October's Food Craft & Coffee

One day after lunch with Dad at one of the noodle restaurants that we frequent, I noticed a signboard above a car workshop across the road. It said "October's" in a bigger cursive font and below it were "Food Craft & Coffee". Now, the word "coffee" really caught my attention for well, obvious reasons.

In all honesty, we did not start off well with this place. At first, Dad went with Uncle John. He did not like that there was a car workshop right below (the cafe is on the first floor) and he left without even stepping foot into the stairwell. Then the BFF and I. Our first time there did not leave a very good impression on us either. We just assumed that it was due to them still trying to sort out their flow but we did not like how the sofa seating area was converted into an impromptu cot for a young infant. Not very professional. However, we did like how they had a dedicated children's play area in one corner.

They serve the usual selection of coffees and each hot serving comes with a cookie.

No prizes for guessing who ordered this cold Americano... 😛

We were once asked how we find their coffee and we frankly answered that taste-wise, they were not bad. However, after some discussion, we both agree that a certain level of fragrance seems to be lacking. Either that or something else (we are not professional food critics, so it is hard to put our finger on a specific aspect of a food / drink).

Oh, but they have one of my favourite dishes - French toast! They do the thick type here with peanut butter in the middle. They also serve croissant sandwich that comes with a selection of fillings.

A month or two later, we noticed that they started to serve rice bowl dishes, too. If I remember correctly, there is a selection of chicken, fish and pork rice bowls to choose from with different sauce options. 

Personally, I think they could do with less rice, as it is rather inconvenient to eat from a bowl that is filled right to the brim, even over. If they want to serve that amount of rice, it would be easier for customers to reach the rice or mix the egg with the rice when the meat pieces are served on a separate plate or bowl. 

Although they do not immediately pop up on my radar every time I think of coffee or cake (mind you, they only just very recently started serving cake), they are a decent alternative.

October's Food Craft & Coffee
40-1 Jalan Equine 1G, Pusat Komersil Equine, 43300 Seri Kembangan, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.
Monday to Saturday Noon to 3:00pm, 6:00pm to 10:00pm
M: 017-903 0939
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Little Giraffe Story House 长颈鹿故事館 & Little Moments Cafe 容易揾

I first got to know about Little Giraffe when I randomly stumbled across their Facebook page quite a few years ago, back when they were still operating out of a shipping container. Fast forward a few years, I read about how they had a makeover, converting a Chinese new village wooden house into what they describe as a community library designed for kindergarteners and primary school-aged children.

They have convertible spaces that connects both the in and outdoors (if you look properly, there is a window frame that is open to allow children to climb onto the outdoor deck from inside the library). I guess this also allows for a better flow of air and light.

They claim that 90% of their books are picture books and are mainly in Chinese, although they also have Malay and English books. I am guessing that they also serve as a transit point for the children from the Chinese school just up the road, to promote some parent-child bonding time, as they require children to be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Needless to say, this community project also hopes to cultivate the habit of reading.

In addition to borrowing and reading books, they also have monthly story-telling sessions by qualified and experienced story-tellers. They also have handicraft sessions that enhances the parent-child relationship.

Thanks to a group of enthusiastic architecture students who worked on a shoestring budget of donations, the transformation took place, whereby much of the material were adapted or recycled. They recycled the wood that were taken apart from the original frame of the building. Some were made into the furniture, some were made into the shelves of the library. Wall panels are left in their original colours, so that we could see a little of the building's history. I really appreciate their effort in preserving the "story" that is housed within these walls.

You could see the Rojak Wan aunty prepare your rojak from inside of you choose a strategic spot

Unlike how they used to only be a book club, they added a cafe to this new upgrade. I suppose they would need some form of additional income to keep the place going. The "quiet" library part of the building is cleverly separated from the "noisy" cafe part of the building by the original living room that now serves as a buffer area for the public to move around.

So what do they serve here? Personally, they serve food that has heart and soul, not much of those fancy cafe stuff. The ones that we like best would hands-down be their rojak and cendol. The rojak here is by Rojak Wan, who apparently has been serving fruit rojak from a truck in TTDI since the 90s.

Both dishes come in generous servings and both do not fall short on taste. They even come served in tableware that I could find at my grandparents' home.

They also have home-cooked main meals, which they rotate. One of those meals is this Oh Bak Ji rice (pork and yam ball rice):

It is like a Japanese omurice with pork and yam ball (yes, it has that Japanese curry, too). If you are feeling like going meatless, they have a breakfast meal that does not have ham or bacon:

They serve coffee too, and that includes Vietnamese drip coffee that will surely give you a little zing to keep you properly caffeinated for the day.

Oh, and be prepared to have your lap turned into a snuggly cushion for the neighbourhood cat. For those of you who suffer from ailurophobia (in simpler terms, cat phobia), you have been notified ;)

Little Giraffe Story House 长颈鹿故事館 & Little Moments Cafe 容易揾
114 Jalan 15, Batu 11 Cheras, 43200 Cheras, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.
M: 016-613 7362, 012-632 2955
Wednesday to Saturday Noon to 10:00pm
Sunday Noon to 7:00pm