Cộng Cà Phê @ One Utama

 

New Outlet with Food Menu

 

Cộng Cà Phê has just opened its second outlet in One Utama recently, following in pursuit of their successful outlet in NU Sentral. The popular Vietnamese coffee chain has finally opened a bigger outlet where they have added more food menu to their enticing coffee and beverage menu.

Located in the old wing of the mall, Cộng Cà Phê latest outlet is just as attractive as their first outlet. A similar color themed echoed in this outlet as well but this outlet takes on a textile factory while their first takes on a school theme. All Cộng Cà Phê outlets are themed to reflect the childhood memories of its founder, Linh Dung as mentioned by franchise owner Peter Tan.

There are two level dining as well for this outlet. From their retro furniture to groovy wooden tables and chairs converted using refurbished old sewing machine parts to their impressive panel of sewing machines that has withstood the test of time, there’s even a wall of colorful rolls of thread that makes it an Instagramable spot for ardent coffee lovers. Knick knacks and the café’s souvenirs added much charm to the café’s concept of Vietnam’s socialism era.

Cộng Cà Phê @ Nu Sentral

Vietnamese Lifestyle Café Arrives in Kuala Lumpur

It started with the owners visiting Hanoi and they discovered the acclaimed Cộng Cà Phê Vietnamese coffee café. With a staggering 62 café outlets in Vietnam, the Cộng Cà Phê also has ventured its first international outlet in Korea before landing on our shore on 14 November this year.

Cộng Cà Phê started back in 2007 by a local singer as a small coffee place in the old coffee Trieu Viet Vuong street in Hanoi. Concepting the café after the singer’s own yesteryear memories of Vietnamese culture, the café oozes with warmth of a typical Vietnamese home filled with knick-knacks and books. At the same time, the coffee experience offers coffee lovers a time to sip the robust “Phin” style coffee and enjoy a moment of leisure at the café.

Cộng Cà Phê opened its first outlet in Nu Sentral. Located strategically on lower ground, the café seats 36 pax for now with two levels. A minimalist menu with signatures of variations of Vietnamese coffee as well as Western coffees and Vietnamese bánh mì sandwiches along with snacks is available for now.

The café also has some Vietnamese inspired souvenirs available for purchase…

Echoing the low seating concept in Vietnam, diners can truly enjoy the culture of the country on the ground level or head up to the regular seating that is flanked by a wall panel filled with books and other trinkets. In fact, the café’s décor, books and ornaments, are literally imported from the origin of the country to ensure its authenticity concept of the coffee chain. Staffs are dressed olive green t-shirts and caps to add to the café’s concept of Vietnam’s socialism era.

Jamaica Blue Fine Coffees @ Setia Alam City Mall

Keep Calm and Drink Jamaica Blue Coffee

When it comes to coffee, the coffee masters of Jamaica Blue Fine Coffee go all out to search for the very best beans to be pair with their café menu. Named after the Blue Mountain in Jamaica, the successful Caribbean themed café chain has been serving their award-winning Jamaica Signature Blend and Blue Mountain coffees in several strategic locations in our country.

We paid a visit to Jamaica Blue in Setia Alam City Mall for a brunch and was certainly pleased with our experience. The café was spacious and designed with a natural theme of earthy colours contrasted with blocks of black. Splashes of colours are subtly injected through banquette seats as well as small hanging lighting.

A huge bar is designed with open concept to allow customers to catch preparations of coffees and other beverages along with a baked goods counter. Chalkboards are placed behind the bar as informative as well as decorative touches to the café.

The café has a wonderful laid-back vibe, which is perfect for those seeking solace in a good cup of joe with some relaxation time. The ambiance is also in theme with its brand identity where one evokes the spirit of coffee while reflecting the essence of the easy-going vibe at the Caribbean. Customers are sure to experience the café’s values of rich, warm, vibrant, relaxed, authentic and even a little exotic.

With 8 outlets spread all over Malaysia, each outlet offers main master menu with some tweaks based on its geographical location and its produce. The menu has the typical café list of just as much food as there is on the beverage list. Besides coffee, there are plenty of non-caffeine drinks, juices, smoothies and even tea. The menu consists of all-day breakfast bites, pasta, pies, burgers and sandwiches.

Coffee lovers should try both their award-winning signature coffee beans. The Jamaica Blue Mountain Cappuccino (RM23.40) and Jamaica Blue Signature Blend Cappuccino (RM11.70), both have respective aroma and flavours with one more pronounced than the other.

