Renoma Cafe Gallery @ Bukit Bintang

Clothes and cuisine come together at Kuala Lumpur's Renoma Cafe Gallery, the first Asian offshoot of Maurice Renoma's Parisian restaurant of the same name.

Renoma could become one of 2012's most buzzed-about eateries, thanks to an urbane vibe that resonates through this refurbished Bukit Bintang bungalow.

Sip a French Connection cocktail, admire the artwork on Renoma's walls, then maybe buy a shirt, some shoes or even a funky chair to take home for a souvenir.

The food here is French with contemporary flourishes: Foie gras and sweet potato combine for a mille-feuille (RM35++) that scores for both creativity and creamy flavor.

Goose liver is also the centerpiece of this veloute (RM22++) with a finely blended triumvirate of black trumpet, oyster and cepe mushrooms topped with creme porcini.

Foie gras burger (RM58++). When it emerges, the initial surprise is that there's no sign of liver.

Fear not: there's foie for sure, mixed within the 200-gram, nearly six-inch-wide beef striploin patty with Muscovy duck rillettes for a heart-stopping gourmet burger.

Lord love a duck; Renoma's chefs do, incorporating the Muscovy breed into recipes like this super-savory French duck breast house-cured with chamomile tea, mingling with poached egg and torched ginger vinaigrette (RM32++).

Egg and duck both resurface for what could be KL's most pleasurable croque madame (RM26++) with fat slices of Muscovy duck, cured beef and turkey ham (three animals for the price of one), Gruyere cheese, egg and black truffles.

Cocktails are expensive here; nothing costs below RM30. The economical option: order RM16++ glasses of apricot brandy and orange curacao. Feeling fruity indeed.

Renoma opens everyday for lunch and dinner. It's within a one-minute walk of Coco.Tei and Levain Boulangerie, but faces the main road on Bukit Bintang.

Expect to hear more about Renoma in the months ahead: Maurice Renoma might head to Malaysia to view this cafe, while an Italian mixologist could be tapped to expand the cocktail list.

Renoma Cafe Gallery,
510, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-2143-9919