Caffeinated

Located in the Center Court of IOI Boulevard, there's a little cafe that is placed at a corner, right behind where Pacific Coffee used to be, on the same row as Doi Chaang Coffee, called CAFFEiNATED. 

As it is hidden at the corner with some pillars blocking, it might be quite hard to notice but if you look harder, you will see something like the picture above. A bright, small yet cosy looking cafe.

The space right beside the entrance is decorated with these cage. It's so pretty.

The size of the cafe is quite small but yet, it's comfortable. Like you don't feel very cramped and all. 

Here comes the food!

Flat White (RM9)

The coffee started off tasting slightly bitter but towards the end, it has a milky end taste that took away the usual unpleasant bitterness of coffee. I am not a fan of the bitter taste at the end and I felt that this is almost the perfect cuppa for me :)

Cheese Baked Pomodoro Chicken (RM18)

This dish is similar to those Hong Kong restaurant's Baked Cheese Rice/Noodle. Below the thick layer of burnt cheese, there are minced chicken with tomato puree as the sauce with tomatoes, chopped onion & garlic and white wine with of course mozzarella cheese and dried parsley finishing.

The downside of this dish are there are not much minced chicken to be found and towards the end, the bottom of the bowl can be seen to be quite oily. However, on the positive side, the tomato puree is on the sour side, which I personally like and the amount of cheese is very generous :)

Chicken in Blankets (RM13)

The cheesy chicken sausages is wrapped in turkey ham and chicken salami and deep fried together. The ham is overcooked, thus it turned out to be quite hard as it was deep fried together with the sausage and sausage require a longer time to cook comparing to the ham. The sausage part covered with the ham looks white and uncooked as well.

I think there is a room to improve for this because despite all these, it actually tasted okay. I mean, what can possibly go wrong with cheesy sausages and hams? :)

Similarly with Frisson Coffee & Bar, they are quite proactive on social media as well. Upon posting on Instagram, they replied mentioning that they are still in the midst of learning and improving, which I think it's a very good gesture. 

I would be back another time and try out more of their food as they have an extensive menu ranging from pastas to pizzas to big breakfast and a lot more. Check them out below!

CAFFEiNATED

Address: IOI Boulevard, Jalan Kenari 5, Bandar Puchong Jaya, 47170 Puchong

Contact: 03-80805882

Opening Hours: 

Monday to Friday, 11.00am – 12.00am

Saturday, 9.00am – 12.00am

Sunday, 9.00am - 4.00pm

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caffeinated.puchong?fref=ts

Instagram: http://instagram.com/caffeinated.puchong/

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MISS Coffee & Toast

Further down from Walnut Cafe & Bar but along the same row, in the same building (PFCC), Bandar Puteri Puchong,  there's another cafe called MISS Coffee & Toast. After my first visit, I went back at least another two or three more times within two weeks and here's why.

Outdoor sitting area

This is my favourite spot, you will know it by spotting my bag :P

The very first reason is the comfort level of the cafe. I have a habit of camping in cafes because I like the environment and the smell of coffee makes me energetic. And of course, I can eat/drink whenever I want to, it's like the best office in the world!

MISS Toast & Coffee has a couple of spots that are super comfortable, especially the couch area but I would usually sit near the wall cos it looks like the table by the beach (I can dream that I am at the beach k? Haha)

Look at the choice of pastries and cakes! Omnomnom

Although the ambience of the cafe is one of the important point, the food play the most important role, if the food is not good, regardless how awesome the environment is, you would of course not go back for the second time, right? 

This is what I had on my very first visit. They have me a complimentary cracker with tuna, I guess it's because I wanted waffle but they ran out of waffle and I had to change my order. I am totally fine with that but I am very grateful for that small gesture :)

I ordered Classic Waffle (RM15) and I was surprised when the portion came. I mean, I know it looked sinful on the menu but I didn't know when it came, it looked even more sinful with the huge portion. The toast is super thick with 2 huge scoop of ice cream and cream with a bowl of honey. 

