Rasa Timur @ Chulan Square

We always have trouble remembering which one is nasi kerabu and which one is nasi dagang. Here's hoping this entry will help them stick in our memory.

Rasa Timur's one-sheet menu focuses on traditional Malay rice and noodle dishes.

Their nasi kerabu failed to impress. The blue-tinted rice with grated coconut, ulam and sambal tasted sterile, like it came out of a shopping mall food court. The fish crackers were satisfying though; addictively crunchy and not oily.

The nasi dagang fared better. The rice steamed in coconut milk was piping-hot, moist but firm, perfectly complementing the fish curry and pickled veggies.

Best of all was the ayam goreng kampung. Tender, flavourful kampung chicken, freshly fried on order. Worth returning here simply for this.

Rasa Timur,

Chulan Square.

Gu Yue Tien @ Chulan Square

Gu Yue Tien might look like an ordinary Chinese outlet, but a peek at its menu proves that it's one of KL's most innovative restaurants.

The soft-boiled egg with foie gras is the signature dish here. Bits of liver immersed in a warm, liquidy egg mixture.

Oven-baked water prawn with butter sauce. Tasty, but maybe overcooked.

Foie gras on lotus root and mango with Chinese vinegar sauce. Despite the Oriental touches, this could still pass off as an offering in a French restaurant.

Wok-seared minced pork cake in sweet sauce. Small in size but big in flavour.

Pan-fried scallop roll wrapped with bacon and mint sauce. Quite a decadent dish. The scallops were nice and plump _ a perfect match for the juicy bacon.

Duck leg with Chinese herbs in own jus. A bit overcooked too, but tasted fairly healthy in comparison to the other over-the-top dishes.

Gu Yue Tien,

Chulan Square.

Viet Passion

One of Chulan Square's most enduring outlets, with a well-earned reputation for reasonably good food and warm, efficient service.

The lotus root salad with prawns was a huge, hearty serving. Definitely not as wonderful as Sao Nam's version, but still a decent offering.

The Vietnamese crepe was a solid choice. Crisp pancake stuffed with delicious chicken meat, accompanied by fresh, crunchy leaves.

The steamed seafood in coconut was an enjoyable, subtly sweet soup that would have been better if it contained more seafood.

The fluffy fried fish with mango sauce came in an interesting presentation. Tasted fairly fresh and was affordably priced.

Lotus seed rice. Not bad, but kinda forgettable.

The eel curry was one of my favourite dishes that evening. Piping hot, sumptuously rich curry filled with lots of flavourful eel slices.

The duck in orange sauce didn't fare quite as well. The meat was tender but tasted past its prime, while the orange sauce was overpowering.

Mixed Bean Drink (red bean, yellow mung bean, cendol, coconut milk), 4 Treasure Drink (water chestnut, jelly, yellow mung bean, sea coconut) and Thousand Seed Drink.

Happy Days (malibu, peach schnapps, advocaat, orange juice, pineapple juice, cream), house red wine and Per F'Amour (cointreau, parfait amour, orange juice, egg white).

Viet Passion,

Chulan Square.

Tel: 2141-3838.