Exotic Middle Eastern fare

Malaysia is a land of many cuisines much to the delight
of visitors and locals alike. The list below sourced
from The Star is a list of the many restaurants in
Kuala Lumpur that serve exotic Middle Eastern fare.

INDULGE in an exotic spread of Middle Eastern delights at The Benteng at Quality Hotel City Centre. Available for lunch, the promotion features five menus which are rotated daily, with each selection comprising more than 40 dishes. The spread includes Avocado, Orange and Almond Salad, Ruz bil-loz wa bil Tamar (Rice with Almonds and Dates), Grilled Lamb Koffa, Beef Roll with Garlic and Tomato Sauce, Seleq (Lamb in Rice Cooked with Milk), Stuffed Squid and Chicken Sharmarma. The promotion, priced at RM39++ per adult and RM19++ per child, ends on Friday. For reservations, call 03-2693 9233 ext 8023 / 8034 / 8033.

GLORIA JEANS COFFEE: Suria KLCC, Grd Floor (Tel: 03-2166 5299). Business Hrs: Sun-Thurs (noon-2am), Fri, Sat & Public Holidays (noon-3am); Emporium Beach Club (Tel: 03-2166 9113). Business Hrs: Sun-Thurs (noon-2am), Fri, Sat & Public Holidays (noon-3am); Gleneagles Intan Medical Centre, Jalan Ampang, KL (Tel: 03-4251 8882). Business Hrs: Daily (8am-11pm); Plaza Mont' Kiara, Mont Kiara, KL (Tel: 03-6203 1933). Business Hrs: Sun-Thurs (8.30am-1am); SS2 PJ, No. 2, Jalan SS2/67, PJ (Tel: 03-7877 0331). Business Hrs: Sun-Thurs (11am-midnight), Fri, Sat & Public Holidays (11am-1am). A comfortable outlet, which uses premium coffee and whole beans. There is an array of ice-blended drinks like mocha, espresso, vanilla, fruit and chocolate. Highlights include Braised Lamb Shank, Chicken Hot Dog, Chicken Pie a la Mode, Cheesy Melt and Caesar Cajun Salad.

GAIA BISTRO, No. 27, Jalan Alam Jaya 21, Taman Alam Jaya, Batu 9, Cheras, KL (Tel: 03-9074 4202 / 03-4108 8994). Business Hrs: Daily, lunch (11.30am-2.30pm); dinner (6pm-1am). Serves hawker fare, Western dishes, snacks and noodles in generous portions.

EURO DELI UPTOWN, 53 Jalan SS21/1A, Damansara Utama, PJ (Tel/Fax: 03-7729 1112), EURO DELI GRILL, Jalan Yap Kwan Seng, KL (03-2162 6991) & EURO DELI SHOP, Damansara KIM (Tel: 03-7726 7495). Business Hrs: Daily (10am-10pm). Non-‘halal’. Serves traditional, authentic German and Swiss food and over 100 types of sausages, including several popular European varieties. Sizes range from cocktail sizes to those measuring 17mm to 50mm. Some of them are Malaysianised, such as the ‘satay’, ‘rendang’ and ‘char siew’ sausages. It has about 12 types of German beers or juices.

SHROOMS RESTAURANT, Lot 139, 1st Floor, Suria KLCC, KL (Tel: 03-2166 5633). Business Hrs: Daily, lunch (noon-2.30pm); dinner (6pm-10.30pm). Offers French cuisine fused with Oriental cuisine. Shrooms Early Bird Dinner is from 6pm to 7.30pm daily. Gourmet Set Lunch and Dinner are also available, with a weekly menu change.

SHEESH MAHAL RESTAURANT, No. 33 Jalan SS15/5A, Subang Jaya (Tel: 03-5621 3671). Business Hrs: Mon-Fri, lunch (11.30am-3pm); dinner (6pm-10.30pm); Sat & Sun (11.30am-11pm). Specialises in Moghul cuisine, which is well known in Pakistan and Northern India.

