Frisson Coffee Bar

Opened only in December last year, Frisson Coffee Bar has made quite a name for themselves. Being located in Uptown Damansara and just a 10 minutes walk from my office, I had been wanting to try them out for a while but I didn't manage (I'm not always in the office as I have to meet my clients most of the time) to until 2 weeks ago when I made my first visit.

So now, aside from PULP by Papa Palheta, Frisson Coffee Bar is now on my favourite list as well. So I now have one hangout place in KL and one in PJ. So ohsome!

Warning: This post is going to be a long one as I have combined a couple of visits into one.

Thank you for turning on the lights for me to take this picture! You're awesome :)

I love how simple yet comfortable the cafe is. On the right side, the seats are made with only concrete but they provide cushions where you can arrange yourself to seat more comfortably.

Another fact that I like about Frisson besides the comfortable ambient is their customer service. The staffs are a bunch of really really friendly people. Despite the fact that I stayed there to work after my meal, they didn't give me any attitude at all except being really nice. 

One thing that I am really amazed about Frisson is that besides being really great offline (at work), they are also super awesome on social media. This is one of the greatest thing about a brand that I appreciate the most.

To be honest, I have never encountered a cafe/brand that would interact with their customers on such a personal basis and answering to their every single query online and also to acknowledge our satisfaction or comments.

One of their replies to my Instagram.

If that's not awesome enough, they even remember to inform me about their new launch, which I did went and try and will be included in the later part of this post.

The above picture was my second visit a few days ago, which the food I will talk about later. I wrote on the description my thought on the food and surprisingly, they replied with such open heart on the 'complain' that I had and would make my next visit more pleasurable. How to not go back to this cafe, you tell me? Where to find such good service?

Premium Picante Soft-Shell Crab with Creamy Tomato (RM29.90)

I enjoyed almost every bit of this dish. The sauce is creamy enough to cover the spaghetti and with almost every strand of spaghetti, you'll be able to taste the ever so unique sauce with rosemary. 

The soft-shell crab is deep fried with chilli padi, red peppers and accompanied with some paprika and chilli flakes. However, to someone like me who can't take spicy food, I don't find it spicy, which is a good thing to yours truly haha. The crab is deep fried to perfection and each bite is crunchy while still maintaining the fresh taste of the crab. 

The only thing that is negative would probably be the rosemary. The rosemary does bring out the taste of the entire dish so much more but it is a b*tch when it got stuck somewhere in your mouth and you have to take each and every small piece out by hand. (This has been rectified by the employee of Frisson which I am grateful)

Original Affogato (RM10) 

If you order their new range of premium meals like me, you'll also be entitled to the 30% discount upon your order on their new Affogato series. They gave quite a generous amount of ice cream with the espresso. I personally think that this is one of the best Affogato I've tried. 

Take one spoonful of the vanilla ice cream covered with chocolate flakes and with the already poured-in espresso, voila! The sweetness of the ice cream and chocolate together with the bitterness of espresso create this perfect chemistry that makes you wanting more.

Salted Caramel Latte (RM12)

I have always loved salted flavoured dessert like Salted Caramel ice cream and Salted Gula Melaka ice cream so I gave the latte a go and I noticed my love for salted caramel knows no boundaries. I didn't know salted caramel and coffee could go so well!

Flat White (RM10)

de'LISH Frisson's Oats Chicken (RM24.90)

The pasta is just average. The sauce is slightly too thick that it filled you up about half a plate in and personally, I don't enjoy the mixture of the sauce (I'm quite a picky eater -.-"). 

But..I love the oats chicken. It's so crunchy and the fragrance of the oat mixed with the chicken a really nice mixture.

Chocolate Affair (RM13.50)

I personally do not enjoy this as much as the original one. Chocolate ice cream, shaved chocolate, mixture of chuncky white and dark chocolate and crumbled cookies poured with chocolate is just too much chocolate in one serving for me. However, if you're a chocolate fanatic, you might want to order this and settle your cravings for chocolate all in one serving!

Here's their details if you decide to drop by to give their food a try!

