Over the past two years, Roast Factor Glee has evolved into one of those rare destinations with a real difference, with food & beverages that showcase a personal, perceptive & persuasive touch. This suburban cafe offers something special for everyone - if you relish baked goodies, you'll want to try Roast Factor Glee's beautifully made levain-raised bread & pastries. If you're intrigued by Scandinavian cuisine, you'll find a smattering of that here too - it's a forte of the cafe's Malaysian founder Shyue Chin & her Danish husband. If you're enthusiastic about food prepared from scratch, this place will welcome you with everything from its own smoked pork to artisanal ice cream. And if you're into coffee, Roast Factor Glee's is top-notch - Shyue Chin began roasting coffee on her apartment balcony, & the cafe continues to hand-roast speciality beans in small batches.
You'll want to linger here, soaking in the serenity & savouring each bite of the painstakingly crafted temptations. Pizzas are constructed with house-made dough, promising a crunchy, crusty & substantial base for creatively selected toppings. A vegetarian pizza capably balances the sweet earthiness of beetroot with the peppery crispness of arugula & the soft creaminess of brie (RM22 for the half-portion pictured, or RM38 for a full serving), while other options target meat lovers (smoked streaky pork bacon with caramelised pineapples & thyme), seafood devotees (garlic prawns, squid & salmon with capers & coriander) & cheese worshippers (mozzarella, cheddar & brie with cherry tomatoes & basil).
All-day brunches here prove memorably distinctive too - the Scandinavian-style big breakfast is a marked departure from the typical Melbourne-inspired platters, protein-packed with plenty of pork - a long, fat sausage, ham & smoked back & streaky bacon - plus a soft-boiled organic egg, pineapple slice, rustic bread, assorted cheeses & butter, & a house-made 'Mues-Glee' that comprises a granola of rye oats with sunflower seeds, cranberries, almonds, & yoghurt or milk (RM26).
Try the French toast, triumphantly built with thick slices of the cafe's brioche (which takes two days to make), richly eggy, perfectly partnered with toasted walnuts, caramelised pears & an espresso-chocolate sauce (RM16) - each component plays a role in elevating the entire ensemble. Or if you just want bread, pure & simple, get a 'Bread Face' for variety - which may include a mini-baguette, rye, flaxseed, pain de campagne & other slices - with Danish butter & strawberry-tomato jam (RM13).
The cafe juggles indulgences galore - the gourmet Danish hot dog is a should-try, with an eight-inch pork sausage in a fresh bun with punchy toppings like kitchen-made remoulade, cucumber pickles & bacon bits (RM16), while the Scandi meatball proves a pleasurable pasta, powered by superior beef-&-pork balls & a sauce that speaks of tomatoes & herbs (RM20) - with a strong selection of salads - we love the organic quinoa with charred broccoli, cauliflower, pumpkin, feta & lemon (RM20); the roasted carrot salad (with almonds, cranberries & honey) & pear & blue cheese salad (with walnuts & maple syrup) sound terrific too. There are also sandwiches, including grilled kimchi & cheddar or black sesame chicken & peanuts on sourdough.
Roast Factor Glee's sense of risk-taking adventure merits respect, illustrated by ice cream in flavours like toasted organic buckwheat with honey drizzle, matcha toasted rice with roasted almonds, & Belgian chocolate with fleur de sel sprinkles (RM16), as well as red wine or beer ice cream (RM9.50/RM9) - some of these may be acquired tastes, but they're well worth sampling to expand the palate, & many of them taste natural & wholesome. For something more decadent that'll leave you licking your spoon, check out the chilled chocolate pot laced with chia seeds, a luscious dessert that anyone who's young at heart can appreciate.
Pastries, cakes & cookies work well for a snack or takeaways, from a lovely, layered salted caramel apple pie (RM13) to tebirkes (RM5; a flaky, fluffy hand-rolled poppy seed puff pastry that's the Danish response to croissants) to mellow liquorice cookies tinged with white chocolate & roasted almonds (RM3.50). Enjoy with some fizzy, refreshing rosemary lemonade.
Roast Factor Glee is as dedicated to exceptional coffee as any cafe in the Klang Valley - you'll find the regular range of espresso-based beverages plus hand-pours (clever dripper & V60 pour overs) & cold brews that rely on a micro-roasted curation - on our recent visit, the seasonal availability included Panama Finca Hartmann, Brasil Santa Lucia Estate & Colombia Tolima, conveying clear & confident nuances of flavour. There is a different blend or single origin in the hopper every two weeks, so customers can continue to explore and experience different coffee beans and their corresponding flavours - for our visit, for example, the Panama Hartmann natural processed V60 pour-over showcased the sweetness of strawberries & dense body of milk chocolate. Roast Factor Glee is a joy to return to; thanks for having us back.
Roast Factor Glee
G06 Village Shops @ The Club, No. 9 Persiaran Bukit Utama, Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya.
Mon, Wed-Fri, 8am-6pm; Sat-Sun, 9am-6pm. Tel: 03-7732-2893
The Eat Drink KL mobile app is now available, connecting restaurants & customers to promote a positive spirit of community.
Every restaurant on this app rewards users with a 6 percent discount, instantly & conveniently, everyday, all day long.
In return, users share photos of their experiences at these eateries, creating a new community of restaurant lovers.
For every transaction, at least RM0.10 will be channelled to a charity of the month.
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, 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 may be in the Promotions folder of your inbox.
Check out the latest edition of Eat Drink KL: 100 Favourites, with 100 recommended restaurants for April-June 2016. This eBook is available to read or download at this link: http://issuu.com/eatdrinkkl/docs/ebook
Buckle your seatbelts: Eat Drink KL is partnering with Uber to take restaurant lovers on new adventures across KL & Selangor!
If you haven't used Uber yet, it's time to begin! For new users, just follow the steps below to redeem free rides:
1. Download the Uber app from the App Store, Play Store or Windows Store - and register your Uber account.
2. Apply the code EATDRINKKL as your first promotional code & you'll receive 2 Free Rides worth RM30 each.
3. Request a ride through the app and ride for free to any destination (with two ride values of up to RM30 each).