CHAKRI RESTAURANTS, Imperial Chakri Palace Suria KLCC (Tel: 03-2382 7788 / 0276), Chakri Palace Plaza Mont Kiara (Tel: 03-6203 3770 / 780), Chakri Palace KLGCC (Tel: 03-2095 5218). Business Hrs: Daily (11.30am-10pm). Varies from one outlet to the other. The menu varies between outlets. Imperial Chakri Palace serves strictly Thai cuisine while the rest serve Western and Malaysian food. Value-for-money meals with set lunches and speciality dishes available. Catering services available.

SANTINI@SURIA, KLCC, Lot No. G45B, Ground Floor, Suria KLCC, KL (Tel: 03-2382 0329). Business Hrs: Daily (11am–midnight). An outdoor bistro that offers Italian cum American fare amid a casual and relaxing atmosphere. A good venue for a quick snack or a proper dinner.

SARI RATU GRAND RESTAURANT, 42-2 Jalan Sultan Ismail, Bukit Bintang, KL (Tel: 03-2141 1811). Business Hrs: Mon-Wed (10am-11pm); Thurs-Sun (10am-2am). 'Halal'. Known for its Nasi Padang, 'kampung' chicken and various 'soto’ dishes. Fruits for its fruit juices are imported from Indonesia.

RESTORAN SARI RATU, 26-28 Jalan 4/76C, Desa Pandan, KL (Tel: 03-9285 8811; Fax: 03-9285 8841). Business Hrs: Daily (11am-10pm). 'Halal'. A franchise outlet from Indonesia that operates as a fine dining restaurant. One must get used to using the fingers when dining here as spoons are for the gravy only. You can be assured of fast service. Serves authentic Nasi Padang as the chefs are from Indonesia. The spices are imported from Indonesia. The outlet is crowded during lunch, so make reservations. The dinner crowd is more relaxed.

THE LOBSTERMAN (Homarus Americanus), 53 Jalan SS2/30, PJ (Tel: 03-7877 6772). Business Hrs: Daily, lunch (11.30am-2.30pm); dinner (5.30pm-10.30pm). Its menu gives tips and information on lobsters. There are over 80 dishes and prices of the lobster dishes are fixed. The lobsters can be prepared in various styles.

D’FISHERMAN SEAFOOD RESTAURANT, Damansara Intan, PJ (Tel: 03-7118 8811). Business Hrs: Daily, lunch (11.30am-2.30pm); dinner (6pm-10.30pm); Taman Botani, Putrajaya, Presint 1 (Tel: 03-8889 1188). Business Hrs: Daily, lunch (Noon-2.30pm); dinner (6pm-10.30pm). Offers an extensive variety of live seafood, displayed in 35 aquarium tanks, which can be cooked Chinese, Malay or Thai style. The seafood is also available for takeaway from its “Wet Market”. Caters to wedding functions and family dine-outs.

ALBERTO PIZZA & PASTA, 24 Jalan 27/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas, KL (Tel: 03-2300 9300; Fax: 03-2300 9800). Business Hrs: Daily, lunch (11am-3pm); dinner (6pm-11pm). Offers thin-crust pizzas in generous portions. The pasta menu comes with seven types of sauces and there are meat and seafood dishes complemented by Italian wines, alcohol-free Tiramisu, home-made pastries, gelato and Italian coffee.

TUSCANY, Putrajaya Marriott Hotel, IOI Resort, Putrajaya (Tel: 03-8949 8888 ext 1366 / 1367). Business Hrs: Daily, lunch (11.30am-2.30pm); dinner (6.30pm-10pm). Resembles a traditional Italian restaurant with wood finishes complete with an open pizza counter where guests can watch their pizza being made. The menu consists of freshly made pasta with a variety of sauces, oven-baked pizzas as well as Western food. Desserts consist of authentic Italian sweet delicacies.

ZEN JAPANESE RESTAURANT, Lot 082-FU2, First Floor, Oasis Boulevard 2, Sunway Pyramid (Tel: 03-7492 4922). Business Hrs: Mon-Thurs (11am-midnight); Fri-Sun (11am-1am). Pork-free. A swanky outlet with a design similar to the chic urban Japanese restaurants in Japan. Has an outstanding selection of seafood. The menu is fairly extensive and includes French-style food. There are also the value-for-money set lunch and dinner. Offers a full wine bar as well as a large selection of ‘sake’.

