Benjamin Coffee & Tea, a friendly, no-frills cafe that uses 100 percent Arabica beans & German tea leaves for its beverages.Benjamin's latte is enjoyable enough, well-paired with a nice slice of red velvet cake.Benjamin's Coffee & Tea,
40, Jalan 24/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur.
Open Monday-Saturday, 9am-10pm.
Tel: 03-6206-4196

Looking for something a little unusual at Solaris Dutamas? Coco Bar's offerings fit the bill, though they might prove an acquired taste.Coco Bar tackles the exotic adventure of West African cuisine; the kitchen's commandeered by at least one person from that region. Imported ingredients purportedly feature in this 'egusi' soup, a much-seasoned stew of melon seeds & leaf veggies.To make the meal more filling: 'Eba,' starchy-grainy balls of dried grated cassava. A serving of the soup with this costs RM30, not exactly cheap but not excessively costly.We like the African-style grilled fish at any rate: Whole sea bass, well-marinated, moist & meaty, served with fried plantains, onions, mayo & green chili sauce.The fish is packaged with two glasses of wine (the white's better than the red) for RM85 nett.No African cocktails, but two Mojitos come for the price of one (RM28 nett) during happy hours that stretch well past 8pm. Slightly more sweet than intoxicating, but perfectly fine for this price.

Burger haters, this one's not for you; for the rest of us, Big Mouth, which opened this month in Bandar Sunway, promises two or three items of possible interest.Living up to its name, Big Mouth's signature eight-inch-wide creation is a behemoth of a burger, served in a box the size of a birthday cake, boasting a 500-gram flame-grilled beef patty that even four customers might have trouble finishing. Comes with fries too.For less epic appetites, try smaller burgers that nonetheless seem more substantial than normal; our best bet's this Benedict Burger (RM12.80, including fries).Not into beef? Have a chicken burger with quite-good onion rings, pickles & an extra request of fried egg. RM13.80. Could be a satisfying supper snack, except that Big Mouth currently opens 10:30am-8:30pm (closed Sundays). Caution: Parking here on weekdays requires some patience.Also potentially enjoyable: Big Apple Burger (RM18.80), served with hash brown & grilled apple.Fries, chunky enough, though without the crisp that would render them wholly irresistible.

For folks working in Cyberjaya, Monjo Coffee is also worth a visit or two.
Monjo serves true all-day breakfasts; even at 7:30pm, patrons can order this brekkie burger, stuffed with poached egg, turkey ham, mushrooms, spinach & hollandaise sauce (RM14+).
Scrambled eggs with smoked salmon & creme fraiche on toast (RM16+).
Monjo sells Marou single-origin chocolate, handmade from Trinitario cocoa beans organically grown in Vietnam's Mekong Delta, boasting spicy-fruity notes.
The Vietnamese chocolate is used to make Monjo's hot chocolate.
Hazelnut caffe latte, extracted from 100 percent pure Arabica beans.

Sogo's main Chinese restaurant serves better-than-expected halal dim sum.Hot & fresh, juicy & flavorsome: All that describes this chicken siu mai (RM7 before taxes).Steamed scallop dumplings (RM9), smooth & sumptuous. A second helping, please.BBQ chicken buns. Not terrible, but there's no wisdom in stuffing the stomach with these when the menu features better options.Egg yolk custard buns (RM7), extremely enjoyable before it becomes cold.Since Siang is nestled in a shopping complex, it seems to be open all day long so there's no trouble ordering 'har gow' somewhat late in the afternoon. Love the savory-soupy seafood dumpling (RM10), for which we'll brave Sogo's surrounding traffic & internal parking woes.