The bread is crunchy at the side and soft in the centre, it my perfect type of toast. Then, I poured the honey on top of both ice cream and bread and take all 3 mixture in a mouthful and I don't think I want to eat it anyway else, the mouthful of sin taste so good I forgot what diet is hahaha.

Caffe Mocha (RM11)

Their Mocha tasted okay. It doesn't taste bad but it doesn't taste memorable either but hey, nice coffee art haha.

Fruits Waffle (RM16)

During my next visit, I finally had a taste of their waffle. I ordered fruits waffle so that I can feel slightly less guilty after my tedious gym session the night before but when I got greeted by this beauty, I once again, threw the guilt away.

The waffle is made to perfection where it's done just right with the right amount of crunchiness and it's not burnt. The flour mixture for the waffle is done pretty well as the waffle by itself taste good already. I have no complaint on the waffle and would definitely go back to try more.

Mini Toast (Set of 3 slices (RM12))

Left: Mixed Tuna Mayonnaise Spread

Middle: Scrambled Egg, Beef Bacon, Parsley

Right: Baked Cheesy Chicken Ham on Toast with Mozzarella

I'm not sure if it's only me but I taste olive oil in all 3 variations of the mini toast, which, in my opinion, does not enhance the taste of the toast. The bread is really crunchy and good but the toppings are lacking. The middle and right side toast taste way too salty and the olive oil doesn't help. The toast on the right was okay but it was not great either. I think the toast's great but they need to improve on the toppings.

Chocolate Cheesecake (I think) (RM12)

The cake has a very balance taste between chocolate and cheese and neither taste overpower each other. However, the texture is slightly hard and it somehow looks like it has been in the freezer for a couple of days. If they bring it new supply though, I would order this again.

Clockwise from top: Creamy Mushroom Soup (RM10), Caffe Mocha (RM11), Mushroom & Chicken Ham Carbonara (RM17.80)

The mushroom soup tasted fine, not too bad but not memorable either. However, the texture is quite thick and slimy (not the gross type but not pleasant either). The mushrooms in the soup was not chopped and you were given a couple of the entire piece (being a mushroom idiot, I don't know the type but it's the smaller types of mushroom).

Mocha was quite disappointing this time, it was too diluted and watery, the sides of the cups are stained and based on the look, it has been done quite half heartedly (the one in the picture has been stirred and drank :P)

The spaghetti is cooked together with green capsicum, which is not my favourite and the spaghetti tasted literally like capsicum at first few bites. It gets better after that though, overall, it tasted good but once again, it's just average good, not unique.

I think it's understandable that their main dishes are average as they are a fairly new cafe and based on the menu, everyone should understand that MISS's forte is on the Honey Toast and Waffle and they mastered these two perfectly and you will want to come back for more.

Upon saying that, here's their information so you can find your way here :)

PS: I notice that the some of the items' price on their menu differs from the actual bill, so do ensure you get clarifications (I notice mine after I have gone home)

MISS Coffee & Toast

Address: Puchong Financial Corporate Centre, 47100, Puchong

Contact: 019-389 3909 / 03-8066 3747

Opening Hours: 

Monday - Thursday, 9am - 12am

Friday - Sunday, 9am - 1am

Facebook: MISS Coffee & Toast

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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.

Walnut Cafe & Bar

Every time when I drive to Bandar Puteri, I have always noticed a few new cafes emerging at the new office buildings (PFCC) but I never had a chance to try because I am always with family or the timing just isn't right.

I managed to try once about a month back slightly after work but only for coffee and cake. I ordered Tiramisu and remembered that it actually tasted good but was slightly disappointed by the coffee and the utensils given. I was given a spoon for my cake and for a cafe like that, I would expect that the barista they hired would have known a thing or two about coffee and the art but there was no art in my coffee and the taste was not up to standard as well.

This was taken on my first visit.

I believe that the cafe just opened their door to business not long before I visited because I can see the bosses (I think there were 3 to 4 of them) were managing the staffs and guide them on what to do and how to serve and not to leave food unattended in front of the air conditioned and all. The staffs seemed slightly overwhelmed as well..

