Chocoholic 巧克哈客

It was not an easy choice especially when you are visiting a gourmet town with all the local specialties that should not be missed. But I was firmed on this and we finally took the venture to our first cafe experience in Taipei, located at YongKang street.

The surroundings were hard to imagine after we stepped into the small room, which was totally different and unexpected. It was a lovely place with all the detailed chocoholical approach. It is no doubt a nice creation and an add-on to the gourmet or architecture map.



Being overloaded with food from YongKang street, we just ordered the famous classic hot chocolate and a iced natural chocolate. We thought we can make a comparison but it turned out that we made a mistake. The hot chocolate was nice, but after we paid the bill and leaving the cafe, my wife saw the nice chocolate dessert in the showcase, when she suddenly realized that that was what we should have ordered even though we was full. Too bad, too late. The lesson was learned - to plan in advance the order of gourmet visits.

Jonker Dessert 88

Although this is not the kind of cafe that I am seeking, Jonker88 has the DNA of the Malaysian culture. The cendol is good. The mee is good. The place has the historical essence and it sure will trigger the nostalgic feelings buried deep inside the heart of Malaysian, while also serves as a museum for foreign visitors (as claimed on the official HP). However it lacks the quality of comfortableness, unless you believe that it is the uniqueness and we should not change it.

Anyway, it worths the visit:)

Nadeje

Being disappointed by most of the cafe experiences I had around KL/PJ, the search for quality cafe went beyond to the historical town of the straights - Malacca. Before we started the journey, actually an idea came to me that good cafe could possibly resides in remote areas where the owners are more concern about the overall quality than just money, money, money like those in cities. But now I think I was too naive about it because you just cannot trust a Malaysian too easily. Too bad. Too shame.

Anyway, the visit to Nadeje was a good one. There are a lot of blogging about it but to be fair and honest, I think they do a great job in promoting cafe gastronomy in Malaysia. Nothing much, we tried only their famous Mille crepe. Although Mille crepe is originally from French, it seems that the introduction of it by the Japanese owner of Nadeje created a perception that it is from Japan. Maybe it was me who is wrong about the story, but I sincerely hope proper education comes with the food itself. I understand that sometimes we just need to enjoy it without knowing much, but I believe it is education that we Malaysian need the most now.

Other than the nice Mille crepe, you can find they serve usual menu like the usual Japanese restaurant in Malaysia. There is also nothing special about the beverages. The ice coffee I had is simply coffee with ice. The taste was bad comparing to what the experience offered by the crepe.





As for the holistic approach that I seek from cafe, I think it is just an ok for cafe like Nadeje. The reason that I am so harsh about it is because I believe the owner has the ability to provide a better experience. And I hope they will do better and better in the coming future.

Why Cafe if it is not about the coffee?

The photo shows the cafe setting in Piazza San Marco, where I visited in 2007. But no, this is not the reason why I started visiting cafe back in 2006, when I started working as a fresh grad in Tokyo. Actually I did not even really visit any cafe to be remembered when I was in Itally. And I believe that is not what a cafe lover will miss if he/she goes to Itally. However I had a purpose when I visit Venice, Florence and Rome back then. It is to not visiting any specific museums or cafe, but instead to feel & learn the culture deep inside the heart of the cities & people.

I am not sure but probably it was the same reason that kept me going to cafe in Tokyo years ago. When I was living in Nakameguro, I took on my bike and went to cafe in Shibuya, Omotesando, Ginza, etc districts in the metropolitan; searching for new and interesting cafe had became a routine on weekends. And it was not only the exploring that was fun, but all the little trips to here and there were so enriching. Life was much much more exciting when connecting the dots on map while discovering the culture via cafe.

Of course, going to cafe alone is itself a form of culture discovering. But it becomes a place of culture sharing when we have conversation with friends and people in cafe. I think it is the sharing that captured my interest to cafe all this time. And the sharing grows even bigger now, going beyond the boundary of a cafe.

When we talk about cafe (an Italian "bar" to be exact) in Italy, we usually talk about coffee culture there. But whenever I thought about my visits to Italy, to San Marco or Florence, I remember it as a holistic culture sharing through the experience at cafe.

