Exhibit Cafe @Taman Tun (TTDI) – mostly beans from Maruyama Coffee, JAPAN

When a fellow blogger friend posted about this cafe, I was instantly intrigued with some of the more unusual coffee beans/blends offered, the pastries, the furnishings and of course, the fact that it is a 3 minutes walk from home.

Located on the 1st floor of the busy shoplots facing the main road of Jalan Burhanuddin Helmi, it is obviously off-radar and thus this signboard at the entrance on the ground floor.

With the signboard in place, I reckoned more passer-bys would have noticed of its existence and perhaps be tempted to drop in; yours truly included.
So one day I hopped in with Kevin, a caffeine addict though not a connoisseur. His order of the day was Exhibit’s house blend (Chemex brewed), black (RM13) while I was very very attracted to a hot chocolate that’s priced RM20.

Yes, RM20 for a cup of hot choc.

It said on the menu “Dulcey Blond”, which I found out later from googling to be a variety from Valhorna. Perhaps that justified the price.

Since it was something I haven’t tried before, I gave it a shot.
Suffice to say that I didn’t enjoy it the slightest bit; for it was terribly sweet though I must admit it was interesting with its unique blond color, very creamy intense biscuit flavors with a hint of salt, very milky and almost caramelized feel on the tongue.

During my visit (and as far as I know it is currently still in effect) photography wasn’t allowed of the cafe. With respect to the owner’s wishes, I only took shots of my order which are whatever that you see here. For an idea of Exhibit Cafe’s interior, do check out their FB Page -> https://www.facebook.com/exhibitcafe.ttdi

For food, sandwiches and soups are offered as well as a pastry/cakes. Selections are displayed at a section near the cashier counter. I was told the pastries are ‘imported’ from France. It took me a while to understand that it was par-baked (a cooking technique in which a bread or dough product is partially baked and then rapidly frozen for storage. The raw dough is baked normally, but halted at about 80% of the normal cooking time, when it is rapidly cooled and frozen) and hearing the words “from France” certainly prompted me to order a croissant immediately.

Sad to say I wasn’t overly impressed. It was nicely buttery and flaky on the outer layers but the the inner layers were uncooked with a wet, gooey texture and doughy taste inside.

Seriously, I didn’t get to speak much to the owners as they seemed pretty busy and somewhat not entirely too helpful when I asked about my hot chocolate.
Well, I wished I did, for it was a very interesting cafe. From what I understand the couple running it are one-half Malaysian and the other half Japanese, which explains Exhibit Cafe’s tendency for imported blends from Japan, more specifically from Maruyama Coffee.
Visitors can buy many wonderful products that brew good coffee here; eg coffee makers, beans and blends that I haven’t seen much in the other cafes that I’ve visited.
Check out their FB; you’ll be introduced to Maruyama Coffee blends with Nekisse, Hachira, Geisha, Elinjerto & Pacamara beans. Even the tea selection is something uncommon – Harney & Sons Fine Tea from New York, besides the usual TWG.

Most of the furniture you see in the cafe are for sale. Some are comfy, some rather artsy and some just made me raise my eyebrows. Still, designs and art are interpreted differently by different individuals so hop in Exhibit Cafe to check it out yourself! 🙂

**For better understanding:
MARUYAMA COFFEE refers to Maruyama Coffee JAPAN which was started in 1990 as a roaster retailer and is now a highly successful bidder for top lots at Cup of Excellence (COE) auctions.
They offer the world‘s best coffee to discerning customers in Japan. Besides their flagship coffee shop in Karuizawa, the greatly anticipated Tokyo shop has opened in October 2012 at Oyamadai.

Exhibit Cafe TTDI,
86A, Jalan Burhanuddin Helmi, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-7731-3311