Fashion & food, Publika's two core components, come together emphatically in Elegantology, which serves as both men's boutique & restaurant. We're not fans of the name, but we like the place. Distinctive enough to be a cool hot spot.Rambutan, crab meat & salmon roe? A starter that underscores appreciable ambition.Wagyu beef rolls with asparagus, scallions & 'shiao hsing hua tiao glaze, another amalgamation of cross-continental inspirations. At RM30++, this illustrates how Elegantology strives to keep its prices fair. A three-course meal without wine will hover around RM100.Oven-roasted rack of lamb with almond-coconut crust (RM54++), as good as this gets.Twelve-hour sous vide sour plum Muscovy duck with fettuccine (RM48++). Sounds fab on paper, but the execution seems a little lost in translation; the meat's one-dimensional in flavor & not as explosively juicy as it could be.Blue cheese, melon & pepper, very close to a successful experiment. Elegantology's wine by the glass starts at RM32++. Pricey but pleasurable.

Very likely KL's best new Italian eatery in more than two years, with robust flavors taking center stage in recipes that brilliantly balance tradition & temerityWe'll delve deeper into Strato's menu in the months ahead, but here's a sampling of the starters: Swordfish polpette (RM25++), meaty balls in tangy-savory tomato sauce.Our should-eat sense tingles for Strato's house-made ravioli (RM55++), stuffed with a rich blend of Wagyu beef cheek & trotter that melts like some sort of divine dew on the tongue, slicked up with sage butter, preserved lemon & fried onions. Strato opens for dinner for now, but call before coming, since renovations remain incomplete.

The team behind Tom, Dick & Harry's could have a winning hand with its latest gambit, The Royal Flush, a Chinese restaurant that's remarkably regal, reigning over Ara Damansara in a three-level, lantern-festooned shrine of shimmering scarlet.All in? Many thanks to The Royal Flush for hosting this preview feast; house rules state that everything here must taste distinctively delicious, even starters such as crispy spring rolls & crunchy cucumber stuffed with chestnuts & pork floss ...... as well as wonton skin-wrapped salmon flakes & cuttlefish crackers.Subsequent courses hail from one of The Royal Flush's New Year sets, kicking off with a chilled seafood combo of shellfish with kiwi fruit ...... & a sweet-savory oyster shooter that underscores the confident talent of The Royal Flush's main chef, a mysterious figure whom rumor claims has cultivated decades of experience at top establishments like Shang Palace & Marco Polo.Dim sum is included in this set; these soup & pork dumplings & fish balls will also be available for lunch daily once The Royal Flush launches January 21.Grilled cod fish is a highlight of these multiple courses, which total RM1,200 nett per table of ten. Fair, considering The Royal Flush cost some 2.5 million ringgit to construct. TDH might be famed for pigs in blankets, but The Royal Flush scores with its succulent interpretation of bacon-cloaked scallops, instead of sausages.

Some changes can be for the better: Over the years, we've amassed many nice memories at Nikko Hotel's Toh Lee, but ever since Nikko turned into InterContinental, most of its restaurants have been refurbished & revamped, one by one.The latest transformation: Toh Lee is now Tao, launched this week & looking better than ever, graced with a glittering opulence that's guaranteed to impress.Tao's menu is as extensive as expected, made distinctive with playful twists on familiar favorites. The kitchen's no-pork nature becomes a trigger for experimentation, not limitations, as proven by this poached lamb fillet, 'bak kut teh' style (RM56++).No pale substitute for the real deal: the meat's tender & robust-tasting, the herbal broth brims with bean curd & mushrooms, while the crullers feel fresh & crisp.Move over, braised pork belly with yam: Tao replaces the pig with slow-cooked beef shank.Fried rice, fairly fragrant, laced not only with black sesame but bits of barbecued chicken that bear a sweet savoriness as satisfactory as that of pork char siew. RM38++. The magic formula might lie with Tao's chefs, who seem to be industry veterans with a wealth of experience. Pure pleasure, with preserved bean curd sauce clinging to every slice of the meat (as gelatinous as Wagyu beef cheeks) & the yam (as melt-in-the-mouth as mashed potatoes). Nevertheless, at RM56++, it's multiple times what the pork version costs. Complimentary, plummy welcome tea. Service here strives to satisfy, mostly succeeding.

It's taken more than a year for Troika Sky Dining to clamber from conception to consummation, but this shimmering 24th-floor venue warranted the wait, kicking off 2013 with a resounding bang that connoisseurs citywide will surely hear & cheer.Smoked duck wafer with raspberry coulis & maple syrup foam, a knockout of a sweet-sour-salty amuse bouche that wallops the taste buds in a wondrous way.Oyster recipes have been Cantaloupe exec chef Chris Bauer's forte since his time at Frangipani; these Fine de Claire ones with marinated anchovy cream boast a luscious brininess, surprisingly paired with the vegetarian-pleasing flavor of cucumber jelly & Japanese cucumber.Chorizo-dusted scallop with caramelized onions, wild seasonal mushrooms, parsley foam & ancho chili oil. At RM75++, this starter signals that meals at Cantaloupe won't come cheap, but the sum total of the food, setting & service here makes the cost feel worthwhile.One for fans of fowl: a thick, creamy slab of 24-hour-cooked pigeon, chicken & foie gras terrine, with pigeon jus ganache, Waldorf salad & roasted chestnuts (RM85++).Lobster bisque with rosemary herb foam & tomato jelly. An experimental concoction, not formally on the menu so far, but it more than deserves to be.One of Cantaloupe mastermind Eddie Chew's favorites: Peekytoe crab & toasted oat "carbonara," with applewood-smoked duck breast, winter truffles & Brussels sprout leaves.Pan-roasted gurnard (RM85++), topping a croquette that bursts open with savory bouillabaisse, accompanied by olives, ratatouille & red wine sauce.