Pandan Cafe Dining, Taman Tun Dr Ismail

True to its name, TTDI’s friendly new Pandan Cafe is passionate about pandan - spring for the subtly pandan-scented rice platter with lemongrass seafood curry, pleasantly paired with pandan onde-onde cake and pandan coolers laced with fresh coconut flesh.

Inoha Cafe, Ara Damansara

 

Ara Damansara is set to say aloha to Inoha Cafe, opening 1 December 2024, soon to serve imaginative Japanese-influenced specialities.

Asagohan sounds like a scrumptious breakfast, showcasing miso-marinated sea bass with tsuyu egg, tofu, natto, daikon, wakame and miso soup. Kombu-Kissed Shrimp features fusion flair with pasta tossed in kombu cream sauce with butter shrimp and ebiko.

Also intriguing: Inoha’s own Kuala Lipis Kek Batik, crafted with Malaysian cocoa and kaffir lime ganache.

Espresso-based beverages currently harness the Mawar Colombian-Javanese blend by KL’s Tatih Roastworks.

Inoha is spearheaded by some of the most genuinely welcoming founders, who met while working in cafes. This is their first own place together, well worth bookmarking for a visit - it’s a work in progress, with furnishing still coming in to complement the Pudgy Penguin on the counter; a table by the window is the perfect spot for sweater-weather serenity.

G.F.P. Girlfriends' Place, Bangsar South

New in Bangsar South, G.F.P. (Girlfriends' Place) is a warm initiative by wonderful hosts Holly, Stephanie and Carmen to welcome guests into a SoHo suite for cosy wine nights, Thursdays to Sundays. Reservations are required, with each small group chilling out in their own corner in this duplex, snacking on chips, cheese and siu yuk while sipping biodynamic wines by the bottle, feeling comfortably at home away from home.

Single Dose Coffee, Petaling Jaya

Single Dose Coffee has a new home, moving from Bangsar to a neighbourhood enclave of PJ Old Town - a calm corner with cottage-like charm, by a team with a warm soul and welcoming spirit.

A thoughtful selection is served, from the house special of Brazil Ibiraci Peaberry for espresso-based beverages to Guatemala Finca La Cabana Geisha for filters, plus varietals spanning Burundi, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Kenya, Peru and more.

Our lattes were lovely, with clean, nutty-chocolaty notes; our pour-over was perfect, with papaya-grape fruitiness and jasmine florality; coupled with the creamiest home-baked hojicha chocolate cake.

Fun fact: This is now the fresh location for Tyler Coffee Workshop too, with retail shelves for home brewing and personal care products. Bonus points for plant enthusiasts - Single Dose Coffee’s begonias and bird’s nest ferns are beautifully tended.

1, Lorong 1/10a, Seksyen 1, 46000 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Teaxini, Petaling Jaya

PJ's new tea-and-coffee bar is a rustic place of relaxation, personally run by two founders with plenty of character and charm, restored with corners of hand-crafted clay cups and keepsakes.

Chinese tea, Japanese matcha and Malaysian-roasted coffee all find a sense of belonging here; choices include Chaozhou Ju Duo Zai oolong tea and ceremonial-grade matcha, brewed and whisked to order, soothing for sipping. Also try caffeine coolers like ginger-blended coffee.

Teaxini's founders have day jobs that keep them busy on weekdays, so their space is currently open 6pm-9pm Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 2pm-9pm Saturdays, 11am-7pm Sundays.

92, Jalan SS 9a/1, Ss 9a, 47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.