Themed restaurants and bars in KL

Inspired by Parisian pavement cafés, the much-hyped Hello Kitty Gourmet Café in Sunway Pyramid is all French-style awning and glass doors with pastel chairs and Hello Kitty motifs. And it's all very, very pretty; the floor-to-ceiling windows let in all the natural light you need for a pretty Instagram – all the better to highlight your Kitty-shaped waffles. The downstairs section is modelled after a tea salon (you'll be seated here if you're only having tea or coffee and snacks), while the upstairs dining area is where you'll find a selection of Hello Kitty merchandise, plus more pastel Hello Kitty art adorning the walls. By the way, the keyword here is 'pretty'.

Hugo Steampunk is a specialty themed bar, whose owners drew inspiration from ‘Hugo’ the film. The decorations were custom-made especially for the lounge, and include exposed copper pipes, gears and brass doors, along with hanging bulbs. The cocktails here are created by bartender Joe with the lounge’s theme in mind. Think cocktails with names like Wild Wild West, Frankenstein and the house-named Steampunk.

This laboratory-themed café in Shah Alam's Seksyen 7 may be old news to those in the area (it's been around since 2014), but it's still worth a visit for its novelty ice-blended drinks served in lab flasks. Décor-wise, there's a big black-and-white wall mural of lab apparatus, a board of the periodic table of elements (unfortunately made cheesy with Polaroids of patrons arranged in a heart shape around it), a curiously placed sociology textbook, and staff bustling about in white lab coats. Food and drink aren’t memorable, but when your ice-blended chocolate comes in a lab flask and you’re sipping iced mocha from a measuring cup, it’s all right.

Comic book lovers, if you like your food to come with emblems of your favourite DC superhero, you’re at the right place. Most of the food and drinks here come with some sort of superhero logo, like the Superman latte art and cheese topping on the Batman Hawaiian pizza. Food might not be spectacular, but the superhero theme can be a thrill for fans. For example, tables and chairs are emblazoned with the Batman logo, comic book posters adorn the wall, and cans of vitamin drinks pop with superhero artwork at the counter. The bust of a grim-looking Batman just begs a selfie.