A lesser-known street in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur has established itself as an insider foodie destination. Welcome to Jalan Kemuja. By Lim Chee Wah
Tucked away in a residential zone behind Bangsar LRT station, Jalan Kemuja is not a street you’ll casually stumble upon. Yet, this unassuming strip of post-war shophouses, which merges into Jalan Abdullah, is one of Kuala Lumpur’s most underrated culinary destinations – one far more serene and refined than the flashier Telawi nightlife hub nearby.
Here, sandwiched between neighbourhood grocery stores and mechanic workshops, are restaurants and bars so reliable and unbothered by hype that they have amassed a steady stream of regulars. There’s a good variety of flavours, too, including the ocean’s bounty at Southern Rock Seafood, Melaka Peranakan classics at Baba Low’s, and approachable vino at cosy wine bar Juno, to name a few. You could spend a leisurely evening moving from dinner to drinks, then finish off with a caffeinated nightcap, and have a wonderful time. To get you started, here are some of the standouts on this little Bangsar street.
A Table Worth Finding
Sister restaurants Alta and Studio (no.38) share the same ethos but taken in two different directions. While both menus are driven by produce and inspired by global flavours, they present two very different dining experiences.
On the ground floor, Alta is a relaxed neighbourhood restaurant serving elevated comfort food. The dishes may seem familiar at first glance, but they pull together a surprisingly diverse mix of ingredients to create immensely enjoyable food with imaginative flavours. A flatbread combines ricotta, honey and kimchi for a punchy twist on pizza; grilled tiger prawns get a dose of lip- smacking heat from Korean ssamjang; and perfectly tender lamb rump comes with a mouth-watering sweet and tangy tamarind sauce.
That Asian sensibility carries into the weekend as well, with Alta serving one of the most creative brunch menus in Kuala Lumpur. There’s not an avocado in sight, but rather an inventive list of Asian-inspired egg dishes. Here, an egg royale swaps smoked salmon for unagi, while crispy potato pavé gets the breakfast treatment with egg mayonnaise and Japanese curry sauce (pictured above). (Note: Alta has closed temporarily and is expected to reopen in early 2027)
Upstairs, Studio is exacting in everything it does. Larder staples such as stocks and pastes are all made from scratch in-house, and ingredients are cherry-picked from across the world – though there’s a clear penchant for seafood and Scottish provenance, in a node to chef and co-owner Christian Recomio’s heritage.
The intimate 18-seater restaurant opens only on Fridays and Saturdays. Its dinner tasting menu, ranging from six to 10 courses, is a showcase of confident cooking, relying solely on craft and technique instead of culinary fads. As a result,
the dishes feel original, with precise and robust flavours teased out of just a handful of top-shelf ingredients.
The cult-favourite, small-farm Loch Duart salmon from Scotland offers the smoothest mouthfeel when poached ever so delicately, complemented by a salty, nutty, savoury yellow wine sauce. There’s also the diver-caught scallop, pan-seared and served alongside a stuffed morel, pumpkin purée and a bright sauce tinged with sherry vinegar. It’s truly elegant food.
Cocktails Without the Fuss
What started out as an obscured operation, popping up after hours behind a now-closed café on the same street, has grown into one of Kuala Lumpur’s best cocktail bars. Coley (no. 6-G, Jalan Abdullah) has a fun, easy-going streak, and that’s evident in everything it does – even the menu looks and reads like a tabloid.
The brainchild of industry veteran CK Kho, the lively yet laid-back bar takes its name and inspiration from the legendary Ada Coleman, the first female head bartender at London’s Savoy. As Coleman is also the creator of Hanky Panky, it’s fitting that the gin-based cocktail is a staple on Coley’s menu – but with modern twists featuring ingredients such as coconut milk and palm sugar. In fact, Coley is especially well-versed in reinterpreting the classics.
Its crowd-pleasing Koktel series (pictured below) puts an alcoholic spin on local drinks, pairing coconut water with gin, and honey lemon with whisky. But look to the signature cocktails to truly appreciate Coley’s craft and creativity. These sophisticated drinks are layered yet precise, like the Nikisha, which elevates the White Lady with strawberry and white chocolate, giving the citrusy classic a luscious, fruity sweetness.
Late-Night, Lightly Wired
A husband-and-wife outfit, Better Days (no.2) is the kind of coffee shop everybody wants in their neighbourhood. It’s down to earth and communal, and stays open late into the night – until 1.30am, in this case.
The entire set-up looks homely, like a living room, but has the air of a casual bar minus the spirits. It’s all just coffee and matcha here. The former is a single-origin roasted locally by The Hub Coffee Roaster, while the latter comes from homegrown artisanal matcha specialist Niko Neko Matcha, which procures its tea from Japan. Occasionally, there’s food, too, courtesy of limited-time pop-ups that have previously featured burgers and pizzas. Better Days is a place you can sink into and lose hours hanging out with friends, making it the perfect finale to a well-satiated night of eating and drinking.
