Werner Kuhn is best known for the porky potency of El Cerdo, but he has a soft spot for beef too. Three years ago, the master chef opened bovine specialist La Vaca, but it closed too soon. Now, the cows have come home, with Werner's launch of The Steakhouse. Beef stroganoff (RM48++), thick and tasty with mushroom cream and potato rosti. Our only complaint: prices seem steep, but we probably should count the cost of inflation. Customers can order from The Whiskey Bar next door, so try the Sunday Roast (RM48++), available nightly, with roast beef, lamb shoulder, pork bacon, pork-wrapped asparagus, Yorkshire pudding, potatoes, peas, carrots and cauliflower. This one's worth it. Come early enough in the evening and you might spot Werner relaxing at a table here, enjoying a bite before the nightly horde pours into Changkat Bukit Bintang.

Miraku at Penang's G Hotel has made a name for itself as one of the northern island's most satisfactory stops for sushi. Now, its second branch is hoping to carve a similar reputation in the Klang Valley. Start with a salad: very lightly seared salmon and onions (RM22++), a pungent potpourri of pleasurable flavors that's poised to foul up the breath. Scallops are spectacular and mentaiko is marvelous _ put the two together (RM25++) and place them on the pantheon of matches made in paradise. Something simple for the traditionalist: salmon and roe on vinegar rice in tiny bamboo boxes (RM20++). Yep, there's sake. And shochu and beer and even some cocktails.

Miraku at Penang's G Hotel has made a name for itself as one of the northern island's most satisfactory stops for sushi. Now, its second branch is hoping to carve a similar reputation in the Klang Valley. Another stinky sensation for gastronomic masochists: baked potato filled with salty-slimy cuttlefish guts (RM14++). Carb-loading with rice for the rest of the meal: grilled grains filled with fish flakes (RM12++). A complete meal in itself: brown rice with creamy curry and various veggies (RM22++). A pizza-sushi hybrid, healthier-tasting than Domino's, featuring a thick layer of sticky rice tantalizingly topped with seafood and mushrooms (RM30++). And finally, a freshly made California roll that's as fulfilling as any other in KL.

The pieces of the puzzle are coming together: the restaurant at Marini's On 57 is now open, beside the constantly bustling bar and close to the soon-to-launch lounge. The setting is stunning, instantly one of KL's most impressive-looking dining destinations, thanks to the can't-be-bettered 57th-floor view of the nearby towers.
Sit back and take a long breath before plunging into the menu; prices here are nearly as steep as the restaurant is high. A three-course meal will easily exceed RM120 after taxes. Marini's soft-launch menu comprises several creatively composed concoctions like this creamy timbale of prawn, mushed up with avocado and mixed with champagne dressing. Familiar classics include 'vitello tonnato,' chilled veal slices poached with tuna sauce and capers. Marini's on 57 opens only in the evening _ the bar begins business earlier, followed by the restaurant at 7pm. Last orders for the restaurant are at 10:45pm.

The pieces of the puzzle are coming together: the restaurant at Marini's On 57 is now open, beside the constantly bustling bar and close to the soon-to-launch lounge. The setting is stunning, instantly one of KL's most impressive-looking dining destinations, thanks to the can't-be-bettered 57th-floor view of the nearby towers. Cheerful chef Claudio, who hails from Rome, believes in the kind of honest, prepared-with-passion pastas that are the pride of his homeland, like spaghettini with mullet roe (botargo) and almonds. Terrific textures for this one. Manfredine pasta with squid ink, calamari, tomatoes and basil leaves. Tuna fillet, roasted precisely medium-rare for a buttery bite, with balsamic glaze. Wrapping up this seafood-dominated dinner: pan-fried sea bass with a twist, stuffed with shrimp for a surplus of succulence and served with rucola in lemon dressing for extra zing.