Three Little Birds Coffee Kuala Lumpur

I don't know how to start this. 

Alright - The coffee scene had grown tremendously in Malaysia, especially in the city centres of Kuala Lumpur. I believe I had this covered in one of my previous entry (click here) and it was this entry I marked the opening of the coffee shop to be highlighted here; Three Little Birds Coffee. The birds in question (sounds wrong) refer to the three 'musketeers' that spearheaded the Artisan Roast movement; Michael 'learned to roast', Amirah 'the capable wife', and Joey 'the valiant'. Please keep in mind I created these terms spontaneously - do not use them! Opened last Sunday (29th December) to the public, this place had a bold mission to eradicate the common perception on coffee by providing education of proper, good coffee. Not just latte art. Seriously.

d7 of Sentul East Design Centre, easily mistaken as a building in Japan.

Nestled in an angular building of d7, which artistically and strategically designed to flood natural sunlight upon the enveloped aviary. The foliage that sprawled around calms the environment, good for a chat, read and/or coffee, or tea. And so happened there is a coffee shop, and if you walked deeper along the stretch, you'll be welcomed with the sight of sacks of green beans, packaging of roasted beans and... the micro-roastery itself! It all comes like an art gallery of which the building functioned as one. I like the building and its neighbouring cousins, it really upmarket the old town along Jalan Sentul (which is pleasing to the eyes, but not to the hearts of the people who preferred otherwise). 

The entrance - please press a touch-strip on the left that slide open the glass to awesomeness. 

Happy Christmas 2013

"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire,
Jack Frost nipping on your nose,
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir,
And folks dressed up like Eskimos."

Happy Christmas!

May the yuletide brings warmth and reconciliation.

Lucy in the Sky Cafe Kuala Lumpur

As mentioned in my previous entry (click here), I had a considerable amount of free time since I'm in the transition period between jobs. Today (14th December), I'm in yet another new café launch; Lucy in the Sky. No, it is not related to the one in Jakarta nor is to the song by The Beatles. As for its choice of name, I speculate maybe its meant so people would frequent the cafe; similar to a certain drug. Just a speculation though.

Coffee shops and cafés opened every now and then, marking a boom in the industry right here in Malaysia. But this one left a deep mark in my heart for being the friendliest café. I know I might have used near-similar term in describing other places in the past, but the level of hospitality is at a whole new level. Partly due to the coziness of the café, friendly owner and hugely thanks to the talkative warm reception of the bariste*, Sima. The place gave non-pretentious and warm kinda vibes - similar to what I felt back in VCR. The interiors fused that of the usual rustic and clean design with an alleyway flooded with daylight (a plus point but a bit plain, decorations maybe?). Oh if you're a fellow café hopper, you might recognise the bariste and the occasional guest-baristas from a certain café ;)

Ever Growing Cafe in Kuala Lumpur

The number of coffee shops within the vicinity of Kuala Lumpur had increased tremendously over the year and it's just not stopping; Artisan Roast will open its fourth installation Three Little Birds Coffee opened in D7, Sentul East Design Centre (SEED), Jalan Sentul alongside with many prestigious world-leading designer brands. Oh and not to forget that a new cafe will be opening right this 14th of December (Saturday) at Jalan Tun H.S. Lee, if everything goes well. Name? Hint: *Lucy in the sky...* 

This brings me to the question - Where the heck did all these baristas came from? 

I am not in the position to answer this question accurately and definitely. But here are some assumptions; 

(1) I remember there were coffee-appreciation classes/seminars held years back. It involves education on coffee, green beans, quality control, roasting profile, cupping and tasting. These classes were held up till now (and still going strong) in nurturing the public best information and methods in making the perfect cup of coffee (I am not sure of the validity of this). Some of those, if not most, whom gained useful information also group up for more experiments and tasting session in order to gain experience to be a barista. Now, baristas could upgrade themselves through these classes and take exams to be certified... erm... barista. 

Feeka Coffee Roasters

And back to another coffee post. The third wave coffee scene had really been hitting Kuala Lumpur hard with more and more coffee shops offering lightly roasted coffee beans to preserve the original sweetness and taste, not to mention sourcing them from independent microlots to sustain the life of coffee growers. This café (the term coffee shop is not used because it offers more than just coffee and pastries) opened last week at the Mesui street, famous for select eateries, bar and even the infamous jazz venue, No Black Tie. The name Feeka, comes from the term Fi•ka (fē'ka) [Swedish] means to have a social coffee break. It is the brain child of both Asianage Holdings and Coffex Coffee (as mentioned in The Malay Mail).

This café hits my soft spot for its simplicity and ingenious method used in collaborating natural lighting (sun) into the interior; something I learned in environmental-conscious engineering. The raw industrial interior also incorporates several thick I-beams to support the aged structure of the building, of which the former costs a bomb. I visited this cafe on the 23rd of November, just a couple of days from its opening date and was already experiencing steady flow of patrons; similar case happened to VCR back on its launch day. 

PS: Please don't be fooled into thinking that this blog only features the top coffee houses worth mentioning. Nay! I did this because I am lazy (or rather, don't find the occasion) to update my blog regularly. Thus, only a select ones will be entered (usually quality recent third-wave coffee shops). More coffee shops/café will be featured in the future where deemed worthy.