Austin Chase @ Boulavard

It is very easy to attract crowd to your coffee house. Just brew your strong and best aroma coffee all the time.
Fish attracted to the bait, so do people, especially coffee lover like me. I felt like a fish who just cannot help myself but take the bait.

Still remember few years back when Rotiboy started their business. Rows and rows of "fishes" queuing up for the aroma.

We are all dominated by our senses. Pretty faces are pleasant to remember. Awful body odor chase you away. That is why my customers who doing flavor and fragrance ingredients are laughing to their banks all the time.

Coffee @ Kinokuniya

Weekend, trying to relax, not with beer and party, but a quiet time at the book shop with a cup of coffee, garlic bread, mushroom soup and a new story. This can be also enjoyable.

Once upon a time, my buddy colleague told me that he always allocate certain amount of budget each month for "self enhancement". Either buying beer or book.

Tea time @ Mutiara Hotel

What else a hotel can serves beside a nice and clean bed after a hard day's work?

A freshly brewed coffee perhaps, with tasty small bites.

Coffee and paper make me forget a little the home I missed.

PappaCafe (PappaRich) @ Puchong

It was originally called PappaCafe but now they are calling themselves as PappaRich, after the first successful outlet in Bandar Puteri Puchong.

I was there during their very first opening. I am kind of Puchong "lang" hanging the area all the time.

Oh! Don't ask me why I wait until it changes it name only I post this up. At least I post, right?

To be frank, I did not get impressed with the place during my first visit. I was comparing it with Old Town and I thought "Whoa! This is expensive." when I got the bill.

But I keep seeing full house happening there. I thought again "There must be lots of rich people in Puchong these day."

And then when I saw one PappaRich opening in Taipan USJ. I was wondering who the pirate again Xeroxing some other's idea. Don't you sense any familiar with Old Town and Old Taste? And plenty Old and Town kopitiam around you?

Patron again, PappaRich finally gave me the kind of feel and different atmosphere. It's kind of a mixture of Starbuck and Old Town. I enjoy the warm and relax feeling. The food served also careful crafted.

Suddenly I felt it worth every penny out from my pocket.

No wonder people keep going back and the brand grow from PappaCafe to PappaRich "liao".

Stone Good (Eat Good)

Spring cleaning of my picture folder and found these unpost photos.
New year eve 2007, I was having simple yet unique dinner in Bukit Bintang (before the crazy jam jam jam count down).
The Stone restaurant was at top floor of Bukit Bintang. Not extraordinary, but because the date was memorable.

Fish n Chip with Wine.

Brazilian Coffee Lamb Chop.

YinYong & Papaya Milk

Coffee Break at Work.

It's almost a month since my previous post. Time fly and I almost forget I have a blog to maintain. You might think that I had lost myself in the middle of cyber jungle. I actually lost my notebook after a very nice Shabu Shabu in Bandar Puteri Puchong.

Lucky I have back up my file but it take some effort to get stuffs in place.

Well, that's some side story before we go to the real one.

*******

One fine Friday afternoon, our Technical Director brought his coffee maker and some donuts to treat us (or repay) us because of our kind hospitality and brotherhood. It was my first short lesson in brewing a cuppa coffee and I think I have a new toy in my wish list now.

Big Apple donuts. A new life for our familiar donuts. Dunkin, I think you have a problem.

How nice if I can have a cuppa chino every afternoon?

Step 1, grind the beans.

Then stuffed it in the holder.

Steam the skim milk.

Huala... my coffee is brewing.

How lucky we are to have coffee "live" from Oz.

Match'Us @ Puchong

Bandar Puteri Puchong opening another good eatery place with creative name: Match Us.

Mushroom soup was not bad.

Coke fried chicken wings taste special.

Chicken chop was well garnished.

Cakes was okay... only.

And their signature drinks chocolate blended with real choco at the glass as deco.

Roche Montana... Japanese Coffee @ Sri Kembangan

I never expect a Japanese Coffee house in South City Plaza. That place given me an impression of cheaper brand or stuff come from China, cheap and no good.

We associate Japan as develop country with good quality product. So, will this Roche Montana spoil the Japanese image?

I thought their cakes and eateries are good, coffee is fantastic and the renovation and presentation made me felt Japan. However, as the owner choose to open it in such a place, it rarely gets the appreciation it suppose to and the quality begin to be doubtful.

Location is important for a business. Knowing your product and target market is even essential for survival. Good product, good concept at the wrong place and wrong time will only make you think what went wrong with all the effort and time you had invested.

The lady was working hard to prepare and serve.

Chips cover bread cover sausage... yummy for me who enjoy high cholesterol food.

Nice cuppachino with cinnamon powder topping.

My Kopitiam... not that bad.

Another "kopitiam" popped up in Pusat Bandar Puchong, at shops opposite Tesco Puchong. I don't feel good initially. Too many "kopitiam" around lately and I think this has been saturated and people starting to get fatigue on it. At least I am.

This also verified again that nowadays ideas, products, concepts can be duplicated or "reverse engineered" rapidly and efficiently. Anything can be tap, modified and replaced in a split second.

I never thought to give this My Kopitiam a try but because of the rain and spare time waiting for somebody that night, I made a choice to hop in and have a look (more or less also because of the banner showing RM0.99 per cuppa coffee).

Very well presented noodle with big mushrooms! Taste shows the owner does know how to cook.

99 cents per cup of coffee. Expensive if you compare with our traditional "ko pi tiam", but cheap if the environment has been upgraded.

KopiKau... at Bandar Putri Puchong

There is trend or cult to drink traditional kopi-o in Starbuck like coffee house. The environment is good. Food is creative. And Kopi-O is half modern, half traditional.

