Where to eat and drink in TTDI

Known for creative martinis and Japanese-inspired tipples, Ikiya 2.0 is TTDI’s answer to innovative cocktails. A great choice for a round or two of drinks, you’ll find signatures of adzuki bean martinis, mudslides made with cacao and oolong, sake sours infused with lemongrass, and more. 

Local flavours and endemic ingredients shine at Akâr Dining. Its menu is a showcase of seasonal produce, shining the spotlight on local culinary heritage, provincial ingredients, and time-honoured processes. Its recent revamp sees lunches begin with breadfruit paired with salted egg kaya and serunding, its Happy Veg Salad served with tempoyak, and scallop umai with coconut. For dinner, guests can expect dishes such as oyster and chayote, sardine and kale, and aged duck. 

See also: Aidan Low of Akâr Dining on nurturing his team and what first sparked his interest in food

Flavourful Syrian fusion and punchy dishes make this TTDI restaurant a standout. Led by chef-owner Ameer Alzalek, its menu draws consistent crowds and is known for turning curios first-timers into regulars. Its smoked hummus is a favourite, a dish many come back for time after time. Alongside the smokey dip, you will find baba ghanoush salad with pomegranate yoghurt, kofta tartare with harissa and garlic sauce, and ceviche with citrus ponzu, sumac, and green olives. 

Seasoned cocktail enthusiasts may be familiar with dessert cocktails—decadently sweet creations reminiscent of sugary confections. Soma Cocktail Bar makes this cocktail form its own with spirit-infused desserts, namely, tau fu fah drizzled with dark rum syrup. Besides an array of gin and tonic infusions, sours, and classics, this bar is a must-visit purely for the novelty of rum-spiked tau fu fah. 

Eclectic sharing plates and comforting dishes guided by a modern Asian concept can be found at Ember. Almost everything is made from scratch, with ingredients being sourced locally and menus changing according to the day’s best produce. Its most recent menu comprised heirloom tomatoes served with miso yoghurt, duck dumplings with pumpkin puree and duck fat-fried shallots, lamb char siew with ginger relish and noodles, and more.

Helmed by chef Darren Chin, DC Restaurant offers refined and multi-faceted dining experiences. Each floor of the TTDI restaurant is home to a unique culinary experience, with the main dining area offering guests a rotating prix fixe menu and the cellar allowing guests to experience an immersive omakase-style meal.

The restaurant has recently adopted a new gastronomic approach reflective of increasingly globalised palates, fusing French techniques with Southeast Asian flavours in a terroir-driven concept. On this year’s seasonal menu, you’ll find white asparagus with striped jack and Harumanis mango, seared foie gras with rhubarb confit and hibiscus jelly, and truffle gemelli pasta with salted kombu. 

Baked goods are The Bread Bar’s specialties. From sun-dried tomato dotted sourdough foccacia to peach and vanilla danishes, if you’re a fan of all things leavened or laminated, this TTDI bakery is the perfect place for you. Alongside a myriad of bakes, you’ll be able to stop by for brunch or dinner and tuck into corned beef sandwiches with homemade pickles, polenta served with poached eggs and baked chickpeas, handmade pastas, steak au poivre smothered in French peppercorn sauce, and more. 

Putting a contemporary spin on Italian classics is TTDI’s Aposto. Proteins grilled over charcoal, handcrafted pastas, and fresh seafood come together on its menu. Start your meal with a selection of small plates from pickled saba on ciabatta toast to Sicilian burrata and fig salad.

For mains, do not skim through its pasta section—each plate is cooked to order. Find butter-poached Boston lobster served on linguine, beef tripe and ricotta stuffed between lasagna sheets, and duck braised in red wine for 18 hours tossed with hand-cut tagliatelle. 

Those looking for small plates and great sake are in luck. The cyberpunk themed and LED-lit Tono Izakaya is a favourite in TTDI. Substantial offerings of salmon carpaccio, A5 Miyazaki sandos, or engawa dons can comprise your meal but its yakitori and kushiyaki selections are this spot’s true highlight. Grilled over bincotan, a traditional Japanese charcoal, expect each skewer to be perfectly charred.

Find chicken thigh, liver, and soft bone yakitori, shishito pepper kushiyaki, sweet potato caramelised with butter and sugar, or treat yourself with a Wagyu beef skewer. Pair each plate with a serving of sake, from fruit-accented house pours to a bottle of Kukurei Junmai Ginjo with notes of roasted rice, banana, and coconut. 

Don’t miss: 9 yakitori specialists you have to try in the Klang Valley

Planning a picnic but aren’t big on the outdoors? Visit Simply Sandwiches for a picnic experience in the comfort of a TTDI café. Find a myriad of sandwiches here, some stuffed with beef salami or basil pesto and some with garlic butter prawns or soft shell crab, and classic egg salad or tuna. If you are, however, big on the outdoors, you can spare yourself the time of handcrafting sandwiches and order one of Simply Sandwiches’ picnic boxes. 

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