Coffee Société @ Publika

Coffee Société caught my friend’s attention while we were on our way to Coffee Stain by Joseph at Publika 2 weeks ago. We decided then that this will be our next destination for my Koffie Avontuur.

Located just a few shops away from Coffee Stain, this warm, cozy café will catch your attention (it definitely caught ours if not there would not be stories from me about this place right?). This simple café uses wood as their interior which gives me a rather vintage kinda vibe. Decorations are minimal which is good as it makes the place look spacious and comfortable. If you intend to spend some time here reading or doing some work, the couch area is highly recommended as it is comfortable.

Service is good here as they pay attention to their customers. Two things I like about their service is:-

• Customers were given the time to decide what they want to order. Knowing me, I really dislike it when you were given the menu and they would just stand there, tapping their pen or feet while waiting for you to decide.
• Water being served. Almost all the café that I have been to, you would either have to ask for glasses of water OR they would provide you with a bottle with some glasses. However, in Coffee Société the guy that serves us was a pure gentleman. I thought he would just put it on the table, how wrong was I. He poured water to us ladies first then only to the guys. You hardly experience anything like this in any café (unless you go to some high class places). I was impressed!
• Is everything ok? Yup! I like it when that question is asked. It shows that customers comment and feedback are appreciated.  

We had

Ice Chocolate: I’m not a fan of chocolate so this is definitely not my kinda drink. Chocolaty but it was too sweet for my liking (I don’t have a sweet tooth, so you have to try it yourself to determine whether it is too sweet for you).

Cappuccino: Coffee is smooth. It tasted a bit like mocca (minus the sweetness) due to the cocoa powder on top of the foam that leaves a pinch of bitterness for your taste bud.  

Affogato: Nicely served in a Martini glass. Ice cream is yummy, mixing together with a shot of espresso is rather perfect.

Flat White (my usual): Coffee is smooth but it was a little bit too light for my usual taste. But it was just nice for a post dinner coffee.  

Red Velvet cake: As a Red Velvet lover, I will never give up any chance to try a slice. It surprises me that this place actually does serve Red Velvet. Do you think I will say no to that? Never! The first impression when I saw the slice of Red Velvet is “Uh oh! It’s gonna be really sweet.” I thought icing is used instead of cream cheese (like the Red Velvet from Whisk which uses icing to replace the cream cheese) but I was wrong; it was indeed cream cheese. I like this particular Red Velvet is because of the texture. It was very moist that it melts in your mouth. However, I don’t like the taste at all. I wasn’t very sure whether it was rose essence that was put in the cake or something else, I just didn’t like it.

Overall, it’s a pretty nice place to hang out. Coffee is pretty good, service is awesome, place is cozy. Currently on every Thursday from 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. is "Ladies Night" where ladies drink for free (for ladies who come in 3 or more). Too bad this does not benefit me as I do not have that many girl friends that enjoy coffee as much as I do. On the other hand, I will have to pay this cafe another visit to try out their breakfast and dinner one of these days. Any takers wanna join me on another adventure to Coffee Société?

Location:
Solaris Dutamas, Block D4, Level G3, Unit 3A
Jalan Dutamas 1, Solaris Dutamas.
50480, Kuala Lumpur.
Contact: 03-6211 5523

MyBurgerLab @ Seapark, Petaling Jaya

I've heard of this place from a lot of people. Friends keep telling me that I have to try the burger, the burger is so yummylicious, juicy and the list goes on. Since it was one of my friend’s birthday, a few of us decided to come here for dinner as part of his celebration.

Since I’ve stayed in Seapark for some time, I had no problem finding this place. But what I did not realize is the long queue that was till the front of the shop and it was only 5:45 p.m. Since there were 3 of us in the car, 1 got down to start queuing while I went to park my car. Trust me, finding a parking spot here is a nightmare! A piece of advice - go with a few friends so that some can start queuing while the driver can take time to find a parking spot.

Interior:

The shop is quite small with limited table and chairs. Wall is decorated with burgers related wall art, pictures of customers enjoying their burgers, remarks from customers and a small section of currencies from around the world (which I think is pretty cool). The downside of the interior is the air circulation. With so many people in such a small shop whether they are dining in, looking for seats, standing in line to order plus the smell of grease from the kitchen; it was quite stuffy.

