#28 Garage 51 by CoffeeSociété

Garage 51 is a garage-themed cafe established by CoffeeSociété. Situated within an area that is densely populated by automotive service centres and garages, the corner shophouse is not an easy spot to miss with its colourful graffiti mural and a fiery red vehicle model.

You know you're talking 'bout extreme approach in going green when some seats are custom-made from fuel tanks (Notice the Pennzoil motor oil tank?)

Mochatella (RM 14.90)

Winston's order is a rather milky concoction of fresh milk, coffee cubes and Nutella. The result is a tastefully done coalescence of cream, caffeine and Nutella sweetness.

Carrot Walnut Cake (RM 9.90)

The waiter recommended this. We recommend otherwise.

From left: Affogato (RM 8.90) and Mocha (RM 10.90)

The mocha was pretty good. Well balanced acidity and cocoa sweetness.

Garage 51 by CoffeeSociété
51, Jalan PJS 11/9,
Bandar Sunway, 46150 Selangor, Malaysia.
Business hours:
Tuesday - Sunday: 11.00 a.m. - 11.00 p.m.

#27 That Latte Place

Situated around Ampang's expat-filled neighbourhood (or within the Yayasan Seni galleria), experience the much tranquil side of the city as shades of greenery and coffee aroma colluded against the generally unsuspecting coffee-going crowd.

That Latte place or 'tLp', an alfresco cafe serving hearty breakfast and awesome egg bens, is going to move to a new location (somewhere in Sunway) by the end of this month. Starting out as an indie coffee nook two years ago, tLp's weekend crowd could get a bit too overwhelming. By 9.30 a.m., a queue was already being built along the garden's luscious pathway.

With morning birds chirping up a sonorous, melodic tune and insects orchestrating their own ambient sound of nature, it's easy to see why city dwellers and fellow expatriates find this place a favourable breakfast spot. The environment is relaxing and presumably, pet-friendly.

Latte (RM 9)

The eponymous latte comes in a huge teacup and sauce. With foamy rosetta precisely circled along the brim, the latte was a pleasant brew with the capability of providing that much needed 'kick' for the sluggish morning.

I can't deny. Price for the food here is definitely on the steeper side. My personal pick here is House Egg Ben, given how blogosphere had been raving about this item since the cafe's inception.

House Egg Bens (RM 18)

The double poached eggs served with freshly made signature Hollandaise sauce, ham and sauteed mushrooms on toast was well prepared and tasted fantastic. Try imagine using the fork on the eggs with a light prod, as fresh, hot yellow egg-yolk fluid came oozing like a volcanic lava, given this case an edible one. Yeah, this one lives up to its reputation as one of the best egg bens around.

Hearty Breakfast (RM 18)

However, Hearty Breakfast was an overpriced take on the most fundamental approach of breakfast-making. The round plate was served with basic variations such as hash browns, mini sausages, scrambled eggs with mushrooms, baked beans, tomatoes, diced potatoes and a loaf of toast.

That Latte Place
Yayasan Seni,
333 Persiaran Ritchie
55000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Tel: 016-8503546
Business hours:
Tuesday - Sunday: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

#26 Offshore Technology Conference Asia 2014 (OTC Asia)

Quick post on my recent industrial visit to Offshore Technology Conference Asia 2014 (OTC Asia) at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

OTC's inaugural Asian edition had featured various oil and gas industry players, both international and regional, showcasing their best in oil and gas technology.

And glad to say that my busy day was enriched with unlimited cups of Baskin Robbins ice-cream. Yeah, that basically was the highlight of my visit.

Offshore Technology Conference Asia 2014 (OTC Asia)
Venue: Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.
Date: 25-28th March 2014.

#25 The Brew Orchestra

As third wave coffee is currently taking Kuala Lumpur city by storm, such culture movement has somehow set foot on southern Peninsular ground of Johor state too with a gradual yet prodigious growth of its own. Independent coffee shops dedicated to serving high-quality coffee amidst stylish environment is definitely on a regional rise judging from how easy it was to locate one around the neighbourhood area. Much to choose from the aforementioned sprawling cafe selections, yet we settled ourselves here since we conveniently found a vacant parking spot in front of the brightly-lit cafe.

Unlike any indie coffee joints we frequently encountered (and  in KL, which most of them were already established as stuffy yet cosy nook crammed with chitchatting aficionados and fashionable wannabe hipsters, The Brew Orchestra fares more like a coffee canteen. With interior design evocative of modern contemporariness, few fashion statement-proving crowds can either be seen taking selfies or presumably Instagramming their cup of artisanal rosetta (I swear some of them even gawped at us as if we weren't dressed up for some kind of special occasion, or is it just me feeling like a fish out of water for reasons unknown? Never mind.). While people were boisterously engaging in friendly chatter, we managed to grab ourselves an inconspicuous spot for our little tête-à-tête as the weekend evening progressed.

Piccolo Latte (RM 9)

'Sexy Urban' is the name of their specialty house blend, which conflates bean sources like Brazil Fazenda Passeio Natural, Guatemala San Andreas Washed and Honduras Finca El Chollo Washed. At first I thought this was the blend used in brewing the piccolo, but then one of the attendants were affable enough to approach us and clarify (with much hail-fellow passion) that the blend in my cuppa is of Ethiopian origin, and it was not featured in the menu plank. Nevertheless, my piccolo tasted just fine with the right kind of acidity.