I still prefer western style of coffee, which the bean roasted without using marjarine or oil. The machine used to brew a fresh coffee is so consistent and accurate to produce a nice aromatic coffee.

Where traditional Hainanese coffee depend solely on the skill of sifu. If that day his wife give him a hard knock, you will be sure to have a half done Kopi-O.

Anyway, in Bandar Putri Puchong, I found a shop call KopiKau, which has a nice environment and big screen TV for football.

How's the kopi-o ping? I could not taste any different between the one in any hawker center. Just it comes with a unique glass and premium straw.

This is good and healthy. Tuna mayonnaise salad sandwich. I love it!

Tomyam fried bee hun. Good taste and well prepared.

I like this bitter gourd mee soup also not bad. I lived up with Hokkian food and love bitter gourd. Cooked with sea foods, meats and added with fried "ikan bilis". Not bad the chef.

Great environment!

Yokohama Coffee... Interesting!

Japanese is always good and creative on packaging design. And I am always fascinated on their product. They are so original and so detail in thinking. Unlike us, we copy everything! From cars, electronic goods, fashion, software's, to CDs. What is intellectual properties for us?

When I received this coffee from my friend, I thought it was just like our "Aik Cheong" black coffee bag. I was scaptic about how special this Japanese coffee will be, since no body grow any coffee bean in Japan.

Yes, it is semi instant coffee (coffee powder in filter bag). I do not need to use any coffee maker machine to brew it. But the design is so special that it was just like freshly brew coffee, or like our Vietnam coffee style (eg: offer by Kemaman Kopitiam), drip on.

I love the aroma. It was fresh and strong. The coffee brewed was not sour, and not thick. There was no unwanted particles found in the cup, which means the filter paper bag works perfectly. Its truly a high quality product.

My first thought was how to copy the idea. Perhaps, I am still a Malaysian, or be more specific, a Chinese Malaysian. I copy what I like.

After deeper thought, the packaging design should have been patented and I think I should grow up and respect other people's intellectual. So sorry for popping up my mind those very bad idea. I promise I will live like a developed nation's people, from now onwards.

Malaysia Boleh!

Ipoh Great Coffee, Best Toasted Bread!

Last month, after our trip to Cameron, we stopped in Kong Heng, Ipoh for Horfan and White Coffee. It was nice and fantastic. However, Chong, who is originate from Ipoh told me that I had yet drink the best coffee in Ipoh.

I finally had the chance to taste some good coffee on the day 15 of CNY, when we traveled there for an important visit.

Kedai Kopi Sun Yuan Foong, looks ordinary? Walk in and verified it, please.

This shop Sun Yuan Foong is located just opposite Ipoh Old Town Kopitiam. And I was told that Sun Yuan Foong has far longer history than the opposite Old Town Kopitiam. No wonder I never thought Ipoh Old Town Kopitiam offer good coffee, which is no way close to my favorite Kemaman Kopitiam.

I ordered the original Kopi-O and Special Toasted Bread with Half Boiled Egg. We had also some other side orders (just some normal foods) like cheong fan and normal toasted bread.

I would say I like the Kopi-O just like I did for the Kemaman Kopitiam. Strong but not thick. Not too sweet. Aroma was just great! I finally confirm that Ipoh really serve good traditional coffee.

No fancy cup, but something special inside.

The bread I had was very special. It was toasted hot and spread with butter, and it served with half boiled egg on top of it. I could not find a particular words to describe the taste, or feeling eating this. Even before I ate it, its appearance was beautiful. Not that kind of food that decorated finely, but with just plain sweet yellow, orange color egg as a topping, I just love the way it presented to me.

The skill of preparing those egg was not simple. I could imagine how accurate the timing and temperature to prepare such nicely cook egg.

I just love how it presented to me, pretty!

Spread away the egg, added with some pepper, wonderful!

Normal cheongfan, but stuffed with vegetable. I call it pohpiah style cheongfan.

A table of traditional fine food, a satisfied afternoon.

Kemaman Kopitiam Revisited

Good place should go back right?

After having my first cup of good coffee months ago, I had made it a habit to drop by this shop when ever I am in Kuantan.

Referring to my previous post, I was abit disappointed with their nasi lemak, nasi dagang and some off the shelf traditional cakes offered. It is not the quality (it taste just nice), but the unrespectable high price they charged.



However, clever the owner that he know he has a winning product, a RM 1.50 cup of traditional kopi-O. I had no choice but to go back again and again. With one condition, to remind me not to take those "trap" food.

This time, I managed to try some new stuff, besides having my first and essential coffee.



We had the Kuih Goreng. Quite a big piece, not expensive. It serves with chili sauce and great companion for an afternoon tea.



My friend tried their Vietnamese coffee. I thought it was just OK. I never like it thick and off taste bitter with abit salty.



We had also the shops famous Roti Bakar, which is fresh toasted bun spread with butter and kaya. Because it was freshly toasted, taste quite nice.



One of my friends ordered the Peanut Delight with Honey. It was special and good. The bread was dipped with egg and deep fried. Then spread with peanut butter prior serving. We topped with honey and extra butter and all those melt in the mouth. Fatty ya. But I remember I had a better one somewhere in Serdang. So this is not the best I have. Be aware.



Finally, we tried a strange drink (at least for me). We had this Coke Cafe. It’s a mixture of coke and coffee, with cream as topping. I never like the taste. Wonder who invented this kind of drink. I think Pepsi launch their Pepsi Tarik some times ago and I had just one glass. Never enjoy it like I enjoy vanilla coke.