Dining Spotlight: Chinatown, Pasar Seni Edition

Chinatown: the count and character of Pasar Seni.

Chinatown hums to its own rhapsodic channel, a mosaic of heritage sung in alleys, where smoke-spiked air carries whispers of past meeting present. Find more than sights and smells, but step within the age-old walls and you’ll hear stories spoken in the language of its eateries.

Pickle Dining

French Fusion

At Pickle Dining, pickling isn’t a side act, but rather the main storyline. Tucked inside a pre-war shophouse on Petaling Street, this inventive spot by Malaysian Chef Danial Thorlby reimagines age-old preservation techniques through a modern lens of mainly French fare.

The space is intimate and communal, reflecting Thorlby’s fascination with tradition—from fermentation to curing and beyond. His ‘Lacto Fermented Tomato’ is a vivid example: marinated in shiitake and local asam boi, then served with pickled snake fruit and crisp buckwheat for texture and tang. For something richer, the ‘Sunchoke Espuma with Pear Compote’ pairs earthy and sweet with elegant precision. The ‘Chicken Vol-au-Vent’ is another standout—a refined take on comfort food, featuring tender chicken breast on a 36-hour reduction. Pickle Dining also offers three tasting menus—Feed Me, Vegetarian, and Alternative—allowing guests to explore different expressions of Thorlby’s creative, time-bending approach to flavour.

Pickle Dining

Upper House KL

Modern Asian

Upper House KL by the KARLS Group is nothing if not playful—both in location and on the plate. Perched on a rooftop with sweeping views, this contemporary Asian restaurant and bar isn’t just about height, but flair.

Known for putting a modern spin on Chinese flavours, Upper House KL delivers dishes that surprise and satisfy. The ‘Premium Upper House Rice Bowl’ is one to try—slow-cooked in a classic claypot and luxuriously topped with sweet-salty abalone, foie gras, dried shiitake, and lap cheong chicken sausage. For your dose of greens, the ‘Upper House Salad’ is the way to go with baby romaine tossed with sea bird’s nest, calamansi, bird’s eye chili, roasted peanuts, and unexpected hits of dried fig. “A salad like no other,” and they mean it. In short, Upper House KL knows how to turn up the flavour—and the view—in all the right ways.

Upper House KL

Esca KL

Global Cuisine

“Enjoy irresponsibly”—the cheeky mantra of Esca KL, and a fitting introduction to this lively Chinatown newcomer. A younger sibling to the refined Terra Dining in TTDI, Esca trades tasting menus for a dose of culinary mischief. Also at the helm here is Chef Chong Yu Cheng, better known as Chef YC, whose spontaneity shows up in every unexpected bite.

Start with the ‘Grilled Octopus’—smoky from the grill, elevated by a fiery sambal matah, and cleverly paired with salted devilled eggs for a seafood snack with punch. Then there’s the ‘Prawn Toast’, stacked like a pyramid: golden, crunchy bread layered with ebiko mayo, pickled shallots, and slivers of cornichon for bite. From The Grill selection, the ‘Lamb Saddle’ makes an impression—tender ribs served over begedil carrot purée, with a dried shrimp–orange sambal that ties it all together with savoury heat.

Unruly, inventive, and rooted in flavour, Esca KL makes breaking the rules taste really, really good.

Esca KL

Raw

Latin-Asian

Tucked at the base of Else Kuala Lumpur, Raw (formerly known as Raw Kitchen Hall) is a dining-living hall made for the curious. This is a space where Asian flavours meet Latin fire, and comfort food is reimagined across borders.

Enter the scene-stealer: ‘Raw’s Famous Duck Leg’ glazed in a balsamic-soy reduction, resting on a soft bed of potato leek fondue, finished with grana padano and a scatter of chives for balance and bite. Then there’s the ‘Black Mamba’—a show of dark indulgence that’s really squid ink sofrito rice layered with fermented chilli sambal, topped with tiger prawns, crisp bean sprouts, and a glowing egg yolk nestled in the centre.

Sometimes, food is best shared, and for this the ‘Crispy Eggplant and Mascarpone’ is an addictive pairing of crunch and cream, soaked in a savoury donburi sauce and finished with tempura flakes and spring onions. A table favourite for good reason. At Raw, flavour travels—and every dish is a passport to somewhere new.

Raw