On a lazy Friday evening, the sun is a bright orb in the sky, buttering the Earth with heat so scorchingly fiery that even the most intrepid mortals are inclined to scuttle away to the nearest air-conditioned haven.

But at Curious Kitchen, perched on the rooftop of Petaling Jaya’s Tropicana Avenue, that stifling, oppressive heat is miraculously non-existent, although no air-conditioning can be discerned. Instead, the eatery is swatched in patchworks of sunlight that lend a dreamy quality to the afternoon, while a gentle, recurring breeze lifts sweaty hairs off sweaty shoulders with all the skill of a talented masseuse kneading the knots out of overworked muscles.