Chiaroscuro provides ample dining space on a lovely, shady terrace – perfect for a short afternoon coffee or a long romantic drink in the evening. Inside the restaurant, things have been kept simple and uncluttered. Starched white linen and sturdy wooden chairs are set around large tables that give guests ample space. It creates an ambience that is inviting and comfortable yet refined. The same theme is also evident in their simple yet elegant menus, detailing a decent-sized selection of Italian classic as well as more inventive interpretations of Mediterranean cuisine.

Not another Japanese restaurant you might say, especially in an area already well established for such cuisine. On the very same row, you can also find a Rakuzen and Hyotan. But thanks to their impressive corner lot, Tomoe manages to stand out from their competitors. Besides, the free valet they provide is strong incentive, allowing diners to drive up and walk straight in.

First impressions count and Frames certainly scored high in that aspect. Its chic and minimalist interior, chilled tunes, low lighting and an eclectic ambience derived from the frame-lined walls; each encasing an inspired moment or memory, roused great expectations. With headily excited taste buds, we were ready to “let (Frames’) masterpieces of taste paint a picture of bliss on my palette!” as promised by the menu. But truly, in this case, the pictures outshone reality.

Everyone enjoys replica art – the intricate imitations of food made of plastic. There is something oddly attractive about the colour and detail. Invented by the Japanese to display the dishes and food that they serve in the restaurant, it serves as a magnet for potential customers walking past.

From the outside, Kafe Brisik doesn’t really draw you in. Besides the laminated menu with less than impressive photography of the food, the rather tacky banner and blown up food photos plastered on the outside hardly helped. If that is not enough to turn you away then maybe the unbearable silence from within the restaurant might. On this particular Sunday lunchtime, patrons were conspicuous by their absence. It really doesn’t help Brisik’s cause with the Duck King next door packed to the rafters and queues developing outside. This was truly an experiment in food quality as a function of a restaurant’s occupancy.

Ask for Hot Station, and Ampang residents will give you blank stares. Refer to this eatery as Nasi Lemak Taman Kosas or risk local derision. There’s nothing by way of ambience, especially since the stall just moved further down the road due to new buildings taking up thhe original space, but that’s okay, because the nasi lemak is exquisite.

Not to be confused with the Soo Kee mee stall in Jalan Imbi, the 20-year old Soo Kee Restaurant instead has char siew and roast duck in a class of its own.

As far as local neighborhood institutions go, Aziz Dolmat is about as underrated as they get. A staple of any Pandanite’s dinner options for the past 30-odd years, this painfully understated noodle joint still gets no love. What you will love, however, is the lovingly prepared yet Spartan-looking mi bandung which reminds one of hearty home-cooked meals with an affectionate cherubic aunt slaving over the stove.

Mezze, located inside Tang’s departmental store, is definitely eye candy. With its African-influence décor and beautiful details on every piece of furnishing, it looks like a place you could bring a date to. But be warned though, Mezze is not recommended for a romantic dinner date for two.

We often look to Singapore to lead the way. Cleaner, busier and more efficient; these are traits of the island-nation that stick in the mind, providing a beacon of example for us across the causeway. Therefore, we are always in anticipation of the latest attempts of Singaporean food chains that aim to muscle in on the local market.
Fig and Olive, around in Singapore for more than seven years, moved in to Sunway Pyramid’s new wing barely five months ago and judging by the idling staff at the front of the restaurant, they haven’t been too well-received so far.

The new James Bond flick feels like a Jason Bourne movie for the hip green generation. It's all dirty, gritty, and undercoated with a socially responsible message about going green.

Before anything can be said, let's get this straight: amusing creepy penguins aside, Madagascar stunk like damp animal. Its only lasting memory is of annoyance in the song, "I like to move it move it", for crying out loud! However, before you roll your eyes at the topic of this review, we can assure you that Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa completely usurps its predecessor.