Frisson Coffee Bar - Damansara Uptown

Address: 71-G, Jalan SS 21/1A, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

Contact: 03-77329969

Opening Hours: 

Monday, 11.00am – 11.00pm

Tuesday, Closed

Wednesday to Friday, 11.00–11.00pm

Saturday and Sunday, 9am - 11pm

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The Hot Chocolat Cafe

From my last post of The Meat Expert, I mentioned that I would check The Hot Chocolat Cafe (no, it's not a typo haha) out from the other end of the shop lot and I did!

The interior and furniture for the inside portion for the cafe is very vintage if you were to look at the print closely whereas the outside portion's furniture is more simple and garden-like so it could sustain the weather.

Fettucine Carbonara Set Lunch (RM23.90)

Set meal comes with Mushroom Soup, Barley drink and Fettucine Carbonara

I can't say I am pleased with the food. It's quite a disappointment. There are no mushroom taste in the mushroom soup and the taste is so insignificant that I can't really remember how it tasted like already.

As for the carbonara, all I can taste is just the bland taste of the noodle. Although it looked like they put quite a lot of cheese on top of the spaghetti, I don't really taste much of it after mixing them together. 

Beef Bacon Sandwich Set (RM17.90)

Set lunch comes with Barley drink, mushroom soup and the sandwich.

For the sandwich, the egg and bacon are tasteless as well. I couldn't taste anything except bread. The barley is equally as tasteless as well. It seems like they boil the barley but did not put any sugar in it so all we can taste is the slight faint taste of barley.

Chocolate Cake with Ice Cream (RM13)

Although their food is below par, this particular dessert is good. The cake with chocolate syrup is really rich and moist. Despite it being rich, it does not make you sick of it after a few bites but instead, you will finish this entire thing and wanting more. This is probably my second or third time here for this particular dessert.

Flat White (RM10)

The coffee is not too bad either but there's nothing much to shout about. It tasted like any other flat white okay tasting Flat White.

I will definitely go back for their dessert, will definitely try the rest the next time I'm there! However, they really need to up their game and improve on their food quality though. 

Anyways, here's the address if you want to try out their dessert, or food, maybe you would have a second opinion from mine.

The Hot Chocolat Cafe

Address:  25, Lorong Setiabistari 2, Taman Bukit Damansara, 50490 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Contact: 03-2093 9133

Operation Hours: I can't find their opening hours on the net. Will update as soon as I find out :)

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PULP by Papa Palheta

Ever since PULP by Papa Palheta opened their door to public about a year ago, I've been hearing a lot about them and their coffee as well as reading about all the positive feedbacks from blogs and reviews. I've always wanted to visit but it's either I am too lazy to drive down to Bangsar or I'm too lazy in general hahaha.

Thanks to a friend who invited me to brunch, I finally wiggled my way through to this cafe. It took me a while to find the exact location of the cafe though. I wanted to scream at Waze for bringing me to the wrong address but after trying a few other Waze address to PULP, it all leads to the same place.

So I find myself a parking space and got down to walk on foot and saw this entrance. No wonder I cannot find lah! Nothing about cafe pops to me with this entrance lor! Upon talking to one of the baristas (I think he owns it?), he mentioned that they liked the fact that the cafe is at a very subtle yet noticeable area.

The cafe is located right beside Media Prima's building and behind NSTP. Once you saw Media Prima, you won't be able to miss it! So subtle and hipster, I like. There was not much people when I arrive as it was still quite early so I manage to strike a conversation or two about types of coffees and learn a little about coffee beans. All of them are very helpful and friendly.

PULP is actually under a Singaporean company called Papa Palheta who runs a couple of boutique cafes in Singapore. Interesting fact about the name Papa Palheta, Brazil was never known as a country that produce coffee beans but Sergeant Francisco de Melo Palheta manage to steal it from the Governor of Cayenne by seducing his wife and during a banquet, she gave him a bouquet containing the seeds. And now, Brazil is the world's largest coffee producing country! 

Okay, back to the cafe. Papa Palheta turned an old hardware shop in Singapore known as Chye Seng Huat Hardware into a coffee boutique that attracted many. Although PULP was founded in Malaysia, Papa Palheta has a similar concept for them too. PULP actually occupies a space in an old printing factory known as Art Printing Works, that has history date all the way back 50 years ago.

The space for the cafe is not very big. They have about 5 - 6 tables for two and about 3 tables that can sit about 6 person. Their cashier area is arranged in between the rooms (Cupping Room, a C-Platform & a Workshop) and the tables. This is the first time I have seen an open space cashier area. They also allow me to stand beside them and watch the baristas work their magic hehehe.

