103 Coffee

My first taste of the coffee from this famous establishment was immediately after I returned from Sydney in 2017. I ordered my then favourite drink, a mocha. Disappointed was an understatement. I was extremely disappointed. Due to the hype, I expected it to be at par with what I was used to in Sydney. Very wrong.

Fast forward to now, 6 years later, I was encouraged by a high school classmate and the bff to give them another chance. Does help that we know one of the two latte art world champions here, as she used to be the bff's barista when she was operating her cafe.

 

They have expanded from just using the ground floor to also using the first floor. More room upstairs and another coffee bar, which means shorter waiting time. For those who are susceptible to cold like me, I would advice to opt to be seated downstairs or to prepare a cardigan or jacket of some sort because it is freezing upstairs.

There are way more seats upstairs compared to downstairs, too. It stretches right up to the back of the shop, where you could even look out to the back lane.

I suppose with the refurbishment of the shop comes renewal in the menu offerings, too.

It is hard to browse the menu and not order their Parmesan Truffle Fries (RM26.90). The aromatic smell of freshly fried rosemary salt steak fries topped with grated parmesan cheese, drizzles of truffle oil, sprinkles of truffle salt and a dollop of truffle mayo could be whiffed from afar.

I was really intrigued by the Unagi Pizza (RM29.90) - because I love eating unagi - but was hesitant to order every time. I did not think I could finish the whole pizza on my own. Thanks to one of my high school classmates who assured me that it is a portion for one, I ordered it and oh yes, I finished it alright. Described as a crispy tortilla pizza, it had a thin base and was generously topped with button mushrooms, mozarella and cheddar cheese, unagi bits, Japanese seaweed, citrus teriyaki sauce, fresh parsley and chervil.

The Shiitake Risotto (RM29.90) is a chef's special and it is easy to see why. It is a good serving of Japanese short grain sake risotto with shiitake and portobello mushrooms topped with shaved parmesan cheese, and infused with truffle salsa and oil.

Judging from how the Samurai Don (RM25.90) is ordered each time I visit with different groups of people, I am guessing that this is one of their more popular dishes. Perhaps everyone is familiar with the flavours of this dish - teriyaki sauce, pan-seared chicken chop, onsen egg, pickled cucumber, fresh chives and Japanese seaweed. Simple, familiar, satisfying.

Two dishes that I found had refreshing flavours are the Spicy Tuna Tartar Don (RM32.90) and the Salmon Ikura Don (RM32.90). The Salmon Ikura Don is simple a bowl of rice served with with salmon flakes with wasabi mayo, fresh avocado, ikura and tamago slices.

The Spicy Tuna Tartar Don, as its name suggests, is rice with tuna. Specifically, it is a bowl of rice served with spicy tuna tartare with mayo, fresh avocado, ikura and tamago slices.

There is a variety of cakes to select from the cake display and prices vary accordingly. Those that are alcoholic would be pricier.

As the place is home to latte art world champions, it would more or less be a training ground for the coming generations of latte art enthusiasts. Although the taste of the coffee is so-so for me, the art never fail to impress.

They have expanded their coffee menu to include a selection of creative coffee. More than one person I visited with gave the thumbs up for the Strawberry Latte (RM18.90), an experimental milk-based coffee they curated for the 2016 Barista Competition. It was simply strawberry ice balls that you pour fresh milk and espresso over.

For a pretty looking drink, the Beach Runner is not bad choice. It is a coconutty symphony of cold brew, coconut, pineapple and lychee. It even has coconut shavings on the outside of the glass.

Cola No Cola (RM18.90) is a refreshing cold brew of calamansi, lemongrass, cinammon and tonic water. It even sounds healthy.

For non-coffee drinkers, there is a selection of soda pop (RM16.90) to choose from.

Passionfruit mint

Glad that I gave them another chance. Now, they have branched out to outlets in Chow Kit and Bangsar. However, I still reckon that their food trumps their drinks despite their reputation as a coffee place.

If you are familiar with Sri Petaling, you would know that street parking is limited and double parking is rife. I would say just pay for the parking using your TnG at the parking complex across the road and not worry about being blocked by some random person who may not leave their contact number on their dashboard.

103 Coffee

103-G Jalan Radin Bagus, Sri Petaling, 57000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

M: +6012-519 7103; E: help@103coffee.com

Daily 8:15am to 9:30pm

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Yuzu Japanese Restaurant

It was the bff's birthday, and we chose to celebrate over a Japanese lunch at Yuzu. Although it has been open since 2007, it was my first and my only visit to date.