Stepping out into the shiny surrounds of the shopping mall after the screening of Punggok Rindukan Bulan at the cineplex, I noted the striking contrast. Here was middle-class Malaysia proudly toting crisp, fully laden shopping bags, drooling over the latest electronic playthings on display, sipping overpriced cups of coffee at oh-so-trendy cafes. It was far removed from the world of grungy nasi goreng warungs and grotty rundown flats to which, back in the darkened confines of the theatre, I had been transported.

If you’re heading to the cinema and want to watch a movie packed with car chases, explosions and a lot of running around, without having to think all that much about the plot then this is right up your alley.

As soon as the credits began to roll to Meet Uncle Hussain's "Lagu Untukmu", the audience at the media premiere of KAMI: The Movie burst into applause. True, it wasn't The Dark Knight but it was obvious to everyone in the hall that the film they had just watched was a labour of immense love from creators and co-directors, Effendee Mazlan and Fariza Azlina Isahak.

The Love Guru takes its name from yet another crazy character created by Mike Myers, the funny-man behind Austin Powers and Shrek. Guru Pitka (Mike Myers) is an American who, as a child, was left on the doorstep of an Indian ashram. Flashforward more than 30 years and His Holiness is the world's #2 spiritual man, inferior to none but child-hood rival Deepak Chopra...

Death Race has everything you need to give yourself a nice testosterone jolt. The movie is set in a time when America’s overcrowded prison population becomes fodder for televised entertainment.

The film Penelope can essentially be summed up with one word: charming. This modern fairy tale has Christina Ricci playing the role of Penelope Wilhern, a blueblood who carries a curse passed on from her great-great grandfather.

The mass fascination with anything Tudor-related denies the slightest chance for television and filmmakers to go wrong. Who can resist the general formula of barbaric scandal beneath royally refined closed doors?

Just when we thought The Mummy was laid to rest; it rears its ugly head. Back after a 7-year hiatus, the third installment of The Mummy catches up with Rick (Brendan Fraser) and Evelyn (Maria Bello) O'Connell who have retired from the business of risky adventures and chasing mummies.

On a primary level, the story is centred around a group of farm animals who become tired of working themselves to the bone with little food or reward under the rule of their master, Mr Jones. As a result, the animals decide to revolt and overthrow their human ruler.

A safe house is a place a person can find solace and security, a sanctuary, a place where anyone can run to when the real world seems that little bit extra bleak and inhospitable. Chang Yoong Chia’s Safe House, the third instalment of his Flora & Fauna Series is anything but comfortable.

But more than that, I was audience to a shrewdly observed and sensitive insight into the Malaysian education system, ultimately a reflection on past, present and ongoing cultural paradigms at play in every sphere of life.

Congratulations are in order for Ng Si Juan, who was just proclaimed our representative for the British Council’s International Young Designer Entrepreneur (IYDE) competition.

Juan promises to push our design boundaries to the next level. Sounds like the British Council picked just the right guy.

On 10 June, as part of the Stirring Odissi 2008 show, Sutra Dance Theatre (Malaysia) and Orissa Dance Academy (India) presented one of the newer developments of Odissi – group performances.

This isn’t the sort of coming-of-age parable you’d relate at Sunday school. How I Learned To Drive centers around the incestuous, pedophiliac relationship between Li’l Bit and her recovering alcoholic Uncle Peck, set in 1960s Maryland and surrounded by bitterly domineering kith and kin and ignorant middle school peers.

Many remember Joanne Kam for her starring performances at the now defunct Boom Boom Room. Kam… in your face brings back her cabaret show filled with singing, dancing, skits and even rapping in what is the biggest show she has done in years. Judging from the enthusiastic support she received from the audience, Kam’s ability to entertain hasn’t been forgotten.

RACE, a new play presented by Rather Peculiar Theatre premiered last night, and I was there to watch it. All I have to say is I love it. It's one of the most enjoyable theatre experiences I've had for quite a while. Go watch it!

