Weekend brunches in KL: That Latte Place, Ampang

Eggs and bread. Both if executed well, can be so satisfying.

We Malaysians loves our roti, noodles and nasi lemak just as much as we would enjoy a good American fry-up for breakfast. At the core of it is probably the eggs (or at least it is for me).
Bacon, some say, it’s a must.

I have had my fair share of such western breakfasts in KL, and just like you, I’m always on the lookout for a “good” one.
What defines a good one? For me, it starts with the eggs; whether it’s poached or scrambled, it must be cooked to the right degree – poached ones should have firm, opaque (but NOT hard or rubbery) whites and a silky yolk that will run bright yellow when pierced. Scrambled eggs should be creamy, partly softly set and slightly runny and definitely not clustered up in big lumps; with the unadulterated taste of egg with each bite, not masked by too much butter.

It sounds like I’m asking for too much, but it’s perfectly doable, whether by technology (use of gadgets) or purely perfection via practice.

At That Latte Place, the eggs are poached using a  specialized poaching equipment (I googled and I think it’s the The Calphalon Egg Poacher based on what I saw fleetingly while standing at the cashier) and hence the shape. I still prefer the less uniform shape of a traditionally poached egg but I understand that might not be very viable for a business.
Still, the yolks turned out slightly too set, and the same can be said of the scrambled eggs. But I enjoyed it anyways, for the hollandaise sauce was good, not to strong on the lemon nor too rich, the bread lightly toasted and thankfully not of the Gardenia/High Five variety. For once I didn’t mind that it wasn’t whole-grain for it tasted good even on its own.

For the Hearty Breakfast, the cooks were a bit heavy handed on the seasoning so we found some parts too salty. Otherwise it was a satisfying enough; the kind that makes you go “Ok la” but with no further complaints.
The sausages are typical English sausages, the red beans are from the can and the hashbrown are the usual commercially bought ones. I could nitpick, but taking into account the price, the overall taste and the execution, I guess I should be less demanding.

Single Egg Ben – RM12.90.

With a slice of ham and more mushrooms hidden under the egg.

Hearty Big Breakfast – RM17.90.

It seems that there are people who find the prices here reasonable. From my experience, ‘market prices’ of such breakfast platter are going for RM18 – RM28++ so I guess I have to concur.
However I realized after surfing other blogs that the components of the Hearty Breakfast isn’t consistent; for one blog showed it with both hashbrown and sauteed potatoes while another with more mushrooms that what was on my plate, 2 sausages and a large serving of sauteed potatoes.

The legendary wait was true for we waited nearly an hour for our food. That said, Mark did warned us as we were placing our orders that there would be a wait of 30 mins so I had expected to wait. Still the wait wasn’t quite worth the effort for the food.

I had a Red Velvet (RM7) and a yogurt (RM3.50) to curb my hunger while waiting. I enjoyed the creamy, fresh  yogurt which wasn’t too sweet or sour. It tasted very homemade indeed, making me wish I had fruits or granola to pair it with there & then.
The cake wasn’t too bad; moist sponge and the cream cheese frosting wasn’t too cloying. I thought I detected a metallic aftertaste that could be due to vinegar used but I can’t be sure. I avoided the coffee since I’m still recovering from my stomach ailment but the owner of the cappuccino wasn’t the slightest bit impressed with it. That took me by surprise; since this outlet is named ‘That Latte Place’ for a reason. Anyhow he isn’t much of a coffee connoisseur so perhaps the coffee can be reviewed again another day.

Hhmm.. another day.
Would I return?
I very much doubt so. If I do I’ll like to try the pancakes. And if I do I would be here really early. No way I’m waiting for another hour for my food.

That Latte Place
333, Yayasan Seni Berdaftar,
Persiaran Ritchie,
Off Jalan Ritchie
55000 KL
+60168503546
9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Waze yourself to “Yayasan Seni Ampang” and you will get there.

Venue: Open air, but with good ventilation from both fans and natural breeze.

Atmosphere: Serene with a very back-to-nature ambiance which is good for the tired soul. However make sure you’re not too hungry or you would be feeling rather agitated soon.
Do note that there is no WIFI service so make sure you have your own source of internet connection to pass the time.