Underscore Coffee recently turned two years old, but while customers can't celebrate with a visit, they can still savour a meal delivered from one of Petaling Jaya's favourite cafes. From comfort food with imaginative twists to cool tarts with beautiful toppings and cold brews that sparkle with flavour, this is cafe fare at its most satisfying, excellent for a brunch experience at home.
Underscore Coffee's kitchen specialises in tempting takes on familiar favourites, hearty, wholesome and honestly priced.
If you can't get enough of chicken and egg with rice, try the Teriyaki Chicken Bowl too (RM16) - similar ingredients with a completely contrasting preparation. The meat is slick and scrumptious, strikingly paired with a 'tornado egg,' a Japanese-influenced omelette that's lightly creamy, charmingly layered and lovely, evoking a cross between omelettes and scrambled eggs. A should-try for all fans of Asian rice bowls.
Those eggs go gorgeously on bread too, in the Boss’ Scrambled Egg with Toast, made extra-earthy with a splash of truffle oil, spread over an emphatically crusted, even-crumbed sourdough slice (RM11). Underscore Coffee secures its sourdough from its longtime friends at Twenty-Two Bakery, which patiently and passionately bakes some of the Klang Valley's most authentic sourdough bread.
Throughout August, the Sambal Scallion Pasta hits the heat-lover's spot, setting off Malaysian fireworks of flavour with a sambal belacan scallion paste that aromatically envelops each strand of pasta, spicing up an ensemble of chicken with chillies and parsley (RM17; preorders are encouraged).
Once you've finished your main meal, move on to dessert with Underscore Coffee's tantalising tarts, a bevy of beauties that'll look colourfully irresistible on your table. The Tart Box lets you choose any combo for four tarts for RM45.
If you love richly textured, robustly flavoured tarts, sneak a peek at the Dark Chocolate Tart with its thick, ooey-gooey filling, sprinkled with Malaysian-made Seniman Kakao cacao nibs and cocoa dust, and the Banoffee Tart, a candied caffeine rush, tropically nectarous with caramelised bananas, delectably decadent with Chantilly cream and chocolate shavings.
Its limited-time-only highlight is currently the F_ck Covid Cold Brew, capturing the sentiments of most Malaysians with a one-of-a-kind cold brew that took months for the Underscore team to concoct.
Harnessing Papua New Guinea beans, this special brew is on the sweeter side, with undercurrents of cherry, candy and wine, drifting over even more delicate notes of fermented red fruits and stone fruits for a persuasively complex creation.
F_ck Covid sold out its first run with 300 bottles sold in July. The second round might be your final chance to catch this memorably bottled beverage, serving as a memento of our times (RM18) - put yourself on the waitlist by WhatsApping 011-5674-2839 if it's presently sold out.
Underscore Coffee's regular range of cold brews is also worth exploring. You can order each bottle individually or sample all four varieties in the Cold Brew Taster Set for RM55.
For black coffee, the Classic Underscore Brew is smooth and soothing, buoyed by a slight nuttiness, for patrons who prefer their coffee light and easy. The So Black is more nuanced and fruity, suitable for coffee veterans who crave a bit more boldness.
The Classic White Brew straddles the fine line between breezy and creamy, deepened with milk and brown sugar. The Superstrong White lives up to its name, seizing your attention with heavy caffeination that'll wake you up immediately with a potently pleasurable jolt.
Underscore Coffee is available for delivery on underscorecoffee.beepit.com - customers can also order by WhatsApp on 011-5674-2839 for drive-through pick-ups and direct deliveries.
Underscore Coffee
31, Jalan PJU 1A/20A, Ara Damansara, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. Daily, 930am-530pm.
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This post first appeared on eatdrinkkl.com
