Here I am back with another coffee post! It’s been an interesting journey exploring and learning more about the coffee bean with Kevin. And visiting the mushrooming amount of coffee cafes in KL has become one of our many weekend pursuits.
Caffeinated and on the roll after the recent Top Brew Coffee Bar and the Malaysia Barista Championship coffee workshop, we continued our hunt to one of the latest coffee cafes – Kaffa Espresso Bar at Damansara Uptown.
Walking in, I immediately felt comfortable and relaxed. I thought it’s a pretty and cosy cafe!
However the feel good feeling didn’t last long. Ordering was a pain. I mean it’s simple, but for coffee knowledge hungry team like us, it was frustrating to speak to the guy behind the counter. He’s pretty ignorant about the beans used and when we asked what options are available for our coffee base, he looked at us rather blankly. Ok, we got the message that Kaffa Espresso Bar only has one blend, and other than black, the usual selection of espresso-based drinks like cappucino, flat white, long black, mocha applies.
Prices are on par with most current coffee cafes. Non caffeinated drinks includes hot chocolate and homemade lemonade. Food options are salads (Caesar and Greek), some pasta and a few sandwiches. Their specialty is the beef ribs, but how does that matches with coffee I just can’t fathom.
Cakes and pastries are muffins, apple strudels, cakes. We had the Darren’s not so cheesy cheesecake (RM10) and it turned out to be pretty good; ideal for those who wants to have their cake minus the guilt. The cheese layer is pretty much alike the texture of whipped cream and cheese while a layer of chocolate ganache gives a velvety mouthfeel. The crumbly non-greasy base is good too.
Since we haven’t had lunch, Kevin ordered a Philly Steak sandwich (RM18.90). If tough, bland minced meat with a layer of cheese and under-caramelized onions in between toasted ciabatta are your kind of thing, by all means order this if you’re here. Kevin said it was “edible but not memorable”. And that’s putting it mildly.
The accompanying mash is waxy and starchy with not even a hint of cream, butter or salt. The salad on the hand, was actually decent, drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette.
The Caesar Salad is nowhere near commendable either, especially with the dressing tasting suspiciously alike those commercial dressings from the bottle. If I absolutely have to say something pleasant about the salad, I’ll say at least the tender, grilled chicken is good.
I have been on a hot chocolate rampage as I’m rather fond of it. The hot chocolate (RM10) here is medium bodied, which seems like a normal chocolate powder, with some sugar in it. I did ask about the cocoa used of course, and was told it’s Kaffa’s own mix of cocoa powder, whatever that may mean.
Now onto the caffeine.
Cappuccino – RM10. Decent foam texture and the milk didn’t seem overheated. The taste of the coffee itself is rather easy on the palate, of which Kevin suspect that it’s a blend of medium roasted beans as there is not much acidity or bitterness. Overall taste of the coffee is mostly sweet & bittersweet. The cocoa powder on top was however, totally unnecessary.
Latte, RM10. Similarly with the cappuccino, it is easy to drink and the addition of milk made it even smoother.
Mocha (RM12) – I think by the time you add milk and cocoa to the mix, there isn’t much to say about the coffee itself.
If you still can’t tell, our experience here was overall disappointing . The coffee and food didn’t wow any of the 4 of us for sure. Kaffa may be alright for those who are here just for the coffee ( and not so much for learning about the brew) and a quick meet up with friends. Like I have said, the set up is pretty cosy and the cakes are decent. But for coffee lovers like us, we find their coffee culture sorely lacking.
I don’t think a re-visit is anytime soon. Still, Kaffa is a decent alternative to Starbucks which is just around the corner. But for better coffee within the vicinity of Damansara Uptown, head over to Jin Yi by Coffee Ritual, a mere 3 minutes walk away.
And yes, you guessed right. That was where we headed to next! Post up soon! 🙂
Kaffa Espresso Bar, Damansara Uptown – ( same row as Perodua Showroom)
97, Jalan SS 21/37, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya.
03-7732 4502
For more of my coffee stimulants, surf over to:
* Artisan Roast TTDI
* A RAW COFFEE session with Michael
* Coffea Coffee, Telawi Bangsar
* The Brew Culture, Plaza Damas
* Top Brew Coffee Bar, Plaza Damas
* Butter + Beans at Seventeen, Section 17 PJ
* Malaysia Barista Championship 2013 – Media coffee appreciation workshop
* Kaffa Espresso Bar, Damansara Uptown