Wednesday 15 April 2015

Kaffa Espresso Bar @ Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya

After a few months interval, I finally landed once again in Damansara Utama this afternoon. This used to be a place that I literally used to hang out every evening but due to the recent changes in logistics, I have not got a chance to drop by for some months now. It was good to be back in the area. My dad and I specifically came to Uptown to have Fish & Chips at Union Jacks and it came as a surprise to us that the place had closed down some time in end December 2014. Having been disappointed by the news, we kept walking back to our car unsure of what to have for lunch and that was when we came across this Cafe called Kaffa Espresso Bar that was located along the same row of shop lots. The place seemed good from the outside and since we were already here, we decided to have our lunch here instead. For those who are not too familiar with Uptown, this is the same row as Curry Leaf Indian Restaurant, Sate Kajang Hj Samuri and Damansara Hokkien Mee restaurants.

Kaffe Espresso Bar in Damansara Utama

Open Air Seating Area

Beautifully Designed Cafe

Good Selection Of Cakes

Indoor Air-Conditioned Area

Indoor Air Conditioned Area

Checking Out The Drinks Menu
The Cafe was very impressive indeed. They had a small open air seating area as well as an air-conditioned seating area on the inside. The place seemed like it's usually busy at night's and come weekends and was styled in a very trendy way, definitely a place that the younger generation would love. Besides the Ala-Carte dishes, they also had a good selection of cakes. I did check out the FourSquare reviews and it seems that their cakes come highly recommended. Since it was lunch hour, we decided to stick with some main dishes. The place was mostly manned by foreign workers and the reception was great. There was not much of a crowd at this hour, perhaps just another two tables that were occupied and as such, the place seemed very quiet. I would be quite certain that this would not be the case come night. I also understand that this place has been operating since January 2013 and to exist in this highly competitive neighbourhood, they definately have to be quite good. 

Bottle Of Water On The House

Iced Lemon Tea @ RM 6.60
Their list of drinks were not included in their menu and these were listed just above the counter area. Being a hot afternoon, I went for some Iced Lemon Tea and my dad went for some plain water. I loved the water bottle that they provided. It looked unique. In most cafe's, they would just provide a glass of water and would usually charge for it. Here, they provided an entire large bottle of water and it was on the house. That's a lovely gesture from the management. My Iced Lemon Tea was priced at RM 6.60 per glass and this was a tall glass indeed. The drink was highly concentrated and it was amazingly good. Worth every cent paid. I would rate this Iced Lemon Tea at 10/10 . Simply perfect. 

Their Menu

Their Menu

Their Menu

Their Menu

Their Menu

Their Menu

Their Menu

Their Menu
Their food menu was quite good and the variety was decent. For the environment, I felt that the prices were reasonable though there was a clear indication that they had increased the prices recently. With the hike, it still felt very reasonable to me. Do note that this place does not have the Halal certification but it is a Pork Free restaurant and this is clearly stated at the entrance. Having gone through the menu, we decided on having some burgers instead. I went for their Char Grilled Chicken Burger and my Dad went for their Fish Burger. They also had a 'Set Of The Day' and this was priced at RM 16.80, if I am not mistaken. This set included a drink, a soup and a piece of Grilled Chicken. I believe that this may change on a day to day basis. With that, we conveyed our order's to the waitress and continued with our chit chat. 

Real Meat Knife
Within minutes, our cutlery was sent over to the table. I was glad to see that they had sent real 'meat cutting' knives and not those flimsy ones that either bend or break with a little force. 

Fish Burger Set @ RM 18.60
All their burgers comes in complete set's and so did their Fish Burger. This took approximately 15 minutes of preparation time and that's a very much acceptable wait time. The sides that were provided were some Mashed Potatoes and Salad. 

Double Patty Fish Burger

A Slice Of Cheese and some sliced Tomatoes

Tartar Sauce On The Top

Toasted & Buttered Sesame Buns
Their Fish Burgers were indeed awesome. They came with two large, thick and juicy Fish patties, a slice of Cheese, some sliced Tomatoes, Lettuce, topped with a thick spread of Tartar sauce and two butter toasted sesame buns. It was so delicious and the patties were crispy on the outside and soft and juicy on the inside. Fish lover's would fall in love with this burger and my Dad being one of them, was just enjoying his meal. An excellent one and I would rate this at 9.7/10 . For the price, I would say that this was very much worth it.

Mashed Potatoes
Their Mashed Potatoes were clearly the 'real' potatoes and not the powdered form that one could buy from any supermarket. It was made with butter and milk only. No salt were added to the preparation as salt was provided on the table for one to add to taste. For us, we enjoyed it as it was and I would rate this at 9.3/10 .

Salad
The Salad was okay, not the grand ones that one usually has as a meal replacement. This was merely a side dish and it was just simply that. The volume was decent and the greens were fresh. That's the most important thing in any salad and this lived up to the expectation. I would not want to rate this as this is mother nature's 'preparation' but would like to congratulate the management for providing us with fresh greens. 

Char Grilled Chicken Burger @ RM 21.90
I went for their Char Grilled Chicken Burger and these too came in a set along with some Mashed Potatoes and Salad on the sides. 

Char Grilled Chicken Burger Comes With A Single Patty

Onions, Tomatoes, Gherkins and a Slice Of Cheese

Not Too Big But Sufficiently Good
This is available in an choice of either Chicken or Beef Burger. The Char Grilled Chicken was juicy and thick with a slightly sweet taste. Would not be wrong if I said that it tasted very close to Char Siew. This was topped with some Cabbage, a slice of Cheese, some Onions, Tomatoes and Gherkins along with a pair of buttered sesame buns. It was nice but having tasted the earlier Fish Burger, when I compare these, then this seems to be just ordinary. If I had not tasted the previous, then I would say that this was very good.  For me, this would deserve a rating on 8/10 . Please don't get me wrong as I am not saying that this was bad. It was just not as good as the Fish Burger. 

My Dad Having His Lunch

Our Bill
Overall, it was a great meal and yes, both burger's were good except that the Fish Burger was the highlight. Not to forget, the Iced Lemon Tea was awesome too! In short, good food, good service, a lovely environment and reasonable prices. Definitely a place that's conducive for conversations. 

Address: No. 97, Jalan SS 21/37, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya,
                Selangor, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: Mondays       1000 - 2300
                             Tuesdays       1000 - 2200
                             Wed -  Fri     1000 - 0000
                             Sat & Sun     0800 - 0000

Telephone: +603 7732 4502

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KaffaEspressoBar/timeline?ref=page_internal

Website: http://www.mykaffa.com/ 

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