What does the fox eat? Ox and lox at this positively, unparadoxically foxy new space.
Start with Fox Paradox's beefed-up soba salad, scattered with sliced tenderloin over tender buckwheat noodles, jazzed up with the zing and zest of pickled lotus roots, fried cauliflower, watercress, rocket, cucumber, snow peas and sesame seeds in a lively miso-ginger dressing, fresh and filling (RM29).
Salmon comes second, spread over thick, tight-crumbed but tantalisingly soft Normandy bread in a hearty reinterpretation of eggs royale, with perfectly luscious poached eggs slathered with house-made avocado hollandaise sauce, brightened with a side of pickled fennel, apples, arugula, crispy potatoes, walnuts and dill (RM36).
For brunch buffs, Fox Paradox's entire menu is worth wolfing down, with extra effort put into each ensemble on the plate.
Our favourite order so far is the pulled lamb, yogurt-braised for yummy succulence and overnight-hung for a bit of aging, robustly topped with runny-yolked eggs, roasted capsicum, kale, crispy cauliflower, charred pickled onions and mojo sauce over crunchy baguettes, for the most addictive sort of open sandwich (RM39).
With Fox Paradox opening at 8:30 a.m., it's the ideal place in the city centre for an omelette before the office - the sriracha-spiced crab omelette evokes an imaginatively eggy take on Vietnamese banh xeo crepes, thinly fried and topped with plenty of pickled Japanese daikon and carrots, beansprouts, coriander, pucuk selom and shallots, tangy with tamarind chilli vinaigrette, decadent with lemon cream cheese, complete with sourdough toast (RM28).
Fox Paradox's name is a reference to the conundrums and contradictions in the life of its founder and fantastic Mr Fox, Neil, a familiar face for many years behind some of KL's favourite caffeine bars, returning to active duty behind the espresso machine. You can consistently rely on his cortados and lattes, but also check out the cafe's own-brewed, ultra-rejuvenating kombucha, in seasonal flavours like spicy mango.
Fox Paradox
G02-G03 The Grange KL, Jalan Ampang, 55000 Kuala Lumpur. Open Wednesday-Monday, 830am-6pm.
