Summation

 Like many other cafes, I first got to know about this place through an ex-student's post on social media. Any cafe with the words "new cafe in Seri Kembangan" would never fail to grab my attention.

Summation is on an unassuming upper level of a semi-industrial area of Seri Kembangan. To be exact, in one of the newer parts of Taman Bukit Serdang. Leads to the place are not exactly obvious but upon reaching their door step, it is hard to miss with its brightly lit "more espresso, less depresso" sign.

I visited with Dad on a drizzling afternoon, as we were looking for a place to have our afternoon 'kopi'. As we entered into the main cafe area, there was a counter to our right with (to the best of my knowledge) a letter-pressing looking machine.

Along one of the walls is a display of stationery from Summorie, or to be more specific, parts that would make up your unique personalised notebook.

Layout was simple and straightforward. One side for stationery, another for food.

Did I mention that there is an aromatic whiff of coffee as soon as you walk in? My vision was automatically guided by my nose and there, my brain was told to have sum er, some of those that produced that smell.

Apologies for a not-so-advanced mobile phone, but hopefully the photo shows just enough of the variety of dessert they had on display that afternoon. Rather catchy, I would say. The pink doughnut-looking was Taro Coconut, the green one next to it was Matcha Yuzu Tart, the one with a hat was Nutmeg Banana Chocolat, the one with a red centre was Petit Grapefruit Cheesecake and the right-most swirly one was Citron Tart.

On a normal day, I would choose the Citron Tart. But I decided to try something different, since the place is new. I opted for the Nutmeg Banana Chocolat. Admittedly, my palate on the first mouthful took a tad wee of time to adjust but after that, I found the combination rather interesting.

Oh and yes, coffee was good, too.

It has been quite a while, so the place may look different now. They even have another outlet open at RexKL. Probably time for me to pay another visit.

Summation

B-2-1 Jalan 14/3, Pusat Perniagaan Bukit Serdang, Taman Bukit Serdang Seksyen 14, 43300 Seri Kembangan, Selangor, Malaysia

M: +6017-985 0917; E: holasummation@gmail.com

Daily 10:00am to 6:00pm

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Suagu @1502A

Finally, there is a rooftop bar in SK! I remember I used to lament how we SKians have to travel to get to a decent bar but no longer, there is now one in our hood! With a catchy name like Suagu or rather, country bumpkin, it was easy to remember. 

Their entrance is located on the back lane of the complex of shops. When they first started, you could waltz straight through but now, you would need to make an appointment with them to secure your spot and for them to give you the pass code to the security door. I suppose it is a sensible security and safety measure for a place that is open till midnight and along a really quiet stretch, at that.

Be prepare to climb a really steep flight of spiral staircase. As they are a rooftop bar, you would need to climb pass three floors (hint: you definitely need that can of beer post-climb).

They offer a variety of craft beer from across the world and also drinks that are non-alcoholic.

I know the glass looks normal but I like the shape of the "bottom" (what are they called?). I find it to be a cute shape. Gotta get myself my own set of drink ware, as each home should have one set, ey, since there are 9.9 sales coming up...

They also offer skewers that are freshly grilled and other snacks, which you could enjoy with your drinks in their cosy open-air environment. 

They biggest selling point is the mesmerising sunset and nightscape over the new village of SK.

The only thing I have an issue with is that it is located along the main road of SK, where traffic is one-way. Therefore, if you could not find a spot to park the first time around, you would need to turn a big round and try again the next time.

Suagu @ 1502A

1502A Jalan Besar, Kampung Baru Seri Kembangan, 43300 Seri Kembangan, Selangor, Malaysia

T: +6012-549 2018

Tuesday to Sunday 6:30pm to midnight

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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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92 Degrees Coffee

Another one of those random lunch dates with the BFF introduced me to this place. We found its name interesting and the BFF then rambled a little about something to do with the temperature of the coffee. It was rather quiet but because we both saw their coffee machine and decided to give them a try. Who knows, we may add this place to our list of go-to coffee places...

They have a simple interior that uses blue and white as their main colours. There are bamboo blinds on one wall, as decoration I think. Seating is spacious with small tables for 2 pax and another size for 4 pax. There is also a longer communal table at the back.

There is also a section for more "chilled" seating:

Other than the BFF, I have also visited with Dad. They have a good selection of coffee and non-caffeine drinks, too. So far, all the below were not too bad.

They have cakes, too, but I have only tried their Oreo Cheesecake. Not too sweet and not too dry but would help if they had more cakes to choose from.

The BFF and I were gladly surprised by the presentation, the portion and most importantly, the overall taste of their main meals. For the price range that they charge, we felt that they are more than reasonable and would not mind returning in future.

92 Degrees Coffee

9G Jalan BS1/3, Pusat Perniagaan Olive Hill, Taman Bukit Serdang, 43300 Seri Kembangan, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

M: 014-922 8978

Tuesday to Sunday 11:00am to 10:00pm

明明 Day 9 Kitchen

Ever since my bff sold her cafe, I have had difficulty finding a replacement cafe that serves nearly as decent coffees and food as hers. So yes, I felt happy that she managed to get back some of her freedom but no, I felt sad because I have lost my coffee hangout.

Fast forward a few months, a new place opened up in a quiet pocket of our neighbourhood. As it isn't located along a main street, not many people were aware of its existence, especially when they did not seem to had any advertisements.

