Founded in 2012 by a company that specialises exclusively in artisan preserved floral arrangements, KI by LavieFlo (its name is an international portmanteau of words — ki is “tree” in Japanese, vie “life” in French and the last syllable is a truncated “flower”) is the latest venture by its enterprising founders, former publishing executive Ellen Loke and her husband, David Lim, who can now add “café owners” to their portfolio.
Soft-opened on Sept 9, the simple space is the perfect backdrop against which to admire LavieFlo’s offerings, serving as a floral library of its preserved bouquets and centrepieces.
The setting is serene and girly, as evinced by its logo of a rabbit holding a giant monstera leaf. Kawaii (“cute” in a Japanese context) in essence, it is sure to go down well with certain demographics. The menu also encapsulates this Japanese-Western vibe with a slew of yoshoku offerings.
It is ambitious, considering it is LavieFlo’s maiden foray into the challenging and sometimes unforgiving realm of F&B. The wide selection makes it suitable for big groups or families, as the young ’uns will find no fault with sweet potato fries or Kara-Kara Chicken, KI’s take on the safe and trusty chicken karaage.
There are also soups, salads, nori tacos, donburi bowls, protein-heavy entrées and pastas to pick from. And on the slim chance that the Japanese-influenced flavours are not to your taste, there are the fail-safe nasi lemak as well as simple but comforting option of bread and chicken curry.
KI by LavieFlo is at B-15-G Zenith Corporate Park, 1 Jalan SS7/26, Kelana Jaya.
This article first appeared on Oct 3, 2022 in The Edge Malaysia.