Darjeeling White Tea (RM 15)

Mel's Darjeeling White Tea was nicely served in a mini triple teapot crockery set. The white tea was fragrant and hot, very hot.

New York Cheesecake (RM 12)

For munchies, we ordered a cake and an affogato. Too bad I can't seem to recall the name of the cake, but it was a nice complement to our drinks. (UPDATED as New York Cheesecake)

Twosome Affogato (RM 9)

I know it's utterly unfair to compare, but all you could ever get for a RM 12 affogato in KL is just a mere cup of single scoop ice-cream with espresso spooned all over. Here we had savoured a huge glass of double-scoop ice-cream (mix of vanilla and chocolate) dipped in full-bodied espresso,all in all for just RM 9! Yeah, I was in heaven.

Oh, I had a great time! :)

The Brew Orchestra

• 19 Jalan Molek 1/5C. Taman Molek
• 81100 Johor Bahru. Johor, Malaysia.
• Tel: 012-716 6717
• Business hours:
Monday - Friday  : 11:00 a.m. - 11:30 p.m.
Saturday - Sunday: 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 p.m.

#24 Mr. Lim Korean BBQ Restaurant

Hmm, what we're looking here is a Korean restaurant with a name that goes by an English honorific addressing a Chinese that bears a typical Sino-surname. As interesting as it might sound, this place is frequently flocked by Korean expatriates alike.

First and foremost, the side-dishes here were kinda awesome.

Draft Makgeolli (RM 30)

For the uniniated, Makgeolli refers to a type of Korean native alcohol prepared from a mixture of rice and wheat. Originally a liquor served amongst farmers, the milk-resembling Makgeolli emanates aroma like no other alcoholic drink. The mouth-feel was smooth and the taste fell on somewhere between maximum intensity and light bitterness.

One of the highlights regarding the sides is definitely the Korean Pancake known as 'Jeon'. So crispy and fluffy, me and sis just couldn't have enough of it.

So, to the mains we march!

Bibimbap - Rice layered with mixed vegetables (RM 19)

Samgyetang - Chicken & Ginseng Soup (RM 35)

The Samgyetang was the perfect deal for a rainy evening. Hot enough to warm up your appetite, I recommend spooning the soup over the chicken if they were to be consumed with rice.

The following meals were professionally grilled and served by the restaurant's friendly personnel, which in turn means that we won't have to literally break a sweat grilling the meats ourselves (though some might request grilling the meats on their own since that's where the fun lies for Korean grilling).

Yang Galbi - Lamb Meat Marinated in House Sauce (RM 30)

Daepae Samgyeopsal - Thin fresh pork belly slice (RM 27)

Mok Sal - Grilled Pork Neck Meat (RM 27)

Samgyeopsal - Fresh Belly Slice (RM 28)

With all the meat dishes well-cooked and served, we made haste to savour the dishes before it got cold. The meats were fresh and cooked with right amount of grease, rendering the meat texture to be a trifle oily. Nevertheless, the meat was chewy and went well with the lettuce wraps. Definitely one of the best Korean grills I've tasted.

Even the bill is printed in Korean! (Well, not entirely..)

Mr. Lim Korean BBQ
No. 5, Ground Floor,
Jalan 26A/70A, Prima Ville,
Desa Sri Hartamas 50480, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Tel: 03-62016984
Business hours:
Daily: 11.00 a.m. - 3.00 p.m. and 5.00 p.m. - 11.00 p.m.

#23 Whisk, Outpost

My last visit to Whisk Espresso Bar + Bake Shop with Stef turned out to be quite a 'sweet' (literally) affair. The hipster coffee shop is crammed with indie vibe and basic yet uber-cool decorative furnitures.

So, a second visit to its sister joint, Whisk, Outpost at 1Utama is granted since I would like to try their Cold Brew bottled coffee.

While the Outpost is a lot larger than the flagship cafe in terms of area, tables and seats remain checked in limited amount. The overall DIY interior design (mirror paintings, mini signs handmade from paper box) is very much present and intact, thus making a perfect company with the wooden cabinets, counter and kitchen worktop.

The homemade cakes galore.

From left: Cold Brew Coffee (240 mL for RM 10), Espresso (RM 7)

Served in a chilled tonic bottle, the Cold Brewed Coffee requires a painstaking 12-hour brewing time. I opted for the Yellowbird Seasonal Blend (roasted by Singapore's Oriole Coffee Roasters), which conflates the dual likes of Brazillian Fazenda Rodomunho and Ethiopian Konga Yirgacheffe bean. The resultant taste was rather milky, bland with a light tinge of fruity acidity. Alas, I should have opted for something stronger, like Keith's (presumably..) intense espresso.

Granny's Cake (RM 11.90)

Much like the Red-Velvet, the Granny's Cake's sweetness was slightly above average. Not really my cup of tea.

Whisk, Outpost

• G139, 1 Utama Shopping Centre,
• 1 Lebuh Bandar Utama,
• 47800 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan. Malaysia.
• Tel: 03-77221020
• Business hours:
Monday - Thursday: 10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Friday - Saturday: 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Sunday: 10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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