Your First Visit to Savor: What to Order in Desa Sri Hartamas

Somewhere between the first spoonful of laksa and the last corner of lasagna, most of our guests forget the question they walked in with: is it really all plant-based? It is, every dish on the menu. But that is rarely the reason people come back.

Savor sits on Jalan 28/70A in Desa Sri Hartamas, a short drive from Mont Kiara, and the idea behind it is simple. Cook the dishes Malaysians love, and cook them properly. From laksa to lasagna, made from plants. If this is your first visit, here is how we would spend it.

What Savor is, and what it isn't

Our menu begins with the dishes our founders love. Co-founder Beverly Thien is originally from Sabah, and her recipes pair timeless Sabahan flavours with techniques picked up on travels that span continents. Leading the kitchen is Head Chef Dzul Fiqri, who brings more than a decade of cooking across Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and the United States, including training in Michelin-starred kitchens. His instinct is to bring French and Italian technique to the familiar flavours of Malaysia and Southeast Asia.

What we are not is a place that lectures. We would rather sell you the dish than the diet. Most of the people at our tables aren't vegan; they just like the food. You can read more about the people behind the plates on our About page.

Start with the Malaysian plates

If you only order one thing, make it the nasi kerabu, our best-selling Malaysian dish. Blue rice arrives with ulam, sambal and crisp bean sprouts: bright, herbal and gently fiery, the kind of plate you mix together with your spoon and keep going back to.

Close behind it:

• Nasi lemak: coconut rice, sambal and all the trimmings. It is an award winner, and a fair test for anyone who grew up on the original.

• Sarawak laksa: simmered for hours, with fried shimeji, tofu puffs and calamansi in a mild, spicy broth.

• Linopot D'Odu: Sabah rice parcels in fragrant leaves, with tangy tuhau and bambangan. Of everything on the menu, this is the plate closest to Beverly's Sabahan roots.

• Creamy curry mee or bakso noodle soup, for noodle people: rich coconut curry with aubergine and potato, or plant-based meatballs and bok choy in a clear broth.

Then something from the oven

Our lasagna is the number one Western dish on the menu, layered, baked and bubbling at the edges when it reaches the table. If someone in your group wants something hearty and familiar, the shepherd's pie, a savoury filling under a golden crust of creamy mash, is the other safe bet.

Save room for pizza

The newest arrival is a run of six stone-fired, 10-inch pizzas from the regions of Italy, from Naples to Liguria. They are the work of our pizzaiola, Ana Castro, who spent several years as a plant-based baker in Colombia and the United States before joining Savor. Every pizza is finished with her signature three-nut cheese of macadamia, almond and cashew, made in-house and found only at Savor.

For a first visit, try the Nerano from Sorrento, with fried zucchini, lemon zest and creamy three-nut cheese, or the Genovese Ragù, a Naples signature of minced shiitake ragù, slow-cooked sweet onions and peppery watercress. Prefer to keep it classic? The Margherita is house pomodoro, fresh basil and melted three-nut cheese. The pizzas are served for dine-in, so they are one more reason to sit down with us.

Bringing family, or friends who aren't vegan

Savor was made for mixed tables. There are plates to share, a kids menu, and baby chairs on request, and Sunday with the family is our favourite day of the week. If anyone in your group has allergies, tell us in your booking and let your server know when you arrive.

Bringing a friend who has never eaten a plant-based meal? Order the dishes they already know: nasi lemak, lasagna, a Margherita. Then let the food do the talking.

Getting here and parking

You will find us at 38G, Jalan 28/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, opposite the open-air car park and one street past Menara SCP Societe. Open the directions in Google Maps.

Street parking on Jalan 28/70A and nearby streets is paid through the Touch 'n Go app, Monday to Friday, 7:30am to 6pm. If the street is full, the open-air car park is right opposite us, about 100 metres away, and there is covered parking under Menara SCP Societe, one street before the restaurant and a minute's walk away. Sunday lunch is our busiest time, so allow a few extra minutes, or come by Grab: drop-off is right at our door.

When we're open

• Sunday to Thursday: 11:00–15:00 and 17:00–21:00

• Friday: 11:00–15:30

• Saturday: closed

We rest on the Sabbath, from Friday afternoon to Saturday evening, and come back on Sunday ready for lunch. Walk-ins are welcome when we have space, but booking is the safest bet for Sunday lunch.

Book your first table

Booking online takes a minute and needs no account, for groups of up to 9 guests. For 10 or more, WhatsApp us on +60 11-7022 2340. Planning a birthday or a private gathering instead? Take a look at our event space.

Book your table at Savor, and we will see you at the table.