Once in a while, we look beyond our borders to discover what’s rocking up on the regional music front. Thankfully Impulse, brought to you by Heineken Music and our brotha’ Junk, makes the research a little easier by curating a list of performers and visual artists whose names we all should look out for

First it was 02 Days of Freedom. And one week later, hip hop and electro fans had the XLive Music Festival. Sweet!

Realizing the needs of these young boys, a group of 14 young adults decided to host a charity fundraising event to help Agathians Shelter raise RM100,000 to construct their new home; a more conducive one, which offers more comfort and security.

If you’re new to SohoKL, it can be quite confusing to locate the club of your choice given the scale of the development. Not the case for Goddezz Couture Club though – just follow the pounding bass and you’ll be on the right track.

The new establishment CapSquare has had a new edition to its tenant family in Red Square, Jakarta’s hottest vodka bar. And unlike other clubs, it’s a unique spirit without a sense of strict regulation, making it the choice place for serious drinkers and partiers!

TSB has undergone a makeover to keep itself fresh. The downstairs area is now separated into a non-smoking café and the bistro for smokers. Upstairs is where the major changes are: the bar has been spruced up to cater for a more raucous crowd, and TSB’s new crown jewel, the Star Lounge, holds place of pride in the newly-conceptualised layout as a private space for patrons to fully lay back and relax while soaking in TSB’s ambience.

After what seemed an age of pushing back opening dates, Euphoria is finally up and running. When the rumours first made known that Euphoria was going to be located in Sunway, many groaned at the distance, but decided it was going to be huge ala the Singaporean MOS. However, instead of housing several themed rooms, Euphoria manages to hold 1,500 guests via three levels and has each day of the week specifically themed.

There are clubs huddled together around an entertainment hub, clubs lined up on a street, and ones that stand alone in the city centre. Mystique is neither. Hidden on the ground floor of the Cineleisure building, its discretion reminds one of long-gone Tube at 1-Utama. Except that it's much larger, a tad less dodgy and doesn't stay open 'til 6am.

S.I.N sounds like the club your mother warned you about – S&M gear on the walls, vampires just about ready to jump you for a pint or two. In short, the name just screams shenanigans in dark, dank nooks and crannies. When we headed down for its grand launch, the location seemed to fit our preconceptions perfectly: hidden beneath a stairwell to the left of Jalan P Ramlee’s Modesto’s, our descent into S.I.N began.

The latest installment to the Heritage Row family comes in the shape of Space, dwarfed between the cream of the clubbing crop, Cynna and Loft; perhaps a location somewhat daunting for a brand new establishment of skeptically ignorant caliber.

Our visit to the Romance Of The Three Kingdom was definitely an experience we’ll need some time to recover from. If you’re in need of a sensory jolt, this is the place to be.

Much buzz has been surrounding Republic, the new bar that just opened at the new wing of Sunway Pyramid. The hype is understandable though. Conceptualised by the same people behind the popular Laundry at The Curve, citizens from surrounding areas of Subang Jaya, USJ and Bandar Sunway can only hope that it breathes much-needed life to the township’s rather lacking nightlife scene.

One of the first few bars to open up at SohoKL is Raw, and thankfully, it's done just right.

The Taman Megah branch serves as the neighborhood supplier of baking needs, anything you want to get your cookies and cakes rolling can be found here. The interior of the shop is reminiscent of any ordinary kedai runcit with shelves decked with items, freezer at the front and a cashier by the entrance.
Only the over-powering smell of pastry assures you that you're at the right shop.

Organised racks of high-end labels of the likes of Karen Walker, Dogeared Jewelry and Hansel neatly frame the perimeter of the boutique, with little else in decoration. With a chic minimalist store that would not be out of place on KLCC’s designer ground floor, Lush Icon is surprisingly an extremely personal venture shared by two sisters, Rachel and Pooi Ching Khiew, and is supervised by their mother.