View from the other side

I love how they used the old machine from the paper cutting factory as a table for the cafe. This is the front area which they used it to display their coffee beans. Also on the left, it's water for all.

The back part of the machine is used as a table with stools to sit at least 6 person.

Another part of the cafe that I find interesting is... Jeng jeng jeng.. The bathroom. Instead of a normal bathroom with mirror, they actually make something very different. The entire design of the bathroom also look very vintage, it's awesome.

They put neon signage saying 'You Look Fine' on the place where supposedly be the mirror. The place the mirror above this spot though hehehe

Inside the female bathroom, they have another neon signage with the word 'You Light Up The Room' 

Latte made with Throwback coffee beans

Latte made with Nuts & Bolts coffee beans

I was interested in buying their coffee beans and trying between Nuts & Bolts and Throwback. The staff was so helpful in answering all my questions and even gave me a sample of Throwback.  I was lucky also lah because the new staff is learning how to make coffee hehehe.

Nuts & Bolts Beans: Nutty, Pecan, Grapefruit with a smooth body

Throwback: Dark Chocolate with a tinge of Mandarin Oranges

 I thought that I would like Throwback because of the word 'Dark Chocolate' (I don't know how to describe it in a very professional way) but upon testing both, I noticed that Throwback is very rich in flavour and thicker in texture compared to the other. Nuts & Bolts however, taste slightly refreshing and the texture is lighter with a tinge of nutty fragrance. 

Balance Breakfast Ver. 1.0 (RM24)

2 Röstis, 2 Smoked Chicken (sausage), Sunny Side Up and Greens.

Breakfast includes rösti (made from potato but this one has cabbage as well), sausages, egg and greens, which are a carbs, proteins and fibre, all packed in one! Besides the greens of course, everything is cooked to perfection, not over or undercooked. I can't believe how good a rösti taste like, it looked exactly like hash brown but because it is cooked with cabbages, you feel way less guilty.

I'm working, really. *point to the laptop and notebook*

Baked Cheese Cake (RM12) and Hot Chocolate (RM10) 

After 2 cups of latte,  I ordered another cup of hot chocolate (I was there for about 4 hours). The hot chocolate is bitter-sweet in taste and it's very rich in flavour and texture. The best I ever had!

The cheesecake portion is just nice for one person and it doesn't make you bloated even when you finished the entire thing. There's a layer of syrup, which look like melted sugar on top of the cheesecake and instead of making it too sweet, it actually compliments to the cheesecake, making them a perfect combination.

I would definitely go back to PULP by Papa Palheta. Not only that the food and coffee is good, the staffs are super helpful and friendly and the environment is also very cozy. You can go on a casual brunch date with your boyfriend/girlfriend, organize a catch up session with your group of friends or just bring your family there to eat some good breakfast and grab a cuppa :)

PULP by Papa Palheta

Address: 29-01, Jalan Riong, Bangsar, 59100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Contact: 03-2201 3650

Opening Hours:

Monday, Closed

Tuesday - Friday, 9am - 7pm

Weekends, 9am - 10pm

Website - Papa Palheta

Facebook - PULP by Papa Palheta

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Bad Experience in Bakar (by The BIG Group)

This post is going to be more wordy as I didn't take any pictures. Didn't intend to blog about this at first but I thought good or bad, it's worth a note :)

One lunch as usual, I went out with Denise for our girly Penang session. We went over to Lorong Kurau to get ourselves some Peranakan food in Baba Low's 486. You guys must all be super familiar with this place already, if not, a single Google search will lead you to hundreds of review about this place. It's really that good, and the price is also very affordable. 

Anyway, this blogpost is not going to be about Baba Low but about my experience to Bakar. The last time I came over to Baba Low, I was already interested in the shop that is under renovation beside it so when I went over and I saw that it's already open, I was excited. Me being me, I have always liked to have my after lunch coffee/dessert in a cafe, and I thought that both Bakar and Hits & Mrs (Upon Googling, I found out that they are all under The BIG Group) would be able to satisfy that craving.