Service:

There is only 1 counter to place your order and to make payment. No wonder people had to queue that long! I seriously think that having an additional counter would be beneficial. Maybe it’s a Malaysian thing (long queues indicate the food must be really good?) The fact that I had to queue 40 minutes plus to order and then another 15 minutes plus for my food in a stuffy surrounding is a little crazy.

On a more positive note, the staffs are friendly and very attentive. They took time to inform customers on their specials and answering any questions that customers have regarding their burgers. The staffs are always alert whenever customers leave so that they could wipe the table clean and ready. The serviettes tray on our table is constantly being refilled.  

Food:

Whether you are a meat lover or a vegetarian, there are a wide range of burgers for everyone. You have the option of having just the burger or with the set (fries and free flow of drinks). We had a variety of:-

Portabella Fries

Basically it is deep fried portabella mushroom cut in the shape like wedges. Sometimes different but a little bit pricy for the small portion that were given. 

Beautiful Mess (Fried Portabella, sunny side up, Swiss cheese)

The Hulk (Fried avocado, Swiss cheese, sunny side up, salsa sauce, kumbo mayo)

Hangover (Crispy hash brown, maple syrup, mushroom)

This particular burger caught my attention because of hash brown (Yup! Big fan here). They manage to keep the hash brown crispy and juicy in the burger. I was a bit worried that it might turn soggy because of the lettuce & oven roasted cherry tomatoes, but it turns out to be just nice. Burger patty is the most important essence in a burger. For this particular burger, there is sweetness in the beef patty coz of the maple syrup. However, I think the texture of the patty is just alright, probably because I’ve tasted better and juicier beef burgers before. Unlike any other burger joint that I have been before, Burger Lab uses charcoal bun. Sadly, they taste the same to me.      

The things I really like about this burger joint are the fries and especially their homemade chili sauce. It took a few bites to feel the sting from the sauce and the more you eat it, the spicier it gets (though some of my friends doesn't agree with me on this).

Burger Lab is definitely the new concept burger joint in town which offers burgers with wide variety of ingredients to go with your burgers. Who would imagine that peanut butter + cranberry sauce could go well in a beef burger right? The team of youngsters definitely did a good job in getting orders done, keeping the people happy. Marketing team did an amazing job that kept the whole town talking about the burgers.

For me personally, Burger Lab is definitely a once off experience for me. Why? Because  I can’t be bothered with all the queuing, waiting for food and finding a place hassle. As I've mentioned, the burgers are OK to me. Nothing much to shout about. Give it a try if you have not. Go and experience it yourself with friends, it's more fun that way. 

Coffee Stain by Joseph @ Publika

A very well known coffee spot in town. Many friends had visited this place and gave me very good comments about them. Decided to stop by here for a post dinner coffee with friends. First impression of the cafe is simple. Simple decoration is sufficient to make this place looks bright, spacious and cozy. I especially love "Know Your Drink" wall that educates customers on what sort of coffee they would prefer. Definitely a good way to educate coffee newbies. (Glad I've passed that stage :P) 

I had my usual Flat White (you should know me by now that I am a big Flat White fan) and after the first few sip, I didn't want it anymore. The taste is strange and am just not sure what sort of bean / roast it is. To be honest, it was terrible. It started off bitter then turn sour. Coffee just doesn't seem coffee. It was a definite thumbs down for me. 

My friends that had the Cappuccino and Affogato didn't really enjoy theirs either even though the Cappuccino tasted better than my Flat White. Perhaps is the cocoa powder on top of the foam that adds the taste to it and the vanilla ice that gave the flavor a balance to the Affogato. 

We also had Black Forest and Lemon Cake to go with our coffee. This is another disappointment for us. Both cakes were dry. It seems like a few days old. To pay about RM12 per slice for that kinda quality of cake, is indeed a rip off and hence, another ultimate thumbs down for me.

Sorry to say that this particular Coffee Stain is a big no-no to me but I will give the outlet in Farenheit88 another chance as friends says that it is much better there. Looks like there will be another review on Coffee Stain soon. So stay tuned!