KIN NO UMA JAPANESE RESTAURANT, Palace of the Golden Horses, MINES Resort City, Jalan Kuda Emas, Seri Kembangan, Selangor (Tel: 03-8943 2333). Serves a variety of grilled and deep-fried dishes, hot and cold noodles, hot pot dishes and desserts. Bento Express Lunch (Mon-Sat, noon-2.30pm), Saturday Buffet Dinner Doyobi Yoshaoku (6.30pm-10.30pm) and Sunday Buffet Lunch (noon-2.30pm).

FUNG WONG BISCUITS (FWB), LG 010A, Lower Ground Floor, Mid Valley Megamall, KL (Tel: 03-2284 4806). Business Hrs: Daily (10am-10pm). Non-'halal'. Its main outlet is in Chinatown, KL. Has been selling home-made traditional Chinese biscuits associated with Chinese culture for the past four decades. Popular for its Chinese Wedding Biscuits (Kit Fun Lai Paeng) and Hong Kong Wife Biscuits (Loh Poh Peh), available throughout the year. Offers meat- and non-meat biscuits, home-made Oriental pizza, sandwiches and Chinese desserts, including house speciality Green Coffee.

DELECTABLE DELIGHTS (Tel: 012-372 9176). The owner is now operating from home. Call to enquire.

TASTE HAVEN, 16-00-01, Lorong Batu Nilam 1D, Bandar Bukit Tinggi, Klang (Tel: 03-3323 7332). Business Hrs: Mon, Tues, Thurs-Sun, lunch (noon-3.30pm); dinner (6pm-11pm). Closed on Wednesdays. Boasts a café concept. Offers tasty one-dish meals served in generous portions. Seafood is used liberally in the cooking.

RESTORAN SERI MELAYU, No. 1 Jalan Conlay, KL (Tel: 03-2145 1833). Business Hrs: Daily, lunch (noon-3pm); dinner (6.30pm-11pm). ‘Halal’. Serves traditional Malay cuisine buffet style. A total of 250 dishes are prepared every night while the menu changes daily on a rotation basis. It has a live cooking station. The Sudut Warisan features the Malaysian BBQ Special for dinner (6.30pm-10pm) only. The restaurant, which exudes Malay rustic charm and seats 500,features live cultural performances between 8.30pm and 9.15pm nightly.

SAN FRANCISCO STEAKHOUSE, Suria KLCC (Tel: 03-2382 0329), Mid Valley Megamall (Tel: 03-2938 2882), Damansara Intan PJ (Tel: 03-7118 2988) & The Summit USJ (Tel: 03-8023 5518). Business Hrs: Daily (noon-midnight). Serves corn-fed USDA Prime US cuts and fresh air-flown Pacific and Atlantic seafood. Specialities include Seafood Gems, USDA Prime-Roast Prime Rib, San Francisco Fillet Mignon, Carpetbag Steak and Boston Lobster from Maine, US.

TGI FRIDAY’S restaurants: Tel: 03-2163 7761 (KL), 03-7957 3245 (PJ), 03-5634 2956 (SJ), 03-7729 4822 (BU). Free car jockey service is available only at TGI Friday’s PJ. Business Hrs: Daily (11.30am-midnight except BU outlet). It takes pride in its friendly staff, memorabilia-laced interior and drinks. Several menus available, like Children’s Festive Menu and Chef Selects, with new main courses and a special dessert, Flourless Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Sauce.

AH TUAN EE'S PLACE, No. 74 Jalan SS2/72, PJ (Tel: 03-7957 2915) & Berjaya Times Square, Lot 03-115, KL (Tel: 03-2142 4199) Business Hrs: Daily, lunch (noon-3pm); dinner (6pm-10pm). A non-smoking restaurant that seats 70 people. Features authentic Penang Nyonya cuisine. Uses only drumsticks in its chicken dishes. Known for its Otak-otak and Perut Ikan.

NYONYA FOODHOUSE, Lot 3.06 and 3.07, 3rd floor Atria Shopping Centre, Jalan SS22/23, Damansara Jaya (Tel / Fax: 03-7729 7279). Business Hrs: Daily (10.30am-10pm). Offers pure authentic Nyonya fare cooked in the time-honoured tradition. Features specialised dishes with over 52 dishes, including Nyonya desserts and freshly made Sambal Belacan daily.