[Pork free] If Only Restaurant offers a quiet sanctuary along the always-busy Jalan Tun Razak with its foliage-rich and rattan-inspired interior.
While tables are limited as it takes up one corner of a commercialised bungalow lot on Jalan U-Thant, the decor is inviting with natural light bathing the space.
Roast spring chicken
Fire it up!
The menu? A mix of contemporary dishes with Asian flavours (and vice versa)..Our top picks include the Roast Spring Chicken (RM35) – perfectly oven-roasted bird yielding moist and succulent flesh, and finished with a blow-torch flambé to render the skin crispy. It is served with roasted vegetable and chef’s special gravy (we detect pumpkin).
Ooh lala
Ooh LaLa (RM28) is exactly what you imagine it to be – local lala clams stir-fried with Bentong ginger, curry leaves, and served in a spicy, creamy sauce. We appreciate the generous portion, and clams were well-seasoned – although I personally prefer more kick from the ginger and curry leaves.
Laksa pesto pasta
Laksa Pesto Pasta (RM28) proved to be hit in our group. Fettuccine pasta is tossed with its special homemade laska paste and herbs (evoking hints of ulam with bunga kantan accents) and served with briny prawns, calamari and lala.
Kaya balls… 
… appease the kid inside.
Banana cake
The Salmon Fish Meat Noodles Soup (RM28) was a bit of a letdown – the milky, fish-head noodle broth was a bit diluted and lacked the sour, savoury kick, but we appreciate the size of the salmon steak. For desserts, we shared Kaya Balls (yay to childhood!) and Banana and Orange Poppy-seed Butter Cakes.
If Only.
Address: Ground floor, Regal House, 1, Jalan U Thant, Taman U Thant, 55000 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur
Hours: 8am-5pm Daily
Phone: 03-2181 2882
