Singapore's Twelve Cupcakes has opened its first Malaysian outpost in Sunway Pyramid, stepping up a regional expansion that's taking the brand to Jakarta, Taipei, Hong Kong & Manila.Grinches will grumble that cupcakes are past the prime of their popularity, but the reality is that cupcakes have been around for two centuries and will continue to be baked, sold & served for a long time to come. Many people enjoy eating cupcakes; others shouldn't scoff at their pleasure.Twelve Cupcakes' confections are pretty good, mostly avoiding the pitfalls that sink other cupcakes. They taste fresh & not too sweet, striking a careful balance between being fluffy & moist, topped with heaps of fine-flavored frosting. Reputedly handmade daily.Our top picks in a RM36 box of six comprise the chocolate cupcake with salted caramel, rose cupcake with rose-flavored cream cheese, black forest cupcake with vanilla buttercream & cherry ...... vanilla cupcake with peanut butter frosting & jelly, Nutella cupcake with hazelnuts & coffee cupcake with espresso-infused buttercream.

Fans of chocolate can seek asylum starting this month at Mad About Coco, where an insanely broad compilation of cacao-based treats is now available.From choc fondue to churros with choc sauce, choc brownies to muffins & marshmallows, waffles to pancakes, cookies to crepes, there's a dessert for nearly every type of sweet tooth at this Solaris Dutamas cafe headed by two Malaysian sisters."Innocent Devil Tiramisu Ball," likely the most fun of Mad About Coco's concoctions.Tiramisu within a hollow globe of Belgian white & dark choc, melted down with hot choc sauce turned into one tasty mess, creamy-gooey but not cloying. RM20 before taxes.Mad About Coco's signature cake also endures a similar transformation ...... becoming an inventive variation of choc lava cakes, with the molten heat pouring forth from without, not within. RM18.50.Other interesting items here include the babka-inspired sweet yeast cake with chocolate sauce & vanilla ice cream (RM13.50) ...... & crunchy pizza topped with melted chocolate, cornflakes & marshmallows (RM18.50). The chocolate's commendably though not commandingly deep in flavor.

this Damansara Utama cafe shoots straight to the top of the class with a back-to-school vibe that's colorfully charming & whimsically evocative.The owners of Ecole P have done their homework, flooding this space with detail-crammed chalkboards, tables & stools that might remind many Malaysians of their primary school years.Ecole P marks a collaboration by Steven Heng & Ilrene Tee, both alumni of Taylor's University's hospitality courses who've sought to create a cafe where the carefree innocence & imagination of childhood spring stirringly back to life. The shelves are well-stocked with writing utensils, revision booklets & even tiny trophies (highest achievement in mathematics?).A salad comes served with savory-sugary haw flakes, plus a Spongebob backpack & a case that opens to reveal cutlery instead of color pencils.Ecole P's soft-launch menu remains limited, but top marks must be handed to the fried rice with salted egg yolk crumble, green peas & deliciously juicy chicken chop. Prices are fair; the salad & rice constitute a set lunch that costs RM18.80 nett.Love the presentation for the beverages; this peanut butter smoothie, mixed with ice cream & tiramisu lady fingers for a textural grit, proves worth its many calories.Penang's Lighthouse Coffee forms the foundation for Ecole P's lattes.Our report card for Ecole P ('Ecole' is French for school; the 'P' stands for primary): A distinctive effort with thoughtfully prepared food. Keep up the very nice work.

Thai Grill, a more upmarket stop, nestled in what seems to be the basement of the Tropicana Golf & Country Resort's clubhouse.Crispy-fried skewered turkey (!), a satisfactory treat with thick Thai chili sauce.Steamed mussels, always a pleasure if they're as fresh as the ones available here.Start with chicken feet salad, filled with gelatinous goodness (bone-free, mercifully), tossed with tomatoes, onions, chili & lime juice."Hor mok," the seafood custard-souffle that we can never resist ordering.Salt-cooked freshwater fish, a little bit muddy-tasting but reliably fleshy.Thai Grill serves no pork but makes up for that with wine.

Dok Bua, a sedately casual & stubbornly frills-free destination in Ara Damansara.Pork's our pleasure here, clocking in at reasonable prices: A serving of 'moo pa lo' (meat & egg stewed with five spices) that two can share costs RM10.Also worthwhile at Dok Bua, which seems to be run mainly by Thai men: Roasted glass noodles, hearty with a choice of either pork or shrimp (RM10) ...Kinda like a Thai cross between tau yew bak & bak kut teh. Could be more richly aromatic, but it's fine for what it is. Enjoy with steamed white rice.... plus a nicely mild Panang pork curry (RM12) that could nevertheless be creamier with more coconut milk, but now we're simply nitpicking.