They play along the minimalist line - walls are either in white or unpainted concrete. Simple signage and straightforward furniture arrangement. Perhaps a little too simple - as they have left all their hard surfaces as is, it gets a tad noisy when there is a crowd.

We started off by trying their coffee because well, we are caffeine-driven people. Trying only one would be unfair so we returned several times to order different drinks. And our verdict: a good variety of caffeine and non-caffeine drinks that are each carefully made.

Cold cappucino (RM11)

Cold bittersweet chocolate (made with 60% dark chocolate, RM15)

Cold Oolong milk tea (RM13)

MoMo Ice: Double shot espresso, 60% dark chocolate, fresh milk, vanilla ice-cream (RM15)

Drop in Black: Ice black coffee, soda water, orange slice, vanilla ice-cream (RM15)

Affogato: Vanilla ice-cream, hot espresso, cocoa crumble, dry cranberries,  chocolate stick, mint leaf (RM14)

Dino-C: Fresh orange juice with soda plain water, strawberry, mint leaf (RM13)

Hot latte (RM10)

Hot rose latte (RM13)

Hot Ooling milk tea (RM12)

Do you not think that they all have good visual, too? So yes, not only do the drinks tick the right boxes taste-wise, they also tick the right boxes presentation-wise.

Now, for their food. We noticed a mixture of Italian and Japanese influence on their menu. There are pastries like bagels and egg wraps that they bake on-site, pastas, rice, fried chicken or pork, salads, finger food, and desserts.

Bagel is their specialty. We were pretty impressed by the texture of their bagels. Even my friend who is a sous chef in Mandarin Oriental complimented their bagels. I can still remember his partly surprised reaction when he took his first bite, "Ooh, this bagel is quite good leh". 

Egg and cheese bagel is a plain bagel sandwich of egg and mixed cheese served with honey gherkin mustard sauce, chips and salad (RM14)

As above but with cheese bagel sandwich

Burn the pig bagel is a sesame bagel sandwich of fried pork drizzled with either homemade Sriracha sauce or tartar sauce served with salad and chips (RM18)

They also have snack servings of their bagels if you decide not to have a full meal, like the below Boom boom prawn open bagel (RM13). It is a plain bagel cut in half served with fried prawn, cucumber, tartar sauce and dry parsley. Its fragrant aroma could be smelt from afar.

In addition to savoury bagels, they also have sweet bagels, like the below Nutella banana open bagel (RM11). A chocolate bagel sliced in half, it is served with Nutella, sliced banana, almond nibs and mint leaves. Sinfully satisfying, if you ask me.

Once, they ran out of bananas so we asked if they could use strawberries instead. They gracefully obliged:

Their handmade egg wraps remind me of those in Taiwan. It is a little like a drier, crispier version of roti telur. I very frequently order their egg wraps but I do not take photos of every one of them.

This fried pork wrap is one of the bigger wraps that consists of a generous portion of fried pork, cabbage and spring onion with either sweet sauce or homemade Sriracha sauce (RM15). 

The tuna onion wrap (RM12) is presented in a rolled fashion instead of the above pocket fashion. It is tuna, onion and spring onion rolled up in their egg wrap pastry.

There are two types of pastas available on their menu. They have either aglio e olio or homemade tomato pasta. Their aglio e olio is served using spaghetti while their homemade tomato pasta is served using fusilli (spiral):

Fried pork-corn spaghetti aglio e olio (RM18)

Turkey ham aglio e olio (RM16)

Mix mushroom aglio e olio (RM15)

Potato croquette tomato pasta (RM17)Personally, their pastries and pastas outshine their rice and main meals by far, which is why I don't have any photos of their rice meals. The below two main meals were ordered by my brother (fried pork) and a friend (fried chicken) respectively. While they did not complain about the taste, they did mention that the meat were a little dry - perhaps might taste better if the meat were juicier.

Should you prefer a healthy but no so healthy option, there have a list of salads but one that caught our attention was the fried pork-corn salad (RM15) because well, we are Chinese ma...

If only feeling peckish, their Dino-stick (RM9) would be a good choice. The handmade fried potato croquettes served with tartar sauce are addictive!

Perhaps because the two main chefs (and possibly the owners) worked in a fine dining Italian place before, they bake their own cakes. Dad and I especially like their Is cheese cake (RM15), a caramelised semi-baked cheese cake with caramel sauce, espresso crumble and berries.  

If you like something with more flavour, Red Knight (RM18) would make a tantalising choice. It is 70% bittersweet chocolate with blueberry flavoured mousse cake drizzled with raspberry with red wine sauce, topped with mixed berries, chocolate shards, mint leaves and dry lemon slice.

The Basque matcha cheese cake makes for an extremely filling slice of cake. The cheese cake is pure matcha is is served with homemade red bean paste. I could treat is as a meal on its own! 

As they are still serving parts of their Christmas menu, their fruit cake slice (RM7) makes for a light afternoon tea snack. It is served warm, so you could bite into its slightly crispy crust and soft spongy middle with chewy bits of fruits and nuts. Oh, and definitely could smell and taste the cinnamon, too.

In summary, I really hope they continue to be in business for a long time to come. :)

明明 Day 9 Kitchen

3-1 Jalan Equine 10B, Taman Equine, 43300 Seri Kembangan, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.

M: 016-345 3944, E: mingmingday9@gmail.com

Wednesday to Monday 11:00am to 10:00pm

Cash and Boost payments only

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