Doiffee @ Taman Desa

Taman Desa this week bids a warm welcome to Doiffee, a cosy new cafe that feels like the sort of neighbourhood retreat where folks can come to escape, unwind & linger for an hour or two to refresh their spirits.

Doiffee is helmed by 23-year-old Lionel, a former finance student who has embarked on F&B entrepreneurship, like many others around his age. This cafe is not only a labour of love but also a family affair; Lionel's father, a construction sector veteran, crafted Doiffee's homey setting, complete with a fireplace & other touches that'll evolve in the weeks ahead.

Doiffee is in its soft-launch stage, so the kitchen isn't dishing out hot food yet. For now, customers can try this coffee-&-milk jelly (RM4 nett); it's usually served on its own, but if you're lucky, Lionel might have his mom's home-made koi fish jelly to accompany this light, chilled treat. Pre-packed salads & sandwiches are now available, plus a basic selection of independently baked cakes; once the kitchen starts running later in August, expect all-day brunch fare with potentially intriguing twists.

Doiffee barista Sing Thong might be a familiar face in the Klang Valley's coffee circle; here, he works with a blend of Brazilian, Colombian, Ethiopian & Sumatran, with both medium-roast & dark-roast available. The coffee is rightly priced for the suburbs, with espressos costing RM7 nett & flat whites at RM9 nett.

Light-tasting hot chocolate (RM10), not cloying at all, is available, as well as affogato featuring New Zealand's Kapiti ice cream.

All in all, Doiffee seems like a nice addition to an area that's burgeoning with distinctive cafes, from Await to Le Lapin to Encore. The vibe is positive, the food is wholesome & the coffee is worth sipping. And for customers who might be wondering, the cafe's name is inspired by the Thai word 'doi,' or mountain. 

Doiffee

10A, Jalan Desa Jaya, Taman Desa, Kuala Lumpur

Currently daily, 12pm-1030pm. Same street as Maruhi Sakaba

Check out the latest edition of Eat Drink KL: 100 Favourites, featuring 100 recommended restaurants for July-September 2014, including more than 20 new entries for this quarter. 

This eBook is available to read or download at this link: http://eatdrinkkl.publ.com/2014C 

Link expires Sept 30, 2014; see blog entries after that date for new link.

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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 resource will be continuously updated with new listings: www.eatdrinkkl.publ.com/businesses 

Six Cocktail Bar @ Telawi, Bangsar

Bangsar's Telawi neighbourhood this month welcomes a likeable new cocktail bar that's whipping up fun, fairly priced creations; Six could easily become a buzzy destination for many drinkers in the months ahead.

 The set-up here, perched on a shop-lot first floor, is kept simple & reasonably cosy, staffed by a friendly crew; head here early in the night, when Cafe del Mar chill-out compilations play soothingly on the speakers.

Six's main man, Imran, previously honed his craft at establishments like Garibaldi & Ril's; his offerings at Six show off his skills, mostly steering clear of cliched cocktails in favour of this wittier 'Guinness Tarik.'

 Guinness stout, Angostura 7-year-old rum, condensed milk, nutmeg & freshly grated kaffir lime combine forces for a real treat; silky-smooth & easy to drink, with a beery aftertaste. Crowd-pleasing, for certain.

 Prices are surprisingly reasonable, particularly for Bangsar: A 500-ml serving that four can share clocks in at RM42 nett.

 A whole egg goes into '6 Nights Stands' (RM32 nett), a lusciously fruity-fresh pleasure with Ketel One vodka, Aperol, Campari, lime, gomme syrup & house-made orange bitters. Also well-recommended.

 '6 Wrongs Do Make A Right' (RM32), comprising Dark Caribbean Rum, Gula Melaka, Aperol, sharp lime juice, house-made grapefruit bitters, green apple foam & an apple 'fan.' Six's cocktails taste not nearly as nuanced as they sound, but ultimately, they're still delicious.

'6 Peas In A Pod' (RM32), Six's take on the classic Gimlet, with Plymouth Gin subtly infused with basil olive oil, balanced with fresh lime, house-made tonic syrup & lemon bitters, served up Martini-style.

 '6 In The City' shooter (RM28), with comforting Bailey's, Kahlua, Galliano & Vanilla Bubbles.

 Maker's Mark bourbon with Demerara brown sugar & herbs (RM26); less flashy but potentially still fulfilling.

 Six currently serves no food, but customers can order from La Creperie De Caroline below.

SIX Cocktail Bar

33A, Jalan Telawi 3, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur

Tues-Sat, 5pm-3am; Sun, 4pm-1am. Tel: 03-2202-0029

Check out the latest edition of Eat Drink KL: 100 Favourites, featuring 100 recommended restaurants for July-September 2014, including more than 20 new entries for this quarter. 

This eBook is available to read or download at this link: http://eatdrinkkl.publ.com/2014C 

Link expires Sept 30, 2014; see blog entries after that date for new link.

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.

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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 resource will be continuously updated with new listings: www.eatdrinkkl.publ.com/businesses 

Dai Dai Dong @ Scott Garden

Scott Garden might not seem like a desirable destination for KL's food hunters, but Dai Dai Dong is striving to change that, serving a well-curated selection of East Asian street food - mainly Chinese, Japanese & Taiwanese, from noodles to soups & grilled fare - that raises the bar in admirably ambitious ways.