That is why my "cafe" is not about the coffee. And that is why I talk about cafe in terms of culture discovering & sharing.

the apartment

Located in the Curve, actually the apartment is more a restaurant & bar than a cafe. But to me, it has the ambient feeling that I am seeking for a cafe. And I like their effort in building a very nice place with their appreciation for urban culture. Besides that, their food is nice too. Well, this is the holistic approach that I believe a cafe should have. Why? Because they are not just modern kopitiam. And personally I do not like the way our society to create "Old Taste", "Home Town", etc. out of the famous "Old Town". The mindset of replicating successful stories not necessary bring us the wealth our society need. But kindly note that I am not against any genuine efforts or the existing of kopitiam. I like kopitiam, and I go to one all the times. And at the same time I also believe we deserve alternative places like cafe, just like what the apartment said, "alternative spaces to inhabit".



You might feel that I am more in the architectural part than the food. Yes, I did not study architecture for 7 years for nothing (haha). And no, I did not forget about the food and also the overall business environment. There are more about the apartment that we can explore, but one thing for sure is I prefer to have places like this in our usual surrounding. Places like a cafe should not be something that you have to raise your level of lifestyle to access it. It would be a waste for the people. And that is one of our society problem I see after few months of exploring cafe around KL/PJ, the heart of Malaysia.

le passionne

We went to this cafe in Hartamas Shopping Center today. We were told that the barista is a foreigner and the coffee is good because westerner is more serious about espresso. Well, we did not find out about the real coffee because we just had a simple meal with a affogato, and a scoop of homemade ice cream. We wanted to try more but too bad we had too much espresso and cappuccino in the morning...

Maybe, our choice was not a good one. The food is ok but not as what we have had expected. However, one thing I am grateful is we can have the choices such as affogato, baked potato (oh I wanted to have it...), Swiss chocolate, etc here in this tropical city. Maybe the reason it is hard to really have the true taste is because of the hot weather here, or the culture here in Malaysia.

This country is still on a learning path, so as we do:)
I believe we will have more and more great stuff coming if we have faith in us, while always seeking for the best of all.

departure lounge

It was not easy to find a nice cafe in KL, which is a place for everyone and not only for those who is affordable. With some expectations and some doubts, we visited this cafe departure lounge this afternoon. It is located in Mont Kiara, where many expatriates are enjoying their stay in KL now.

We had a specialty sandwich and a pasta. It was nice, really. They have the taste and quality which we are searching for. And as for the cafe latte I had, well it was fine too. But the way they served it in a transparent glass was not what I am looking for. You will understand when you touch the hot glass, and the texture of its mouth when your lips found it. Maybe they have their intention on this, but I prefer a porcelain cup with thick mouth section.





For the cafe concept including the whole interior make up, well I have a lots more complaints but I will keep it to myself. Because I would like to praise Malaysian for making a great effort to create a nice cafe in spite of the culture here - to buy cheap and ask for more. However, I think it is a pity if every time I have to visit places like Mont Kiara to have a decent cup of nice espresso in Malaysia.

Way to go but, cafe in Malaysia need to be more creative:)

Kopi Cine - Straits Collection

This is where I almost convinced that my return to Malaysia could be a too-late venture. Although I have doubts about the logo sign where the color and fonts were hardly seen, all other aspects of the cafe, reading room and the residential area were very good - almost perfect for Penang. We have wasted too many time, the culture in M'sia is growing.

We were full when we visited Kopi Cine, so we just ordered ice cream gula Melaka because the lady there kept recommending:) And it was good. We had also drawn on the table paper because there were crayons on the table. And voila! This was my first artwork after my return to M'sia. (Probably the paper gone into rubbish can soon after we left...)

siTigun

Our first visit to a cafe in Penang island - siTigun. It was just located near ArtBug on Jalan Nagore. We was told about the owner's story of cycling, and his effort in trying to make good coffee. And the coffee tasted really nice. However, the food & dessert were not as good as we had expected. But we heard that there are customers going there everyday just for the Tiramisu. Not sure whether it is true, or why the customer likes the Tiramisu that much. Sadly for me, it was not the Tiramisu that I am looking for.

Anyway, personally I like the way the owner build the cafe. The handmade and homelike feeling, and especially the suggestion they made - to visit by a bicycle. I think this is the culture Malaysian should keep on building.

Paris Seveille

We paid a last visit to Paris Seveille before we left Japan. We were not sure when can we enjoy the cakes or anything similar to them again, but we believe we can. Au revoir!