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Header image courtesy of @eatwithjin_ (via Instagram)
Kuala Lumpur is known for being a melting pot of cuisines, from old-school Chinese restaurants to street food. There is an endless supply of eats to explore throughout the multicultural city. It is also home to many cafés and most locals like nothing better than to spend their weekends hopping from one café to another. The next time you are in the city, why not take the chance to explore Kuala Lumpur like a local—through its cafés?
This café pays subtle homage to The Wizard of Oz, with a yellow-tiled “road” in the middle of the café and murals on the wall depicting Dorothy and her friends, such as the Cowardly Lion, digging into stacks of pancakes. It is one of the top brunch spots to visit in the city and has more than 10 pancake choices to choose from, besides other mains such as truffle scrambled eggs (RM26).
Dig into Much Room for Mushrooms (RM27) if you are looking for a filling breakfast or a light dinner. Heaped with creamy mushrooms, curry leaves, bacon, and drizzled with truffle oil, it adds up to become the ultimate savoury pancake.
A tropical plant with fragrant leaves used in numerous dishes in Malaysia, pandan adds a subtle flavour to Peter Pandan (RM25), served up with gula melaka—Malaysian palm sugar—and topped with salted caramel ice cream with caramelised jackfruit. A truly unique twist and mouthwatering twist to the breakfast dish!
Salted egg yolk seems to be mixed in with everything nowadays, and the café puts its own spin on it with the Yellow Brick Yolk, served with salted egg yolk crumble, berries, chocolate shavings, and a generous serving of vanilla ice cream. Its Ice Cold series has thirst quenchers such as coffee kombucha or cold oat milk coffee (RM15)—also worth a try.
Yellow Brick Road, 8–7, Jalan Batai, 50490 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | (+6) 03 2856 0903
Lucky Coffee Bar is set in Kloe Hotel, a boutique stay right in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. Stop by for your morning fix of oat milk latte and take your time to enjoy the sunroof and high ceilings, which will make you feel as if you are sitting in a greenhouse. Its menu is concise and the baked goods, such as the scones and poppy seed cake, are freshly baked.
A welcome change from stuffy five-star hotels, the décor is minimalist yet tasteful—you will find Instagram-worthy spots at every corner. The lush greenery outside the entrance will have you whipping out your phone for the perfect “outfit of the day” shot. Plus, the washroom is the perfect place to take selfies.
Lucky Coffee Bar, 227, Bukit Bintang Street, Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | (+6) +603 2772 1313
Malaysia is always hot, hot, hot, so this is the perfect place to cool off after trekking through the city. Those who love patbingsu (Korean shaved ice) will also love this Japanese shaved ice dessert bar, previously known as Kaki Gori. According to its website, you can rest assured of all-natural flavours in the shaved ice, as they do not add “artificial colouring or flavouring, and they are never, ever made from concentrate.”
The bowls are not something you can feast on alone, so make sure to dig in with a friend or two. The Uji matcha brûlée (RM19) is a crowd favourite—a mountain of shaved ice soaked in matcha sauce covers red fluffy beans with a dollop of custard on top, flambéed to perfection. If matcha is not quite your thing, sink into a Blue Dream (RM23), a light option of vanilla with a hint of blue pea fragrance plus yuzu and elderflower jelly that won’t leave you feeling guilty.
Be sure to check out the seasonal specials and other Japanese confection such as nama daifuku (RM7) or the monaka ice cream sandwich (RM11).
Kaki Yuki, Unit #5, 8, Jalan Kiara, Mont Kiara, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | (+6) 03 6411 9686
You can see pastries, cookies, and cakes come out fresh from the oven here, where the proprietors pride themselves on affordable yet delectable goods. Using primarily natural ingredients, there are more savouries than sweets.
Bite into the matcha tart, a to-die-for dessert, where they are generous with the rich matcha filling, and extra matcha powder is dusted on top. Brownies are a well-loved classic here, gooey and moist with a perfectly crackly thin layer on top and a sprinkling of sea salt.
Madeleines are hard to come by as it is, and good ones even more so. Good Ground Bakery gets it just right as its madeleines are subtly sweet yet airy on the inside and delightfully crisp on the outside. For something more filling, the mushroom quiche explodes with flavour in your mouth, packed full of mushrooms, onions, and cherry tomatoes.
Good Ground Bakery, 143, Jalan SS 17/1A, Ss 17, 47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor | (+6) 03 5879 7904
Alicia is a freelance writer and the lead content writer for one of the top resorts in Asia. She’s a sucker for cafes with a great aesthetic and when she’s not traveling, she’s searching for the next one to visit in Malaysia, where she’s based. Her dream is to be a professional food critic but she’s happy digging into a bowl of macaroni soup with ham. She loves working on travel journals in her free time.
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