But since I've been wanting to try their food, I arranged a day and I went to PFCC for one goal, to try the cafe again. I almost detoured went ahead to try the other cafe called Miss T. or the Japanese restaurant called Hiro Zen Restaurant because I've been wanting to try them too and it's the first thing I see when I came out from the lift from the parking.

But luckily, I managed to pull myself together and reminded myself that my aim is to try out Walnut Cafe & Bar and to write a review for those who are interested (I think of you guys when I eat...hahaha) 

The further view of the entire cafe. It has two storeys. The top floor is usually open at night for the bar.

The entrance. Look so high-end. Wave to my silhouette please!

One part of the wall. I love this part because they place a lot of random objects on the frame with yellow lightbulbs that matches the colour of the bricks behind. 

My view from where I sit. The cafe is actually quite big and I am grateful that they did not try to put in as many tables and chairs as they can despite the space they had. So it's actually very spacious and comfortable to walk around. You do not need to worry that you will knock into someone on the way in or out.

They decorate the empty walls around the cafe with different types of clocks, as you can see here, there is one with the bicycle, one racquet clock, British flag clocks and many more. Besides the clock, some parts are also decorated with different shapes and sizes empty photo frames which looks interesting.

Stairs to the second floor. It's still not opened yet when I arrive. Look at how they use the empty photo frames to decorate the wall? Quite interesting, no?

Now, it's time for the food.

Family picture hahaha.

Latte (RM8.90)

There are still no art in my latte but I will not judge a coffee based on the art. However, there are still space for improvement for the coffee. There are a tinge of end bitter taste that is not very pleasant and it's caused from the espresso that sits too long before being poured and mixed with the milk. 

Wild Mushroom Soup (RM10.90)

I am always a fan of wild mushroom soup rather than the conventional mushroom soup. I have no complain on this soup. I love it to every bits. Okaylah, my only complain is maybe the serving is too small. The plate is quite big but the part where the soup is placed is quite shallow and small. Overall, I would recommend this if you're a fan of wild mushroom soup like me!

Wagyu Patty Pasta (RM25.90)

Beef meat, wagyu patty, napolitana sauce, parmesan cheese and running eggs.

This is my first time trying Napolitana sauce and I have to say that it's amazing. The sauce goes so well with the eggs and cheese and spaghetti, I will order this dish again in a heartbeat. 

However, the down point of this dish, is also it's main ingredient, the wagyu patty. The beef was slightly overcooked and it has some burnt area which resulted some parts to be harder to digest. The inside meat is tender though but I personally do not like the way the beef is done so by the time I got to half of the patty, I was already full of it.

With some slight improvement on the patty, this spaghetti would have the perfect combination in my opinion :)

Tiramisu (RM13.90)

You won't find the cake in their menu and the only way to know the types of cakes, is to see it from their counter. I remembered loving the Tiramisu my last visit, so I gave it another go. This time, they served me with a fork! *So much win*

The cake seems to have shrink slightly in size and the outlook of the cake does not look as appetizing as it was the first time. Nevertheless, it still taste good. The sponge in between the cream is soaked with coffee, when I put it in between my tongue and top palate, I manage to squeeze some of the coffee out. 

However, the bread crust at the end of the cake is a weird combination and it's very dry compared to the soaked sponge cake in front. It was a disappointment when I reached the end of the cake because the bread crust has a very bland taste and the dryness of it doesn't help.

Overall, the cafe is very new and still have much to improve in terms of the food & drinks as well as the menu as it is not up to date and there are quite a few typos here and there but it is a very nice and cozy place for a get together with friends or family. Since it's a cafe and bar, I assume if you don't drink alcohol, you can order coffee and still are able to chill with your other friends who drinks. 

Walnut Cafe & Bar

Address: G-10, Ground Floor, Tower 4&5, PFCC, Jalan Puteri 1/2, Bandar Puteri Puchong,, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Contact: 03- 8052 6607 

Opening Hours: Daily, 11am - 1am

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/walnutcafepuchong/