Yuzu is literally a citrus fruit and is widely used in Japanese cuisine. While the fruit is not normally eaten fresh, its juice is commonly used in the cooking process, much in the same manner as lemons are used.

We were at a loss when deciding what to order due to their extensive menu. We wanted too many dishes, and had to use the elimination method to choose what we really wanted to have.

We all concurred that we must have at least one "healthful" dish and chose a salmon salad (RM44). While we could taste the mayonnaise, we were unsure what was the special dressing mentioned in the menu.

I have the habit of including sushi when having Japanese, and opted for Ebi Avocado Maki (RM42), reason being the bff really likes avocado.

The bff is also a steamboat fanatic, and so is the other bff. They shared a Kimuchi Hokkai Nabe (RM88) amongst themselves. There was so much salmon, prawn, scallop, squid and vegetables in that bean paste soup that also had kimchi. It smelled tempting but I gently declined, as I am not a fan of the entire combo of seafood, kimchi and steamboat.

Another dish that I did not taste and had an enjoyable smelling was the beef that came on a sizzling hot plate. I swear I still smelled like it even after the meal.

For those who prefer to not share their food, there is a selection of bento sets on the menu.

They also accept reservations for groups, as we caught glimpse of private rooms further in. Although I personally feel that I have had better Japanese elsewhere, I would give a thumbs up for service and ambience. Oh, and location-wise, conveniently inside one of the most popular malls in the country.

Yuzu Japanese Restaurant

T236, Third Floor, The Gardens Mall, Mid Valley City, Lingkaran Syed Putra, 59200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

T: +60 3 2284 7663, +60 3 2284 7763; E: yuzujapgmail.com

Daily 11:30am to 10:00pm

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Snitch by The Thieves

Situated on the third floor in the centre of The Gardens Mall is a fancy-looking place called Snitch, which is established by the same team behind Breakfast Thieves in the neighbouring hood of Bangsar. I have made several visits since getting to know about the place, either to have proper meals with friends, or just for a quick coffee before my baking class next door at ABC Cooking Studio.

One advantage of dining with a group of friends is that we would get to taste different dishes without having to overeat. Their pasta menu seemed to appeal to everyone, in different ways, as they came in rather international flavours.

The Kaprao-Nara (RM36), as its name sounds like, is a Thai twist to the Italian staple. It is spaghetti cooked with Thai basil spicy chicken mince, fresh bean and shiitake, topped with a fried egg, chilli, coriander and citrus parmesan cream.

 

The menu had plenty for seafood lovers, like the Crab Getty (RM42). Everyone was full of praises for the panko soft shell crab, which was soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside. The flavour of the creamy salted egg yolk infused with the blue swimmer crab meat, ebiko, and capsicum is topped off with spring onion and bird's eye chilli.

I like the names they give their dishes, like Finding Dory Aglio Olio (RM40), which essentially is a seafood aglio olio. The plate is filled to the brim with prawns, calamari, baby scallops, crispy baby prawns, blistered cherry tomato and mushroom. The spaghetti is almost hidden under all these marine treasures and then sprinkled with chilli garlic lemon oil.

Being a spin-off of a Melbournian cafe, we had to try their Aussie Blended Iced Coffee (RM22). It was refreshing, especially for a hot arvo.

Of course, the place would not be complete without coffee and cakes. Freshly baked cakes and other pastries are available to order at the cake display counter, so I am guessing that there is a possibility that they have different cakes every now and then.

Flat white RM13

Note: There is a hidden bar, which you would "unhide" as you make your way to the washroom. So when they close, you could just adjourn to the bar.

Snitch by The Thieves

T-225A & B, Third Floor, The Gardens Mall, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City, 59200 Kuala Lumpur.

T: +60 3 2201 9699; E : info@snitchgroup.com

Daily 11am till late (kitchen closes at 9:00pm)

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Omega Pork Noodles

I believe in the power of social media because I got to know about this "modernised" pork noodle establishment from Instagram advertisements. I was attracted by the professionally put-together photos and captions, and how mouth-watering each bowl looked.

The claimed true story behind how this shop came about was heartwarming, and they had a set of accompanying videos that reenacted it. I wondered how much they paid for all these advertising, with professional actors etc. I suppose, it is worth all the marketing because of how much attention they managed to grab.

In total, they have six outlets spread across the Klang Valley - Kota Damansara, Sri Petaling, Kepong, Pandan Indah, Pavilion Bukit Jalil and Puchong. My first try was at their outlet in Sri Petaling. My second time was at their outlet at Pavilion Bukit Jalil because that is nearer than Sri Petaling. Both times, I visited with the bff and both times, we were really lucky to find parking spots that were nearby.

