10 Singaporean restaurants and bars invading KL and Selangor

Top Singaporean F&B brands are increasingly engineering a successful segue across the causeway, energising enthusiastic customers in the Klang Valley. Here’s a rundown of the Lion City’s finest that have roared into Malaysia so far, with other high-profile names like the Les Amis Group still waiting in the wings for next year.

1. Wild Honey, Bukit Bintang

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Wild Honey, Singapore’s marquee name for elaborate egg ensembles – scrambled, braised, poached, baked, poached and fried – rounded out with house-baked bagels, buttery brioches and more, finally embarks into Malaysia this month. Wild horses won’t drag KL’s legion of cafe-goers away from this lovingly crafted, eclectically furnished outpost; seize a seat perhaps at the custom-built European oak table beside Australian painter Melanie McCollin-Walker’s exquisite panels of artwork, and earmark an hour or two to savour one of the city’s most satisfyingly prepared brunches.

Similar to Wild Honey in Singapore’s Mandarin Gallery and Scotts Square, the menu is cleaved into categories like meat, fish and vegetarian, with offerings named for cities, countries and regions, from ‘Melbourne’ (eggs with potato pancakes) to ‘Mexico’ (eggs in burritos), ‘Tunisian’ (eggs with merguez) to ‘Scandinavian’ (eggs with wild salmon).

Address: #06-645, Level Six, Pavilion Shopping Mall, Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur
Read review of Wild Honey

2. Common Man Coffee Roasters, TTDI

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From Martin Road to Taman Tun Dr Ismail: Singapore’s Common Man Coffee Roasters is one of the city-state’s best-known brands for a caffeine fix, and its Malaysian foray debuted to intense fanfare in October this year, with a full-fledged café for kale-and-egg scrambles and croissant-based croque monsieurs.

Address: Ground Floor, Plaza Vads, Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 6000 Kuala Lumpur
Read review of Common Man Coffee Roasters

3. Pho Street, Petaling Jaya

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With no fewer than nine outposts in Singapore, it’s no surprise that Pho Street chose to look beyond the island nation’s borders, stamping its mark on Petaling Jaya’s Paradigm Mall this year, serving traditional cuisine from another of our Southeast Asian neighbours, Vietnam.

Address: Lot LG 02/03, Lower Ground Floor, Paradigm Mall, SS7 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Read review of Pho Street

4. Timbre, Jalan Doraisamy

Eight Restaurants To Visit At The Row In KL - Timbre

The Timbre Group, which runs multiple live music restaurants in Singapore, is rocking up at The Row with its first Malaysian branch, welcoming local performers to the stage several nights a week. But even if you’re not a fan of gigs, the kitchen and bar at this friendly spot may be worth checking out; try a beefed-up thin-crust pizza with half-and-half toppings – Cheeseburger on one side (chili con carne, onions, peppers, gherkins, mustard, ketchup, cheddar cheese and pomodoro sauce) and Philly Cheese Steak on the other (sauteed beef, Spanish onions, mushrooms, peppers, and cheddar and provolone cheeses).

Address: Ground Floor of No. 60, 62 & 64, Jalan Doraisamy The Row, 50300 Kuala Lumpur
Read review of Timbre

5. Putien, Subang Jaya

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Putien has offshoots across Asia now – including at 1 Utama, Sunway Pyramid and Subang – but its foundation is its 10 restaurants in Singapore. There’s a compelling story behind each of Putien’s offerings, inspired by the bounty of the land and treasures of the sea from China’s coastal city of Putian in Fujian province. As a testament of its international recognition, Putien has been listed by the Michelin Guide Hong Kong Macau 2016 in the category of Bib Gourmand Restaurant for its Causeway Bay outlet.

Address: Lot 1-05, Courtyard (formerly known as First Subang), Jalan SS15/4G, Subang Jaya, Selangor
Read review of Putien

6. Le Noir, TREC KL

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Malaysia’s spin-off from Singapore’s Le Noir restaurant and lounge in Clarke Quay launched this year at TREC KL, offering a three-storey venue that includes an alfresco street-level space for dining, a clubbing floor, and a rooftop bar that reputedly boasts 360-degree city views.

Address: Unit H-G-07, The Hive, TREC, , Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur
Read review of Le Noir

7. Pince & Pints, Bangsar

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From 32 Duxton Road to 32 Telawi Street, bringing a taste of Maine and Massachusetts to Malaysia: Singapore’s Pince & Pints was a major F&B smash, and its first foreign foray in KL – a Singaporean-Malaysian collaboration in Bangsar – saw a new legion of lobster lovers clawing their way for wild-caught crustaceans from the North American Atlantic coast.

Address: 32, Jalan Telawi 5, Bangsar, 59100 Kuala Lumpur
Read review of Pince & Pints

8. Real Food, Mont Kiara

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Real Food started out in Singapore, where it has three outposts, before launching its first Malaysian branch at Penang’s Straits Quay in 2013. In 2015, it finally reached KL, determined to draw health-concerned consumers in 1 Mont Kiara Mall. The venue s both a beautiful vegetarian cafe and a bountifully stocked grocer with an impressive repertoire.

Address: G-11, Ground Floor, 1 Mont Kiara, 50480 Kuala Lumpur
Read review of Real Food

9. Rocku Yakiniku, Bukit Bintang

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All-you-can-eat servings of grilled meat and seafood at wallet-pleasing rates? That’s the hook for Rocku Yakiniku at 1 Utama and Pavilion, taking its cue from the Singaporean restaurant of the same name in Bugis+ mall.

Address: Level 7, Pavilion KL, 168, Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur
Read review of Rocku Takiniku

10. PULP by Papa Palheta, Bangsar

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This thriving hub for caffeine disciples occupies a site that was previously the paper-cutting space for the nearly 50-year-old Art Printing Works factory and storehouse in Bangsar. It’s run by respected Singaporean coffee boutique Papa Palheta, the people behind Chye Seng Huat Hardware and Loysel’s Toy cafes.

Address: 29-01 Jalan Riong, Bangsar, 59100 Kuala Lumpur
Read review of PULP by Papa Palheta