Start with seafood; Dai Dai Dong's owners have scoured the coast for some of the freshest, most succulent prawns, fetched from the fishing boats of Kuala Selangor at least twice a week. Nine-inch jumbo prawns, packed with ravishingly savoury juices, clock in at RM27 for two pieces. Certain to satisfy crustacean cravings.

Prefer even plumper prawns? 'Monster prawns' that measure 13 inches (RM60 each) are available by pre-order, perfect for gargantuan appetites. Seasoned in sea salt, they're the pinnacle of prawn pleasure.

Tentacle temptation: Grilled octopus (RM15), another creature from Kuala Selangor's deep seas, also awesome.

Hailing from farther north, the Japanese squid (RM27) is also recommended, thanks to its tender bite, nicely complemented by an interesting mix of chopped wasabi & olive oil.

Dai Dai Dong offers a respectable range of kushiyaki skewers; our best bet's the pork-&-mushroom combo (bacon-enoki, RM6).

Other options span quail eggs marinated in yakitori sauce (RM3), crisp chicken skin wrapped over garlic (RM3), black pepper beef tongue (RM6), wasabi oysters (RM9), chicken heart & gizzard (RM3).

Lamb shoulder comes chopped up in convenient bite-sized portions & pan-fried in a hearty portion. RM25.

Dai Dai Dong is also steadily building a reputation for its noodle soups: The Supreme Beef (RM26) is a bountiful bowl brimming with brisket, balls, muscle meat, tripe & tendons, accompanied by a tenderloin skewer on the side.

Bovine brilliance, elevated further by the restaurant's kitchen-made chilli sauce. Two light eaters can share this; Dai Dai Dong opens all day long, from before lunchtime to way past midnight, so this could conveniently be brunch or supper.

Signature Supreme Pork (RM26), a mildly peppery pleasure for pursuers of pork, powered by pig's maw, rib, soft bone, belly, balls, mince & lovable lard. Another princely, protein-heavy portion.

We were too stuffed to savour more, but Dai Dai Dong also boasts seafood noodles that come with scallops, squid, salmon, a jumbo prawn, mussels & clams that customers can slurp up while enjoying Dai Dai Dong's surprisingly light-&-easy soundtrack (think Julie London & Sarah McLachlan).

Coming full circle, back to beginning with Dai Dai Dong's welcome soup, a salted-veggie treat. Many thanks to Dai Dai Dong's show-runners, Lester & Benson, for hosting this meal.

Dai Dai Dong Street Food

1st Floor, Scott Garden, Old Klang Road, Kuala Lumpur

Daily, 1030am-230am. Tel: 03-7980-1232

Check out the latest edition of Eat Drink KL: 100 Favourites, featuring 100 recommended restaurants for July-September 2014, including more than 20 new entries for this quarter. 

This eBook is available to read or download at this link: http://eatdrinkkl.publ.com/2014C 

Link expires Sept 30, 2014; see blog entries after that date for new link.

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: 

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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 resource will be continuously updated with new listings: www.eatdrinkkl.publ.com/businesses 

Coffee Amo @ TTDI & Absolute Coffee Stop @ Subang

Coffee Amo unveiled its second branch this month, spreading its wings from KL's Chinatown to Taman Tun Dr Ismail.

This is one of TTDI's prettiest cafes; Coffee Amo retains much of the charm of its city outlet here, transplanting nostalgia-tinted artwork & furnishing into a calmer, leafier suburban setting where sunshine streams in from the shop-house's first-floor windows.

 Note though that Coffee Amo at Taman Tun is closed this week for the Aidilfitri holidays & will only reopen on August 4.

 The full range of coffee is available here; premium specialities include drip or syphon brews for Sumatra Mandheling, Hawaii Kona & Jamaica Blue Mountain beans (mostly between RM18 & RM27 in price), to be partnered with chicken pies & cakes.

 For cafe-hoppers who prefer an edgier-looking venue, here's a peek into Subang's new Absolute Coffee Stop, the psychedelic polar opposite of Coffee Amo.

 SS15's college student crowd might enjoy the younger-skewing, chilled-out vibe at this two-storey outlet.

 Cakes are available; the fruity 'Isabelle' seems to be one of the more popular options.

 5 Senses coffee forms the foundation for the beverages here (soy milk is offered as an option), served at the 'standard drinking temperature' of 55-60 degrees Celsius. Rooibos tea 'red espressos' are available too.

The increasingly ubiquitous, eternally desirable Smooshie has also carved a juicy presence at Absolute Coffee Stop.

Coffee Amo

42A, Persiaran Zaaba, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur

Soft-launch hours: 9am-6pm, closed Fridays. Will expand hours after Aidilfitri.

Absolute Coffee Stop

A9-G, Jalan SS15/4D, Subang Jaya, Selangor

Daily, 10am-midnight (2am on Friday & Saturday). Tel: 03-5612-2893

Check out the latest edition of Eat Drink KL: 100 Favourites, featuring 100 recommended restaurants for July-September 2014, including more than 20 new entries for this quarter. 

This eBook is available to read or download at this link: http://eatdrinkkl.publ.com/2014C 

Link expires Sept 30, 2014; see blog entries after that date for new link.

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: 

https://confirmsubscription.com/h/d/5106C196432BB23D

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 resource will be continuously updated with new listings: www.eatdrinkkl.publ.com/businesses