Imoment Cafe, Bangsar South

A moment like this, from Taiwan’s south to Bangsar South: After launching its maiden cafes in Taiwan’s Tainan and Chiayi cities, Imoment finally opens its first KL outpost in Melilea Tower, flowing with friendly floral flourishes, now serving cakes and charming coolers, with brunch bowls and platters to debut by next month.

Sense Cafe, Taman Tun Dr Ismail

TTDI's new Sense Cafe beckons with the fragrance of fresh coffee, the warm touch of open sandwiches, the comforting taste of flavourful pasta, the soothing sight of the morning sun streaming through the trees by the window, and the cheerful voices of the people behind the brew bar.

Founded by four friends embarking on their own cafe for the first time, Sense is a lovely neighbourhood space. Check out the painting that the team created together themselves, titled Flow.

Straining their own ricotta and baking their own butter cakes, Sense’s show-runners serve honest fare, from seeded sourdough slices layered with sauteed mushrooms, whipped ricotta, kale and cherry tomatoes to linguine tossed with kimchi and kyuri in gochujang, rounded out with beef bacon, black sesame seeds, yellow onions and Parmesan cheese. Beat the Monday blues with the blueberry butter cake.

Snatch a seat by the peperomia or a table by the pothos and sip on smooth filters (the Ecuador La Papaya conveys potential notes of peach and persimmon) and coolers like the Apple-Cha (with hojicha) and Greenmanthus (with cucumber and osmanthus).

Mizuniwa Aquascape Cafe, Bandar Sri Damansara

Mizuniwa is a uniquely soothing new cafe in Bandar Sri Damansara, lined with ‘water gardens’ of graceful freshwater fish swimming amid hand-crafted aquascapes of live plants and textured rocks. 

Take a table by your preferred tank, most with more than a hundred tetra fish gliding smoothly through clear waters, evoking a riverbed wonderland.

Mizuniwa’s signature ‘tiru-misu’ is a playful pleasure, layered with soft Hainanese bread instead of ladyfingers, soaked in a choice of honey milk, kaya butter or other tantalising twists, matched with a selection of matcha beverages. 

The cafe’s friendly founders have poured plenty of personal effort into a beautiful space, well worth a visit.

Pretty Pot Cafe, Damansara Perdana

Damansara Perdana’s new Pretty Pot Cafe is a friendly hideout that brings together independent bakers and brewers - pair the Pandan Gula Melaka Tiramisu with matcha coconut coolers for a tempting teatime escape.

Yellow Bear Cafe, Jaya One

Bark for bagels: Yellow Bear Cafe is a new spot inside Jaya One’s Ollie & Hana Puppy Nursery, where growling tummies can be gratified by fresh, warm bagels, crusted with almonds, crammed with apples, for a human-friendly treat.