Kofuku

A sprawling venue with serenity assured, thanks to a severe lack of customers.

Kofuku's menu leans toward the conservative; we wondered how often (or rarely) the menu is revamped. Nevertheless, the tuna belly & hokkigai sushi tasted respectably fresh and juicy on this not-too-recent weeknight.

Kofuku Maki, featuring soft-shell crab, avocado, cucumber, fish roe & mayo. Competently executed, but too similar to what scores of other Japanese outlets serve. We expected something more, since this signature roll bears the restaurant's name.

Zosui porridge with chicken & egg in an earthen pot, served with pickles. Hot and hearty, but a bit too bland to really recommend. An extra ingredient _ pork perhaps, except that Kofuku cannot serve it _ might have instilled the essential oomph.

Our familiar refrain when the food is merely so-so: booze makes everything better.

Kofuku,

Seri Pacific Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.

Ritz-Carlton Lounge

We usually wake up too late for brunch on weekends, but someone's recent 30th birthday brought us here for a belly-busting celebration.

Kicking off the Ritz's Sunday Roast semi-buffet with fresh bread & Echire butter, addictive enough to keep us returning for seconds and thirds.

DIY Caesar salad, with sides of anchovies & beef bacon.

Fine de Claire oysters, shucked to order, so patience is essential.

Meaty crustaceans. A half-shell can fill nearly 10 percent of our eating capacity.

Salmon gravlax. Beautifully prepared, possibly the tastiest in town. Other excellent starters include a mighty fine mushroom terrine and scallops with kyuri.

Succulent veal sausages with potatoes.

Customers can choose a main course from three types available.

Roast lamb with all trimmings. Satisfactory but not sensational.

Black Angus prime rib with bone marrow jus & Yorkshire pudding. Tender, but maybe we should have requested the medium-rare, pinker slices.

Salmon coulibiac _ essentially fish pie with bits of eggs and rice. Also worthwhile, thanks to the moist, meaty fish and fairly flavorsome stuffing.

Desserts include a mountain of macarons, but these have a hard, biscuit-like texture that make them less than magical.

One caveat: forget ordering fruit juice unless you're OK to pay RM24++ per glass, since only plain water is complimentary for this Sunday roast.

Lobby Lounge,

Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur.

Tatsu

Tatsu: Round Four. Earlier entries: April 1, July 8 & July 15.

Amaebi sweet shrimp in a ripe avocado shell with spicy pollock roe, marinated in herbed olive oil. One of the most gorgeous starters we've enjoyed in recent memory. Every scoop supplied a soft, savory mix of top-tier ingredients.

More mentaiko to feed our mania, lightly & impeccably broiled on its outer surface.

Queen crab chawanmushi. A big bowl of piping-hot pleasure. We ordered this because we were curious about queen crab, but it tasted similar enough to king crab.

Japanese mizuna mustard leaves & fried bean curd with mesclun greens. Another whopping portion; not the night's most memorable dish, but the healthiest.

Deep-fried sea bream neck. We had to use our fingers to polish the flesh off the bones, but it was worth the effort, thanks to the superbly sweet flesh enhanced with ponzu bitter orange sauce.

Seafood & veggies stewed in tomato concasse. Mussels, clams & scallops, complemented by a gentle gravy that was only subtly tangy, keeping the spotlight on the fresh seafood.

Teppanyaki foie gras & parmesan cheese omelet with bonito flakes. Could be better; the egg wasn't fluffy enough and the bits of liver within made minimal impact.

Shochikubai sake (Seishu, Kyoto).

Tatsu,

InterContinental Hotel, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur.

T@ste6

Fine dining in Pudu seems like an oxymoron, making T@ste6 (pronounced "Taste at Six") a curious but worthwhile entry to this enclave's restaurant scene.

This modestly furnished outlet on the Swiss Garden Residences' sixth floor features Western favorites with a fusion makeover, served by a team that's eager to please.

Green pea cappuccino. Frothy fun in a cup; a brilliant flavor bomb too, thanks to the savory spoonful of crispy beef bacon.

Pumpkin & orange soup with chili oil & Asian garnishes. Tastier than typical pumpkin broths, with tangy, spicy & herbaceous notes that blend harmoniously together.

Spinach risotto with oven-dried tomatoes & parmesan cheese. Sounded and looked promising, but the risotto was scarcely more than mush.

Oven-roasted duck breast with beetroot mash & sherry reduction. Loved the superbly hearty portion of plump, juicy meat, but the mash was overloaded with sodium.

Frangelico hazelnut liquor-laced tiramisu. Strangely sourish; we ended up not finishing this, fearful that the booze within might have turned it bad.

Sticky banana date pudding with brandy anglaise & vanilla ice cream. Alas, the pudding was stodgy, lacking a freshly made vibe. Nevertheless, T@ste's prices are reasonable; starters won't cost more than RM20++, mains top out at RM40++, while desserts can be as low as RM12++.

Aperitifs: Martini Bianco & Rossini. A surprisingly wide range of booze is available.

Alexis Lichine Cuvee Excertionelle, at only RM17++ per glass.

T@ste6,

Swiss Garden Hotel & Residences, Jalan Pudu, Kuala Lumpur.

Mosaic

The Mandarin Oriental unveiled Mosaic this month, a dazzlingly designed venue that succeeds Biba's Cafe as the hotel's 24-hour flagship eatery.

Buffets are the dominant draw, but since we weren't feeling like a feast, we foraged through Mosaic's a la carte menu instead. However, the kitchen might have been swamped with Ramadan diners, resulting in offerings that sometimes missed the mark.

MO Cobb Salad with fire-roasted corn, avocado, quail eggs, blue cheese & smoked chicken. Naturally, prices here are high, but this bowl contained unexpectedly meager ingredients for RM38++. Check out Arthur's at the Shangri-La for a more satisfyingly lavish Cobb salad.

An entire page on Mosaic's menu is dedicated to eggs cooked in diverse styles. The Eggs Royale (RM38++) with smoked salmon, hash browns & tomatoes were not bad, but would have been better with runnier yolks.

Spanakopita _ pastry stuffed with spinach & feta cheese. This probably came from Casbah downstairs, but we recall it being cheaper at Casbah. Instead of paying RM28++ for these three tiny triangles, maybe we should have opted for Mosaic's buffet after all.

Thankfully, two European-inspired desserts were an indulgent delight. We really liked this praline turron _ a creamy, chocolatey Spanish confection given an Asian twist with Sarawak pepper for a pleasurably spicy sensation. Well worth the RM18++.

A beautifully baked blend of cheesecake & southern France's Nougat de Montelimar (RM24++), packed with honey & pistachios and partnered with stewed apples & roast almonds.

To escape the buffet crowd, head for the hotel's Lounge on the Park, freshly reopened with a moody-cool look after four months of refurbishment.

Chilean Chardonnay (Errazuriz, Casablanca Valley), RM36++ by the generously filled glass.

Cocktails here are constantly and comfortingly creative. Spicy Mango Chelada (Tiger beer, mango chili infusion, fresh lime) & Malay Mojito (Havana Silver Rum, mint, Melaka palm sugar, fresh lime). Prices start at RM30++.

Service at both outlets is sterling, befitting of the Mandarin Oriental's reputation.

Mosaic & Lounge On The Park,

Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.