfast soft-serve from their five Cereal Milk options, which came with caramelised cereal and a macaron shell (RM12). If you've got space for more than one cup of ice cream, give their churros a try!

Pop over to Grind22 to enjoy a drink and frozen cheesecake under the trees! Aside from the usual suspects of black and white coffee, you should definitely give Grind's signature Ice Latte a try. Thanks to a special ingredient (gula Melaka!), the common iced latte now has a local kick that certainly elevates it. They share free parking spaces with their next door neighbour Twenty2 boutique, good news for drivers! If you're hungry, order The Lunch Club's lunch box available here. They're absolutely healthy, scrumptious and guilt-free!

Tired of coffee? Get your day going with cold-press juices from Juicyfy Juice Bar which are great thirst-quenchers! They serve food like toasty panini sandwiches and classic big brekkies for their lunch sets on weekdays, which also comes with a free juice! A wide variety of gelato flavors are available for those with more room in their tummies to spare.

If you're on the go and need something pronto, a sandwich is always a good idea. London Sandwich Co. caters to the busy office crowd in the bustling Kuala Lumpur, serving gourmet sandwiches and artisan coffee to get your day going. Try their smoked salmon sandwich paired with a cup of coffee for the perfect healthy-yet-satisfying lunch at the office. If you're feeling ravenous, complete your meal with a pastry or two that they bake in-house -- freshness guaranteed!

Need a quiet space to do your work? Battery Acid Club is the perfect place for you! Tucked in the middle of a single row of workshops just off the road down from Masjid Al-mujahiddeen, this is no ordinary place targeting crowds, but rather small parties who wish to come together for some quiet time. Go for their coffee and pastries, sit back, relax and enjoy!

Located just a stone's throw away from Awesome Canteen, Shokudo is a humble restaurant that aims to satisfy the cravings of every Japanese curry rice-lover. Indulge in their pork tonkatsu curry rice set, which only calls for an additional RM3 for a soup and salad. This hearty portion will keep you full all day! Green tea is self-service and free flow, just like how most cafes serve free water. Shokudo is a great place for groups considering its long tables and spaciousness!

Satisfy your cravings at Go Thai, where you can get one-dish meals or a bowl of noodles that will instantly take you back to Thailand -- for just under RM10! Go for their moo ping, pork steaks which are beautifully saturated in its sweet and savory marinade, then grilled to perfection. Sink your teeth into these tender steaks and feel its juiciness claim all corners of your tastebuds. For a sweet, cooling dessert, their tub tim grob is very decent for its price of RM6, especially considering the generous amount of red and green rubies and jackfruit slices included!

This place is suited for small groups of friends who feel like catching up over a fine dinner. For small yet flavorful bites, Chef Nizam recommends the chicken bomb, smoked duck, rock lobster and the beef gyoza, all of which are the primary types of meat people usually go for. Unlike its first branch in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, this Torii branch has a bar upstairs -- the perfect way to wind down after a long day at work!