One of PJ's next hit cafes could be Roast & Grind, run by a brother-&-sister team & their partners on a backstreet where parking's still a breeze, particularly on weekends.
Roast & Grind ranks among the most casual-looking of the Klang Valley's new wave of caffeine bars, though every piece of furnishing here was meticulously hand-picked & sometimes repainted or refashioned. Its retro touches _ a refreshing break from the industrial-style trend _ make this Labour Day 2014 baby look like it has belonged in this neighbourhood for many years.
The cafe's core siblings, Shah & Hidayah, belong to a family that's been in the caffeine business since the 1950s; their grandfather started the Hang Tuah coffee brand in Penang. Roast & Grind serves both old-school Malaysian coffee as well as the speciality blends that contemporary customers demand (Shah roasts the beans on-site).
Roast & Grind's selection showcases satisfactory sandwiches in a nod to Hidayah's culinary training at the Novotel Toulouse. 'Le Boeuf' comprises chunky-tender beef tenderloin slices in BBQ sauce, topped with buffalo mozzarella, rocket leaves & dijon mustard in toasty sourdough bread (RM16.70).
'Le Poulet' (RM14.60), a wholesome-tasting mix of grilled chicken with chilli flakes, hard-boiled egg, mayo & coral salad.
Nutella lovers will go nuts for this deconstructed toastie, with panini bread, banana slices & crushed peanuts partnered with a lavish serving of the beloved hazelnut chocolate spread. RM9.50.
Some of Roast & Grind's cakes are baked by Hidayah, though our best bet was this one by one of her friends: A remarkable salted caramel cake, ravishingly moist & irreproachable in its balance of flavours. Excellent.
Kopi-O, alongside a latte made from Roast & Grind's house blend of Colombian & Sumatran beans. Both definitely drinkable, but not necessarily attention-grabbing (nor do they need to be, really).
Roast & Grind is concealed on a peaceful row off the intersection of Jalan Universiti & Jalan Dato Abu Bakar, less than a five-minute drive from other coffee hangouts like Butter + Beans & Artisan Roast. Impossible to spot from the main roads, it was still mostly empty when we visited, but expect more curious customers to flock here soon.
Roast & Grind opens Tuesdays through Sundays, 10am till fairly late at night (but sandwiches are only offered through 5pm).
Roast & Grind
6, Lorong Universiti B, Section 16, Petaling Jaya
6, Lorong Universiti B, Section 16, Petaling Jaya
Stay up to date: The Eat Drink KL newsletter is sent by email to subscribers every Monday; it's the Klang Valley's foremost weekly round-up of new restaurant openings (even before they're featured on this blog), F&B promotions & other tasty tidbits.
Subscribe to Eat Drink KL Weekly for free via this following link:
Note to subscribers on Gmail: The newsletter will be in the Promotions folder of your inbox.
Sausages to sambal. Muffins to marshmallows. Peanut butter to mango chutney. Cornflake ice cream to honey aloe yogurt. Lavender-laced lemonades to lychee-&-guava juices.
Eat Drink KL: Small Businesses, Huge Flavours is the first eBook to help customers navigate the diversity of independent F&B entrepreneurs who bake & boil in their own kitchens, offering some of Malaysia's finest, most fascinating food products.
This is a catalogue of insights into what inspires our contemporary culinary craftspeople, from Elsie & her sister Jennifer's experiments with tong yuen at home to Eugene & Emrys' escapades with hand-crafted sodas in Tokyo.
This resource will be continuously updated with new listings, so bookmark the following permanent link & check back regularly to find out what's fresh: www.eatdrinkkl.publ.com/businesses
Also, take a look at the latest edition of Eat Drink KL: 100 Favourites, completely redesigned with a revamped look, featuring 100 recommended restaurants for April-June 2014, including more than 30 new entries for this quarter. This eBook is available to read or download at this link: http://eatdrinkkl.publ.com/Eat-Drink-KL-100-Favourites-Apr-Jun-2014 (Link expires June 30, 2014; see blog entries after that date for new link).