Ideal for this Instagram age, Chaiwalla & Co could be the Klang Valley's first "container cafe" _ an eye-catching construct of converted cargo containers, plopped into The CurveSaffron-&-rose-flavored milk tea with yogurt pops & zero added sugar (RM5.80 nett). Enjoyably mild-tasting, without the curse of cloying artifice, & sufficiently thick, though filled with a bit more ice than expected.Coffee with honey & coffee jelly. Ultimately satisfying for a refreshment on a hot afternoon; worth the price. Service is fast & fairly friendly.Pastries & brownies are also available; expect to see more photos of Chaiwalla pepper KL's social media networks for months to come.

Another cafe for brunch enthusiasts surfaced this week, seeking success in Damansara Utama, the increasingly noteworthy F&B hub that welcomed a parade of standouts like Obanhmi, Capital Nasi Dagang, The Good Batch & Ecole P this year.Epicuro scores points for its feel-good casualness & for keeping its recipes relatively interesting. The presence of pork is welcome; the star attraction so far is undoubtedly the sandwich of savory pulled pork crowned with a sunny-side-up (RM18 nett).Not into pork? Try the juicy turkey ham sandwich, bolstered with handmade nutty-peppery, garlicky-tomatoey romesco sauce (RM15 nett). Not into meat at all? No fear, Epicuro has got you covered, with a croissant filled with creamy eggs, buna-shimeji mushrooms & rocket leaves.Come in, the coffee's fine: Sumatra Mandheling single-origin French-press (RM8).

This Penang-based porridge specialist, which runs multiple branches in Georgetown, has expanded south to the Klang Valley, opening outlets at Scott Garden & SS2 in recent weeks.laksa-paste porridge with beef & egg (RM10.80). These prices are reasonable, considering each bowl is pretty big, & the soft, smooth texture should satisfy fans of congee. But the flavors seem too weak & bland to leave a lingering impression.herbal porridge with raw salmon (RM11.80)Zhou's calling card: the creativity channeled through its congee. Here's where patrons can have piping-hot pumpkin porridge with frog legs (RM11.80 before taxes)

No need for snow: Bangsar is freezing over, suddenly & strategically in time for Christmas, transformed into an ice cream wonderland by the milky magicians of Telawi's new Inside Scoop.At least half-a-dozen people _ Edmund, Shiew Li, Derrick & their friends _ appear to labor behind the counter, a clear indication that Inside Scoop is a team effort. The ice cream is produced fresh on-site, channeling skills from a co-founder's Italian gelato-making training.The current flavors favor the classics & the crowd-pleasing choices: Vanilla bean to hazelnut, tiramisu to cookies-&-cream, Valrhona chocolate to pistachio, blueberry cheesecake to durian, pink grapefruit sorbet to strawberry yogurt.Inside Scoop scores strongly for both texture & taste, beautifully lush in smoothness, pleasurably concentrated in purity of flavor.The results straddle the line somewhere between ice cream & gelato, leaning closer to the latter.Edmund's fave: Pistachio, a true treat that distills the deep, distinct essence of this culinary nut.Pink grapefruit sorbet, also an acquired taste. Waffles with ice cream are available here too; each generous scoop of ice cream costs RM7.80, two's RM12.80 & three's RM17.50 (with a surcharge of RM1.50 per scoop for premium flavors like Valrhona choc).

That Place La, a Platinum Lake condo cafe where expectations should likely be lowered. It's a nice, bright & clean setting nevertheless.Wish we could call this a morning-glory, but the baked egg with tomatoes, cheese & chicken ham seems reminiscent of something I'd mix & microwave as a teen. Still, it's merely RM3.50.That Place La scores in the soundtrack department though, playing John Hiatt's 'Have A Little Faith In Me' & Tasmin Archer's 'Sleeping Satellite;' Aspresso relies on 'All Of Me' Sinatra muzak.Not much to say about That Place La's latte; maybe the other dishes here fare better. There's roast chicken, spaghetti bolognese, sago gula melaka & more.