For a cheeky note, Jamaica Blue has featured a monthly special of Blue Latte (RM11.00). The caffeine-free beverage has blue Curacao syrup to give it that pretty pastel blue. The white chocolate and milk concoction has a pretty tree art latte as a finishing. The Pomegranate Soda (RM14.20) is also a refreshing drink to quench that thirst.

More drinks to check out, Nuts Over Caramel Frappe (RM14.50), Mango Gone Banana Smoothie (RM14.50) and Chocolate Banana Frappe (RM14.50)

The all-day breakfast menu of Eggs Florentine with Smoked Salmon (RM26.50) is executed with perfection. Perfectly poached eggs on a bed of wilted spinach with toast, crowned with luscious smoked salmon and finished with buttery thick hollandaise sauce. The combination befits the breakfast of champions!

The Warm Forest Mushroom, Feta & Spinach Bowl (RM20.00) is another healthy and delicious option that borders on between breakfast and lunch. The vegetarian option consists of a quinoa and almond porridge topped with sautéed warm mushrooms, chickpeas, wilted spinach. Finished with poached egg, whipped feta, sprinkling of sunflower and pumpkin seeds and a spice mix of dukkah, the dish has so much flavours and textures that is very easy to enjoy.

For more familiar classics, there’s burgers and sandwiches for lunch. The Vintage Ground Beef Burger (RM28.90) is a solid dish served with a side of salad. Thick beef patty with beef strips, caramelized onions, cheddar cheese and the usual condiments, the burger made a substantial meal on its own. The only thing I am missing is the fries on this dish.

There’s also the Classic Steak Sandwich (RM28.60). Grilled scotch fillet and beef strips with caramelized onions, aioli, gherkin and veggies on ciabatta roll sounded and tasted yummy.

If you do not take beef, the Jerk Spiced Chicken, Avocado & Mozzarella Roll (RM20) is a healthy option with lean chicken breast nicely dressed in a spiced up creamy dressing with avocado and cucumber on ciabatta bread.

Then there is pasta. Jamaica Blue’s pasta selection may not be a lot but what they serve are pretty good in my books. We were assured that their Traditional Pasta Carbonara (RM22.90) is authentic as it gets. Though it may not be drenched in the usual thick cream sauce that most places serve, this one is simply tossed in lots of olive oil with garlic, parmesan cheese, egg and turkey strips. Not too bad as it doesn’t leave one heavy after savoring it and yet the pasta is full of tasty flavours.

For an unusual note, try the Chicken Laksa Pasta (RM20.90). This dish was a surprising one as it taste so much better than it sounds. The balanced amount of spices hit all the right notes along with the much creamy coconut milk. This is bound to be a local favorite for its distinctive laksa flavour.

Jamaica Blue has quite a few options for desserts like the Dark Chocolate & Walnut Brownie (RM12.00) and Sticky Date Pudding (RM14.00). Both decadent and great for a sweet note, especially to go with coffee.

Besides the desserts, there’s plenty of sliced cakes, muffins, scones, pastries and more for anytime of the day to go with your cup of joe!

JAMAICA BLUE FINE COFFEES

Setia City Mall

LG – 12, Lower Ground Floor, Persiaran Setia Dagang,

Seksyen U13, Setia Alam,

40170 Shah Alam,

Selangor, Malaysia

Tel: +603-3359 2778

Website: www.jamaicablue.com.my

Facebook: www.facebook.com/jamaicabluemy/

Business Hours:

Mon - Sun 10.00 am - 10.00 pm

Spasso Restaurant & Bar @ MyTown Shopping Centre, Cheras

Modern Italian and Spanish Delicacies

For authentic Italian and Spanish cuisine with a modern touch, look no further than our very own shore at MyTown Shopping Centre at Cheras. Spasso Restaurant and Bar opened in April this year at the new shopping mall located next to the new Ikea Cheras.

No stranger to the dining scene, Spasso is under the umbrella of Outto Dine group who also manages other popular eateries such as Limoncello, Svago, Weissbrau, Aka Chochin and Pascucci. Spasso offers modern European cuisine set in a casual ambiance.

 

At sight, Spasso has a smart casual ambiance set in lots of dark colours mixed with shades of wood. The restaurant is spacious and offers a nice bar as well as glimpse of the open kitchen. One can also see their wood oven in the kitchen, another plus point for pizza lovers.

