Heading to KL for a long weekend? Visit Kimpton Naluria Kuala Lumpur which brings a lively dining line-up to TRX, with local flavours, Italian-American comfort food, rooftop cocktails and easy access to some of the city’s best-loved eats.
Kimpton Naluria Kuala Lumpur, part of IHG Hotels & Resorts, made its debut in the city late last year. Its location next to TRX – positioned as Malaysia’s international financial district – gives it a clear advantage. Guests can eat well throughout the day, both within the hotel and at the mall, without really needing to leave the modern precinct.
The hotel’s restaurant and bar concepts cover a broad spectrum, from Malaysian fare to Italian-American comfort food, and cocktails built around local spices. Mornings kick off at Tuai + Till, the hotel’s dual-concept all-day dining venue. Tuai offers local favourites, while Till functions more as a Western brasserie. At breakfast, the restaurant operates as one large space, with a buffet spanning Malaysian staples and familiar international options. Roti canai is prepared fresh, while nasi lemak, curries and congee sit alongside pancakes, breads and pastries.
For guests heading out early, the ground floor espresso bar Rise & Grind offers a convenient alternative, with coffee and light refreshments to take away. At the first floor lobby, the Kimpton Kickstart invites staying guests to help themselves to wellness juice shots, coffees, teh tarik and kaya toast. In the evenings, they get to enjoy Social Hour (5 to 6pm) which serves complimentary wine, cocktails and mocktails by Four Siblings and curated bites.
Return to Tuai + Till for lunch, where the menu largely comprises hearty one-dish meals. Think beef short rib, braised for eight hours in aromatic rendang gravy, and served with turmeric glutinous rice and acar. Or tiger prawns and pineapple masak lemak cili api with okra and eggplant in a turmeric coconut chilli gravy. For a meat-free option, ulam fried rice combines brown rice with ulam pesto, sambal tempeh, paneer satay and enoki fritters. And you can’t go far wrong with the nasi goreng kampung – shrimp paste sambal and anchovies share plate space with ayam berempah and fish skin crackers.
Western options include salmon bouillabaisse, wagyu steak frites and flatbreads with spiced lamb, among others. Tuai + Till also offers weekday lunch formats, including an Express Set Lunch for diners watching the clock, with dishes served within 30 minutes.
Dinner at Sabato’s takes a different turn. Located on the 25th floor, the Italian-American restaurant draws on the exuberance of a New York’s 1970s ‘Red Sauce Joint’. Think classic casual dining with checkered tablecloths and slow-simmered tomato gravies. A jukebox plays tracks from the era, the wine list leans Italian, and dishes arrive in substantial portions.
Setting the tone is The Godfather’s Meatball, laced with rich Sunday gravy (rich Italian-American tomato sauce) and finished with Parmigiano. It is followed by staples such as spaghetti and meatballs, and spicy rigatoni in a creamy tomato sauce. There’s also a jumbo shrimp cocktail composed of chilled tiger prawns with gremolata, cocktail sauce and lemon.
The larger dishes are best approached as a group. Costata features a 300g charcoal-grilled wagyu ribeye with salsa verde, confit portobello mushrooms and truffle mashed potatoes. Chicken Parmigiana is topped with smoked provolone and Sunday gravy, while the charcoal-grilled Malabar snapper is partnered with tomato salsa, orange gremolata and charred lemon. More hefty still is the Sunday Gravy Platter, which brings together meatballs, Italian sausage and stuffed striploin with spicy rigatoni. It is generous, unapologetically rich.
Desserts maintain the nostalgic mood. The towering Knickerbocker Glory combines layers of stracciatella gelato, cherries, berries, sponge cake and chocolate sauce. Subtle it is not, but that would rather miss the point. Drinks can continue at Sabato’s Lounge, where Negronis, Sbagliatos and New York Sours accompany bar snacks such as tomato arancini, pesto-filled mozzarella sticks and warm rosemary focaccia.
One floor above, Four Siblings takes a more distinctly Malaysian starting point. Its indoor lounge and open-air garden terrace offer broad skyline views, while DJ-led Sky High Sessions shift the mood towards a more energetic weekend crowd. The rooftop bar is named for four spices central to local cooking and the region’s historic trade routes: cinnamon, clove, cardamom and star anise. These form the basis of a cocktail and tapas menu connecting Malaysian flavours with South American influences.
Start with the refreshing Rosca, which balances bright citrus with the warmth of toasted Balik Pulau cardamom and a savoury note of olive, along with vodka, tuak and Cointreau. End with a nightcap inspired by everyone’s favourite Milo beverage. The boozy version here is made with spiced rum sous vide with pandan, espresso and Milo, plus coffee liqueur infused with star anise. If you’re feeling peckish, the addictive fried chicken and nachos make easy late-night companions.
After a day of non-stop eating, the rooms offer a welcome change of pace. Earthy colours, organic textures, greenery and local art carry the theme through the interiors of the 466-room hotel without making the rooms feel overly themed.
The hotel is directly connected to The Exchange TRX, so there is little need to negotiate KL’s insane traffic for shopping or another meal. The exception might be an early breakfast trip to ICC Pudu, whose stalls teem with excellent local food like crispy popiah, apam balik, yong tau fu, prawn noodles and more.
At the mall, Meriah by the Serai Group offers a more contemporary take on Malaysian, Indonesian and Thai cuisines, with mee goreng, curries, satay and plenty of spiced-driven options. For local flavours, Oriental Kopi specialises in Nanyang favourites such as coffee, Portuguese egg tarts and bolo buns. It’s a convenient final stop for a coffee, dessert or edible souvenirs before leaving Kuala Lumpur.
