Burp! @ Bangsar

Burp: 1. To noisily release air from the stomach through the mouth. 2. A noise made by air released from the stomach through the mouth. 3. A food court in Bangsar Shopping Center that supplies a smorgasbord of Asian specialties.

Start with the Japanese section: Slippery, slurp-worthy mentaiko udon, speckled with roe.

Teppanyaki beef rolls. Burp could well be KL's friendliest food court, crowded with enthusiastically helpful folks behind the counters.

Try the Thai: pad thai, specifically, prepared by true-blue Thai citizens.

A little bit Indonesian: Nasi Bojari, not quite a replica of Madam Kwan's. The rice here is less fluffy but more fragrantly spiced up.

From Hong Kong, with love: Roast duck. Burp's food is well executed and tough to critique; nothing extraordinary, but consistently enjoyable.

Sticking to Malaysian fare the rest of the way: Claypot chicken rice with egg. Portions are hearty, but prices are at least 50 percent higher compared to neighborhood stalls.

Yong tau foo. The fantastic four: brinjal, bitter gourd, lady's fingers & chili.

Remembering my hometown: Malacca-style char mee, a source of sweet-savory stickiness.

Moving further south: Johor laksa, aromatic with herbs & coconut milk.

Cencaru bakar & paru goreng. Burnt hardtail scad & fried lungs? More or less.

Mamak is a must-have: Nasi kandar, flooded with a flavorsome combo of curries.

Meaty murtabak, made to order for maximum satisfaction.

All in all, it's rare to find such a vast variety of cuisines in one outlet at Bangsar. For that alone, Burp merits a visit. Business hours: 10am-10pm daily.

Collect a card on entry, have it swiped like a credit card at each stall while purchasing something, then pay for everything only when leaving the premises.

Burp! @ BSC,

The Asian Food Gallery,

4th Floor, Bangsar Shopping Centre, Kuala Lumpur.

Huck's Cafe @ Bangsar

Back to Huck's for mainly Mediterranean meals.

Earlier entries on Huck's @ Bangsar: July 5 & July 19. Huck's @ PJ: Nov. 24, 2010.

Perfectly prepared appetizers: luscious portobello mushrooms, topped with spinach, cheese & a creamy, sweetly tangy pomodoro sauce made with tomatoes, carrots & basil leaves. Excellent enough to totally fit in at any of KL's best Italian restaurants.

Basil pesto salad. A hearty, healthy concoction, creatively topped with mango strips, oranges & pomegranates for a zesty zing.

Huck's take on seafood paella is a pleasure, brimming in a black pan with flavorsome rice and fresh prawns, mussels & squid. We believe he uses turmeric instead of saffron for the rice, so this isn't the purist's Spanish paella, but it's still sumptuous.

A mouthwatering masterwork: Moroccan whole roast chicken, marinated with cumin, coriander, fennel & various spices, stuffed with couscous & surrounded by shredded sweet potatoes, almonds, cashews & cranberries.

Beautifully juicy meat (even the breast section), blanketed in amazing aromas, thanks to a wealth of ingredients poured into this single recipe. Beware: the portion is humongous, so make sure there are at least four people at the table to finish this.

OK, this one isn't strictly Mediterranean, but it's a remarkable representation of Huck's penchant for kitchen experimentation. Dubbed "Ocean Deep," it's seafood spaghetti like no other, with a rich, intensely scented topping of dried shrimp sambal, belacan, bunga kantan (torch ginger buds), santan & kaffir lime leaves.

Heading north of the Mediterranean to the U.K.: Guinness steak pie, done just right, from the golden, buttery pastry to the thick stew of tender beef. Ideal for rainy nights.

Moist, crumbly ginger-&-apple pie, fresh from the oven, accompanied by vanilla ice cream for a lovely blend of hot & cold sensations.

Melt4U: dark chocolate lava cake, with a bittersweet edge.

Henry Martin Cabernet Sauvignon.

Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot.

U.S. Wild Vines blackberry-flavored Merlot.

Huck's Cafe,

22, Jalan Abdullah, Off Jalan Maarof, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur.

D'Ceilo

Hoping that Bangsar can sustain another spaghetti-serving sanctum, D'Ceilo has taken over from Tea For Two on Jalan Bangkung.

Smoked salmon bruschetta. This satisfactory starter fairly symbolizes D'Ceilo's philosophy of providing hearty, fuss-free Italian fare.

Spaghetti Gran D'Ceilo, a remarkably flavorful mountain of noodles with (deep breath) mussels, scallops, clams, prawns, broccoli, mushrooms, asparagus, capers & black olives, cooked in aluminum foil & topped with smoked duck breast & mesclun. On paper, this sounds pricey at RM123++, but three or four people can merrily share in its wealth of ingredients.

A kilogram of mirepoix-poached Red Sea prawns _ 24 air-flown crustaceans, all in all. Plump and juicy, but probably too much of a good thing. Suitable for, say, six to eight diners.

Keeping up the seafood streak: pan-seared salmon trout with vanilla pod tahitensis cream, butter basil, balsamic tomato & herbs. Moist and flaky; a relatively healthy reminder that Italian cooking isn't always a guilty affair.

One misstep: scallop, prawn & broccoli risotto. Closer to mushy than al dente.

Canadian cod, oven-baked with paprika & wild honey to enrich the fish's delicate flavors & garnished with tomato salsa to ensure a zesty zip.

Complimentary dessert: a twist on the traditional molten chocolate cake, set like pudding at the base of a bowl & topped with vanilla ice cream. This photo depicts the delicious hot mess that remained after we pierced through the gooey chocolate lava.

Double trouble: Lychee Mojito & Apple Mojito. Rejoice! A full bar serves cocktails here.

Richland Estate Chardonnay (2010, Australia). To quote a dwarf, everything's better with some wine in the belly.

D'Ceilo (or D'Ciello, perhaps; the manager's card spells it one way, the menu another),

Jalan Bangkung, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2095-3729