After lunch, we first walked into Hits & Mrs because the place had a lot of buzz back then and I have yet to try. But when we went in and took the menu, it was all set lunches. We told the waitress that we are only looking for coffee and desserts and she told us they only served set lunches. This is something new to me and it made me wanted to try their set lunch (Maybe next time haha)

Image via TheMalayMailOnline

She then told us if we wanted to grab some desserts and coffee, we should try the next door, which is Bakar. I of course excitedly agree since I wanted to try both anyway. When we walked in to Bakar, the waiter already knows that we are there for desserts and at first he told us they only serve popsicles for dessert during lunch. But when we asked further, he assisted us in checking with the chefs and they presented us with more choices, which I was happy cause I am not a huge fan of popsicles.

Denise and I then chose to order 'Baked Cookie in A Pan' (RM25) and I ordered an additional Hot Mocha (RM12). Denise wanted to order ice chocolate as she don't take coffee but unfortunately, they do not serve chocolate drink, which was unexpected. 

When my mocha was served, I was not convinced by the look. It looked a lot like milo, or packeted chocolate drink, which I know it's not because I saw them making it. The mocha was very watery by the look, and the colour is not very appetizing (I wish I had a picture to show). My first sip was a larger disappointment. It tasted bitter, with no coffee taste in it. It tasted exactly like the coffee I tried to make a few days ago with my new coffee machine with unsweetened cocoa powder and milk with some espresso. I paid RM12 for a failed coffee I did at home!

Baked Cookie in A Pan came a while later but there are nothing to shout about on this. It's good, the cookie was very rich in chocolate and the vanilla ice cream on top of it melted and blended together with the cookie as they placed the ice cream on the cookie when it was burning hot. However, it tasted just like any other chocolate brownie with ice cream. Due to the rich and thick chocolate brownie however, it does get very filling by the time you reach half and the other half of the brownie gets slightly tougher to eat. Luckily, Denise and I shared or we would not be able to finish it.

Now now, I know maybe coffee and desserts weren't their specialty because they specializes in cooking with charcoal, the old style way (which is definitely something I'll come back to try). I had high expectations on their coffee and desserts because they are under The BIG Group and somehow, my expectations were there. I believe even if they does not specializes in other things on the menu, they should at least try to make it better, not serving us some half-assed (pardon my language) food or beverages. It was a disappointment in terms of coffee and desserts but I have yet to try their main menu, so I wouldn't know if the rest will do the restaurant justice.

The Meat Experts (TME)

Hidden among hills of Bukit Damansara, away from the hustle and bustle of the high-rise office buildings, there is one row of double-storey shop lot among the rows and rows of houses in Lorong Setiabistari 2.

On one end of the shop lot, it houses The Meat Experts (TME), which is a deli that not only sells food, they also sell a wide variety of mostly imported and entirely fresh meat at a reasonable price. Find out more about them here.

Pretty sky. Haha

Some of the meats they sell. Due to the lighting, I didn't manage to take all.

Denise (Click on her name to view her blog. You will be wow-ed by her art) and I went to TME for lunch. It's our usual place when we're in a rush and in need of good food (It's cheap too)

All Day Breakfast Set (RM22.90)

Breakfast set comes with 2 Bacon, 2 US Pork Sausages (One with black pepper, one usual), 2 Eggs, Toast Baked Beans (I don't eat beans so I change it with an extra bread), Garden Green paired with either Coffee or Tea.

Their sausages are not made with any organs or meat by-products so you can expect the best quality of sausage you can find in not a lot of places. It's cooked to perfection and every bite is like foodgasm in your mouth hehe. However, do expect some hits and misses on the bacon as there will be days when it's overcooked but today, it's just right. 

Bacon Fried Rice (RM9.90)

Although it might not look like it, the bacon fried rice has a really generous amount of bacons with a mix of carrots and some cabbages. This bacon fried rice is quite addictive as you spoon into it. However, there are days when they fried it slightly too oily though.

After that, we went over to The Hot Chocolate Cafe, which was located at the other end for some desserts (Melting Hot Chocolate Cake) and coffee. Will blog about that later when I try their food out. Been going there for desserts only which I think serves them no justice if I were to blog about only that.


The Meat Experts

Address: 9 Lorong Setiabistari 2, Bukit Damansara ,50490,Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia

Contact:

T: +603-20952916
M: 019-653 2843 | 019-863 2377

Opening Hours:
Monday to Saturday, 8.30am - 5.30pm

Website: The Meat Experts