We visited Pavilion Bukit Jalil just slightly past 6pm. There was already a queue and we had to wait a bit for a table to become available. I thought that was rather impressive because despite having to pay almost RM20 for a bowl of noodles, the place was packed.

We could choose the type of noodles we wanted, whether to have the noodles dry or in soup, and with or without innards. Being the Hakka girl that I am, I chose to have innards and I chose to have my flat noodles dry (personal preference).

I could barely finish it off - it was a huge serving and it was their normal size! In addition to the usual intestines, liver and other parts of the pig, they also give a big piece of pork mince. The sauce proportion in the noodles is just right for my liking and the soup bursts with flavours.

Although they serve pretty good pork noodles, I probably would not keep visiting, as there are other shops nearer to home. However, I think that they most definitely are worth at least a try.

Note: Bottomless drinks available when dining-in.

Omega Pork Noodles

Daily 8:00am to 10:00pm

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Mess Kantin

 A stone's throw away from Tawau Airport is Mess Kantin, an unassuming cafe tucked away in the middle of what I recall as either an oil palm plantation or a forest reserve. As we were nearing the building, I noticed that it was a white church, as there was a cross on the outside. Ah, so it is attached to a church. However, when I searched on Google for information, there is no mention of a church. Instead, the cafe is attached to a bed and breakfast place called Tiku White House.

To enter the cafe, we used a side entrance. I thought the black and white gave it character. I noticed that the building is perched on a hillside and is surrounded by greenery. 

White seems to be their main colour. Even their coffee machine is white. One other thing that stood out was how cold their air-conditioning was.

The team were all youngsters, probably college or university students. One notable person was the barista, a young girl who continuously made coffee, which made me look forward to my cuppa. I then recalled seeing this cafe on Jason Loo's IG a few years back, who was here for the first Borneo Barista Retreat.

Ah, so yes, coffee here is not bad at all. The latte art, too. Look at the cute squirrel.

Dad had their Streaky Beef Sourdough (RM19.90), which essentially is sourdough served with scrambled eggs, streaky beef, mushrooms and salad.

We also tried their burgers - Salted Egg Burger (RM25.90) and Messy Eggcited Burger (RM23.90). I wondered why they use charcoal burger buns and whether they baked them on-site.

The full panels of glass allowed us full view of the outdoors, which added to the ambience especially when it was raining while we were eating. It did not help that it made it even colder, though.

If I ever have another chance of patronising again, I would give their dessert menu a try. And more of their coffee. Also, hopefully it would not be raining the next time I visit, so that I could walk about in their outdoor compound.

So, do not go thinking that Tawau is a small place with no hipster cafes.

Mess Kantin

Tiku White House, 2112 Jalan Sin On Tiku, Kampung Sin On Tiku, 91000 Tawau, Sabah, Malaysia

M: +6013-216 5259; E: messkantin@gmail.com

Daily 10:00am to 6:00pm

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Teppan Sakaba

Le bff and I discovered this izakaya thanks to a heavy downpour. We initially wanted to have dinner somewhere else but due to the rain, we decided to change to somewhere with covered parking. And as we were in Taman Desa, the best choice was Faber Tower.

Both of us are not familiar with the eateries in Faber, so we just chose the closest one to the the lift. We scanned the menu and thought, okay, why not.

 

We rather liked the interior, as we found it rather authentic. Perhaps we were rather early and also because it was raining, there were not many people there. Therefore, the waitstaff were pretty responsive.

I personally liked how they even have signs on the floor. Although it is something rather simple, it added to the vibe.

We did not quite understand why there were dinosaurs on the tables, though. I thought they were Ultraman-inspired, but that was just my hunch.

Onward to food. We wanted some green, so we had edamame.

We enjoyed the pan-fried gyoza lots - crispy on the outside, soft and flavourful on the inside accompanied by pickled ginger. Totally could see why this is one of the most popular dishes.

Pork never seems to not be on our order list. Instead of somethin grilled, we ordered salted belly miso. This was new to our palates and we enjoyed it.

We also tried clam soup, which befitted the cold and wet weather.

For me, the best was the unagi because, well, I love unagi.

Affordable pricing, cosy ambience and attentive service. Not bad for a random coincidental find.

Teppan Sakaba

Lot G13 Faber Tower, Jalan Desa Bahagia, Taman Desa, 58100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

T: +60 3 7971 7678

Daily 4:30pm to 11:30pm

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