Checking out caffeinated hangouts here & there, starting with Bangsar's new CoffeeMania, which shares a street in Telawi with Antipodean & Coffea Coffee.There's a bit of a Mediterranean bent to the first KL branch of this would-be chain; the menu's peppered with something-for-everyone concoctions, spanning Turkish-inspired beef-stuffed 'pide' pizzas to halloumi cheese salads to plenty of pastas.Acquired-taste Turkish coffee, served with chocolate, but alas, not with Turkish delights. All in all, a pleasant-enough coffeehouse, but certainly one of a more commercialized nature. CoffeeMania has also opened another outlet in Danau Kota.

Hidden on the ninth floor of Menara TA One, Karuizawa Kogen has a cover charge of RM75 per person for every entry. That keeps this place somewhat exclusive, with a clientele dominated by Japanese businessmen (on a Monday night, there were four or five occupied tables).Also note that friendly female members of Karuizawa Kogen's service team will take a seat beside you at your table even before you manage to order; no worries though, they can be informed politely that their presence won't be necessary.Karuizawa Kogen is affiliated to Ozeki Tokyo, the long-enduring restaurant on this building's street level; customers can order some of the latter's specialties, possibly the likes of mentaiko spaghetti & hijiki seaweed udonThe list of liquor is extensive, though there's predictably much more by the bottle than the glass; we opted for some umeshu (RM25 before taxes), as well as umeshu mixed with whisky (RM28 for a single, RM48 for a double) ...

Birds of no feathers flock together at Lam's Kitchen, hanging out with a big slab of pork belly.The roast duck at Lam's Kitchen is not bad; pretty fair in terms of flavor & juiciness.Throw in some tasty siu yok & char siu for a meaty triumvirate that costs slightly over RM30. The menu at Lam's Kitchen is broad, including kopitiam-inspired fare like yummy noodles with prawn-stuffed wantan. Takeaway orders are possible.

Our stop at Oro was for window-shopping: We browsed but never bought these bagels (RM26++), stuffed with the likes of roast beef, mozzarella & sun-dried tomatoes.The quiches (RM21++) looked alluring; one had spinach & feta, the other promised smoked turkey & leek fondue. Maybe next time. Definitely next time. Danishes, macarons & cakes are also available at Oro, as is coffee. The Hilton describes this lobby-level outlet, which is part of the hotel's F&B revamp, as a "classic barista cafe," complete with a polished marble bar counter.

Need more caffeine? Here's where the cutely named It's A Grind comes in.Comfy & spacious, the kind of coffee house where we could spend hours working on our laptops. For what it's worth, Cyberjaya's It's A Grind is the first foreign outpost of a California-based brand.The coffee here might sound commercialized, but the varieties are fun, spanning Madagascar vanilla lattes to white chocolate caffe mochas.We skipped the ice-blended beverages, though we love their names, which include Java Rush, the peanut butter-laced Funky Monkey & Nutty Cookie Gnar Gnar. Spiced chai tea lattes & peach yogurt smoothies are available for coffee-shunning customers.