Wheatfield

Few cafes are as alluring as one that's flooded with glowingly fresh pastries; baking bread & brewing coffee is this outlet's passion, eating & drinking it all up would be ours.

Wheatfield is Bukit Damansara's latest bakery-restaurant; its selection isn't as staggering as The Bread Shop's, but it's still a hot spot for oven-warmed fare like this enjoyably chewy walnut roll & custard-soft frangipane tart, saturated with the aroma of almonds.

Raisin scone & chocolate chip muffin. Rich, moist & satisfyingly flavorsome, even at seven p.m., an hour before the cafe was scheduled to close for the night.

Latte & cappuccino. Thanks to this trip, we're finally able to tell the difference between both beverages, though we can't say for sure which we prefer.

Sandwiches & other snacks are also available.

Wheatfield Bakery & Cafe,

Plaza Damansara, Jalan Medan Setia 2,

Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur.

Closed Sundays.

Ploy @ Damansara Heights

Ploy: Round Two. Earlier entry: July 22.

This round at Ploy yielded both hits & misses. The tuna, scallop & avocado "mille-feuille" on sushi rice looked like a cool creation, but it tasted like a regular maki at an upscale Japanese restaurant. Not a terrible thing, but not terrific either.

Salmon with "laab" shoyu & lime sauce. Sashimi, suffocated in sourish saltiness.

Crispy baby squid in sesame sauce. Works as a bar snack; as addictive as it sounds.

Butterfish marinated with shoyu, sake & mirin. Ploy's version of char siew; the fish boasted a honeyed smokiness and a firmer bite than expected.

Notable desserts include the durian gelato, made with the highly valued "raja kunyit" breed for a singularly sweet flavor with a mildly bitter aftertaste.

Durian panna cotta, blending Asian & European sensibilities in one creamy confection. If there's one thing to admire about Ploy, it's the risk-taking here.

Thrab thim krob _ Thai red rubies with water chestnuts & shaved coconut ice. Refreshingly cold and well executed, ensuring a satisfactory finish.

Thai-inspired cocktails: Basil Mojito & Ginger Cosmopolitan.

Ploy @ Clearwater,

G-02 Work @ Clearwater,

Jalan Changkat Semantan, Damansara Heights, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2095-0999

Ploy

Giving guests permission to "ploy with your food," this hyper-cool restaurant toys with Thai & Japanese flavors to invent fusion food with fine flair.

If some recipes here seem vaguely familiar, it's because the chef was formerly from Seri Kembangan's now-defunct Pla Dib. Expect robust house-made sauces to accompany even the raw seafood, including this medley of salmon & squid marinated with lime juice & shoyu.

Ploy's other ceviche-like components comprise tuna & shrimp sashimi, notable for a freshness that would be ideal for an "omakase" feast. We're not sure whether the savory piquancy of the sauce truly complemented the seafood, but it helped to keep everything interesting.

Pomelo & roast duck, both very juicy, with mint leaves & chili. This top-notch salad features more meat than fruit (whether that's good or bad would depend on what we really want).

A thin-crust, tomato-free pizza, heartily topped with crab meat, spring onions & an avocado spread. Surprisingly light; even carb-fearing customers shouldn't feel too guilty chewing on this.

Mentaiko linguine with nori & fresh cream. A small serving, but sufficient to satisfy. Prices are nevertheless a little lower than expected; this pasta, for example, costs RM21+.

Cocktails maintain the creative streak: Tomyamtini (absolut blue vodka, ginger flower, kaffir lime leaves, chili, lime juice) & Pink Bubble Bath (sagatiba cachaca, mixed berries, lime juice, homemade Gula Melaka syrup).

Sparkling Ployground (absolut peach vodka, prosecco, mixed berries, cassis, lime juice) & Cool Cucumber Melon (cucumber, honeydew, passion fruit, mint leaves).

By the way, "Ploy" apparently means "gem" in Thai, so it's not to be interpreted using the English-language definition.

Ploy is tricky to locate though; see www.ploywithyourfood.com for a misleading map, or better still, call up the outlet for directions.

Ploy @ Clearwater,

G-02 Work@Clearwater,

Jalan Changkat Semantan, Damansara Heights, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2095-0999

Sam's

A cheerful addition to Bukit Damansara's cluster of suburban watering holes. Potentially where you'd wanna go where people know people are all the same, where everybody knows your name. *Cue wistful piano tinkling*

For Cliff, the meat-lovin' mailman: one of the juiciest beef ribs around. So satisfying.

For Norm, the perpetually ravenous house painter: BBQ lamb burger, featuring 150 grams of lean ground lamb spiced with garlic, onions, oregano & tomatoes. The patty could be more succulent, but this is still a nice change from the regular beef, chicken & pork burgers.

For Diane, the waitress who wants to watch her weight: Nicoise salad. Obligatory, ordinary greens to reduce the guilt factor.

Making your way through the world today takes all the booze you've got. For Woody, the cool-cat bartender: Grasshopper (vodka, green de mint, white de cacao, vanilla ice cream, syrup) & Frozen Black Irish (vodka, kahlua, bailey's, vanilla ice cream).

For Carla, the other waitress, who needs something strong after a long night on her feet: Cosmopolitan & Downhill Racer (rum, amaretto, pineapple juice).

Sam's,

25-G, Medan Setia 1,

Plaza Damansara, Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2011-3222

Eurasia

Promising a fresh epicurean experience in Damansara Heights, Eurasia serves fusion fare that springs several surprises here and there.

Atlantic jackknife clams (or bamboo clams or razor clams) with a pageant of sauces. A quirky presentation, engagingly colorful and fun to eat, with each clam embellished with something creamy, sweet or savory.

Unagi, all rolled up and impregnated with mixed mushrooms & chopped veggies. Also visually appealing, but the eel tasted similar to run-of-the-mill unagi teriyaki.

Foie gras. No complaints, though this won't win major accolades; two reasonably thick slices of well-prepared liver, wedded to tobiko & a chunky potato cake.

Avocado, lettuce, cucumber & asparagus maki. Who knew fish-free, vegetarian rolls were tasty? The avocado's creaminess was the perfect partner for the crunch of the other veggies.

Pan-seared salmon with Massaman curry & bell peppers. The fish was moist and meaty, but the Thai-inspired sauce was too innocuously weak to spawn a lasting impression.

Cocktails galore! Fluffy Duck (gin, cointreau, advocaat, orange juice, lemonade) & Frozen Bikini (vodka, peach schnapps, lime juice, champagne).

Moulin Rouge (brandy, pineapple juice, champagne) & Strawberry Mimosa.

Koala Bear (creme de banana, dark creme de cacao, vanilla ice cream, crushed ice) & Kahlua Cup (creme de cacao, kahlua, vanilla ice cream).

Eurasia Bar & Bistro,

Wisma UOA, Jalan Dungun, Damansara Heights, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2093-8596