Spasso is helmed by Spanish Sous Chef Iker Fernández Caballero who hails from San Sebastian. With over 20 years of culinary experience in Michelin-starred restaurants and luxury hotels globally, Chef Iker is aiming to garner swine lovers’ palate by putting together a sumptuous menu filled with porky delights as well as classic Spanish tapas to go with the wine list it Spasso has.

The menu is pretty solid with a good list of All-Day Breakfast, Salad or Soup, Tapas, Pizza, Pasta or Rice, Sandwich or Burger and Dessert. Since Outto Dine carries Pascucci coffee in their group, Spasso also serves Pascucci coffee and tea as well as a list of wines, champagnes, liqueurs as well as non-alcoholic beverages.

We started our lunch with coffee. Both of our Latte (RM13) and Iced Caffe Latte (RM15) was decent with quite perfect for our palates in terms of coffee aroma and flavours.

From the All-Day Breakfast list, we tried the Spanish Omelette (RM10), a potato and onion frittata that is popular in Spain. Light, fluffy and easy to enjoy, the omelette is packed with creamy soft potatoes and sweet onions. Served with side salad and toast, this dish even comes with free coffee or tea if you order this before 12noon.

We opted for Spanish Salad (RM15), simply because we saw it listed with poached egg. Crisp greens paired with ratatouille, olives and tomatoes in light tangy dressing, the salad was definitely made better with that beautifully poached egg with a flowy egg yolk center and crispy potato straws.

Moving on to the Tapas menu, we literally wanted to order almost everything because the list looked very enticing. Settling for Iberico Ham (RM23), it was certainly a great sharing platter when the dish was placed on our table.

Gorgeous cuts of Spanish Iberico ham is served with toasted sourdough bread and a light tangy tomato sauce. The ham literally melts-in-the-mouth with a luscious salty finish. Its quality cured meat at its best!

The next tapas of Garlic Prawns (RM38) already won brownie points when placed in front of us. Served in a hot stone bowl, the aroma of the sizzling prawns is tantalizing. The dish is one of our top favorites that day and is literally bursting with fireworks flavours of garlic, chili and herbs. Damn shiok, we were wishing for more toasted bread as well as another order of this succulent garlic prawns. A Must-order!

The Mussel Marinara (RM16) fair decent in my book. Nothing to fault but it didn’t leave us that firework of flavours like the Garlic Prawns. It is still cooked well with each tender mussel nicely smothered with lots of tomatoey goodness and served with toasted bread.

If there is one pizza to order, the Iberico Pizza (RM39) is your best bet. Beautiful thin crunchy crust smothered with deliciously flavourful tomato sauce and crowned with Iberico ham, fresh rocket leaves and generous sprinkling of parmesan cheese, it’s a pizza with classy flavours.

Another dish drool-worthy is the Seafood Paella (RM56). Best for sharing, the paella is served traditionally in the paella pan and comes with generous helpings of large prawns, mussels and clams with rice cooked in saffron laced seafood broth. Rice cooked al dente and beautifully moreish in flavours, we just couldn’t resist polishing this off happily. The seafood was fresh, succulent and cooked just right, elevating the dish to much satiation.

For lunch option, the Pork Secreto Sandwich (RM28) is a hearty and bulky sandwich for big eaters. Focaccia bread sandwiched with slow roasted pork loin, smoky and sweet grilled peppers, onions, tomato, lettuce and blue cheese is bound to make any foodie swoon. Comes with a side of crinkle cut fries, this is one sandwich to be taken seriously!

For vegetarian option, one can opt for the Vegetable Pesto Risotto (RM28). Risotto rice cooked al dente and well flavoured with cheesy and nutty pesto sauce, there’s plenty of vegetables such as broccoli, zucchini, bell peppers, tomatoes and more to give the dish a healthy dose of greens.

Spain is famous for their dessert of Crema Catalana (RM8). The version here is sublime. Utterly luscious and creamy baked custard with a thin layer of caramelized top, the Crema Catalana is the perfect sweet ending to a meal at Spasso.

SPASSO RESTAURANT & BAR

MyTOWN Shopping Centre,

G-038, Ground Floor,

No.6 Jalan Cochrane,

Seksyen 90, Cheras,

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Website: www.out2dine.com.my

Facebook: www.facebook.com/spasso.mytown

Business Hours:

Daily 10am to 10pm