New Restaurants, Cafes and Bars: April 2015

Run by true blue Koreans, Jeff and Juju, Ticket to Korea is a great spot for sharing authentic, comforting Korean food with a group of friends. Offering affordable lunch sets (ranging from RM56.50 to RM144.50) with a wide variety of dishes, consider visiting this restaurant for your next hearty Korean meal! Tastemaker Foodroll absolutely enjoyed the toppoki stew in the "First Trip in Forever" set — a combination of Korean chili paste, vegetables, ramen noodles, and chewy toppoki — which also comes with addictive cheese sticks and a huge portion of torched cheesy teppanyaki rice.

The craze is kicking in, and more places serving bingsu are starting to pop up. It's not hard to understand why — it's a truly satisfying treat for our hot weather! Head over to the latest addition to the family, BingSu Cafe in Damansara Uptown (same row as Epicuro and POKC), to check out their irresistable bingsu options like Triple Berry and Black Sesame. Tastemaker Tracey Wong, who likes durian, says the Mango Durian Bingsu (RM18.90) is the best she has had so far! Durian lovers, you know where to go next.

If you're in the mood for something super local, Feast is the place for you. Expect the usual suspects like nasi lemak, fried rice, chicken rendang, sago gula Melaka and more. For a nostalgic, special type of dish, go for the unconventional Mamee Noodle Salad (RM15.00) which primarily comprises bits of the Mamee Monster snack, shreds of red cabbage, carrots avocado and oranges — talk about making an after-school snack quite healthy!

Moon's Kitchen started off as a humble hawker stall serving western food at Pandan Indah several years ago. Recently, the owners decided to run their very own restaurant located at Putra Heights serving dishes like lobster, ribeye steak and much more. Don't worry, they've stayed true to their customers, and have kept the prices affordable! Their soups — mushroom (RM6.90) and onion (RM8.90) — are the best companions on a rainy day. For something more substantial, go for their grilled NZ mussels (RM17.90).

Unlike Fat Spoon which serves "grandma's recipes with a playful twist", Mei by Fat Spoon brings contemporary Japanese-inspired comfort food to the table in a fresher, minimalistic dining environment. For a rice-based dish, go for the torched salmon or unagi (prices ranging from RM16.00 - RM38.00). If you have a voracious appetite, add on some cempedak spring rolls (RM15) to complete your meal. Yes, they've brought the same highly-demanded cempedak spring rolls from Fat Spoon to Mei!

Tucked away in a quiet area in PJ5, Kelvyna Cafe is the ideal place for those looking for a peaceful meal in a spacious spot. The owner herself, Kelvyna Ng, wanted her cafe to be a space for people of all ages to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. New dishes have been hitting the menu, such as a variety of beef burgers, pasta, chicken chop and pancakes. Go for the Beefy Beefy Burger (RM22.00) if you're feeling famished—it's a pretty huge portion that is also served with a generous amount of fries and a bowl of coleslaw!

Japanese honey toast is in trend now, thanks to the newly opened Haraju Cube in Empire Damansara! They currently have 9 flavours of honey toast priced between RM22.90 - RM32.90. Apparently, the proper way (and also the messy way) to eat it is to cut the edges of the toast off and inside you will find smaller pieces of toast. Each toast also comes with a serving of honey to further sweeten your eating experience. What a delight! Burpple Tastemaker Carol recommends the Fruitation (RM25.90) for those who love pairing fruits with their toast!

Looking for brunch with a twist? Wanderlust, which means "the desire to explore something different", serves dishes like the Earl Grey Poached Pear with French Toast served with chantilly cream (RM19.00), and Slow-cooked Beef and a poached egg on toast (RM24.00). Certainly not your typical brunch options, these dishes are still bound to satisfy, especially on weekends where a little adventure is desired!