CoffeeSociété @ Publika Solaris Dutamas

When we got the call from Kar Heng (one of our old friends from the MBS and Morianz era) to do a food review for his brother's newly opened restaurant, we thought, 'Why not?'

Kar Heng, being awesome.

I hadn't seen Kar Heng in over 3 years, since we graduated from school and I figured that chilling over a food review and a new restaurant was probably the best way to catch up. Of course, joining me today were 2 Buggers.

Located in Publika Solaris Dutamas, CoffeSociété is a quaint little shop located at one of the most strategic locations in Publika.

It's not difficult to find...unless you've never been to Publika before in your life, which was quite true in our case. Marcus and ECF aren't exactly the best people to be with when you're lost. Luckily, we had Kar Heng come find us after what seemed like 10 minutes of wandering around the mall.

Why then do I say CoffeeSociété is strategically located?

Simple. CoffeeSociété is a cafe, modeled after coffee shops in Australia. It is located in a sidewalk, in a windy area which is also protected from the harsh sunlight. In terms of positioning, CoffeeSociété holds an advantage.

And whether it is the design or the location, CoffeeSociété gives you the feel of Aussie. And it's not hard to see why. Both Kar Heng and his brother studied in Australia. But more on that later. Just check out these pictures first.

Open for only a few days, I could sense that there was an air of anticipation from Kar Heng and his brother, as well as their friends who were there to help out. As we sat down, Kar Heng immediately launched into his waiter mode, automatically serving us drinks (ice cold lime juice for a very hot day) and just being a very friendly host. He kept going on about the coffee, which, in his own words 'is the best coffee you'll ever have'.

And that's when the food arrived.

Spaghetti Bolognese

According to Marcus, the spaghetti tasted very much of the nostalgic MBS spaghetti we had during recess. And I had to agree. There was something about the spaghetti which made you just...go into a nostalgic mood.

Marcus reminiscing about something.

Also, it was very good stuff.

Fish in assam sauce, served with rice

While it may seem out of place in a cafe like this, you must try the fish in assam sauce. A good choice for lunch, I almost finished it all by myself, forgetting the other 2 Buggers.

'GIMME MY FOOD NOW!'

It's not something you'd expect in a place called CoffeeSociété and it's even more surprising that it turned out to be so delicious.

Lamb steak, served with coleslaw and fries

The most expensive dish on the menu, the lamb steak was surprisingly good. Applied with mint sauce and the sauce which comes with your IKEA meatballs, this is definitely an om nom nom item.

OM NOM NOM!

Oh, and the coleslaw is a class higher than KFC's, although that goes without saying.

Pastries were served next, with Kar Heng still being the amiable host. His brother, though busy managed to sit down with us for a while.

Over macaroons and other assorted goodies, he told us that the concept of CoffeeSociété came from Australia, where students would often seek out coffee shops to relax, study or to hang out with friends.

G'day mate!

He also explained CoffeeSociété's tagline 'Every cup of coffee brings to you a story.', in that CoffeeSociété's mission was to make good coffee for all their customers, while invoking nostalgia in them. This is also why CoffeeSociété's coffee prices are economical, to allow everyone a chance to have their own cuppa.

When he walked off to perform his duties, ECF did this.

I mean, what else do you expect from ECF?

It was at this point that the much talked about coffee came.

Flat white 

An Australian coffee, it is so named for the flat, thin layer of foam on top of the coffee, as opposed to the thicker layer of foam on a normal latte.

Caffè Latte

One of the more common coffees, the Caffè Latte served is cheaper and much nicer than your average Starbucks.

Caramel Latte

Look at the design. JUST LOOK AT IT! Makes you just want to keep it forever.

Below is a true account of what happened as soon as Marcus drank the first sip of coffee. Marcus looked up, eyes wide open, swirling the coffee in his mouth.

He swallowed and immediately started telling us about his days in Melbourne, from all the happy moments to the sad moments. He began to describe his time as a student in Monash Australia and how a single sip of coffee brought all these memories rushing back.

And then ECF wanted to join in the fun.

As it turns out, CoffeeSociété's tagline was not a fluke after all. There is a story in every cup of coffee.

However, this is a story I will NOT be telling you.

Our little party moved outside, as the complete coffee drinking experience does not suffice by only sitting inside. Unfortunately, there weren't many people walking past, so people-watching was pretty difficult. But the wind was quite strong that day, even if it was blowing heat instead of a cooling breeze. Drinking great coffee with friends and just chilling out is just...amazing.

We were pretty full from all the coffee and pastries but Kar Heng mentioned something about Red Velvet cake. Fun fact: Did you know that cake and ice cream are the only things you can put into your mouth despite being stuffed to the brim. And this was Red Velvet cake. A must try.

Red Velvet 

One word: YUMMERS!

So ends an afternoon of great laughs and equally great coffee. It was good to just sit down and catch up with an old friend, with the company of excellent coffee and of course the Buggers. It wasn't the complete gang but  with the other 2 locked in exams, we make do with what we have.

We at Forever Hungry want to thank CoffeeSociété for their hospitality. The staff literally treated us like friends (well, technically Kar Heng is our friend but we're referring to everyone else). It wasn't so much of a food review than a meetup session with an old friend, as well as making new friends. Like CoffeeSociété's tagline, every cup of coffee brings to you a story. Now, I want to go back and just have my coffee. Who knows? I might come up with some pretty hilarious stories this time.

More info on CoffeeSociété.

Address: Publika, Block D4, Level G3, Unit 3A, Jalan Dutamas 1,Solaris Dutamas, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CoffeeSociete
Email: coffeesociete@gmail.com
Phone: +603 6621 5523

Cheerios!

Sate Barokah @ Damansara Utama

I realized that we have not been updating for quite a long time. But that's not because we finally lost our forever hungry spirit. No, the only thing which can prevent us from looking for good food is exams. And since 2 of our 5 members are engaged in battle with the beast called 'Finals', we have not been able to go out looking for good food.

BUT...here is a short update on a place which is quite surprising.

Nestled deep in the heart of the Damansara area is a relatively surprising kampung area. You literally leave the city behind once you turn a corner and find yourself in a quaint little kampung. It's like stepping through the looking glass and finding yourself in another world altogether.

In this kampung is a little warung which sells authentic Indonesian cuisine. Well, more of sate than anything else. Aptly named Sate Barokah, this is a very, very authentic kampung eating place.

But this warung, which doesn't even have any large signboards, is a treasure. Sure it's quite hot because there are no fans around. Sure the mosquitoes tend to buzz around your ear. But for the complete kampung experience inside the city, this is definitely the place to go.

Start off your meal with some keropok, a classic appetizer.

After that, you can try the bakso, or the Indonesian beefball noodle which is very different from some of the other beefball noodles you may have had.

You will need 2 different sauces to mix and match for the perfect taste.

And believe me, the taste is as good as it looks. 

Of course, you can go back to the sate, which honestly doesn't taste as good as Kajang sate.

 But then again, Kajang sate doesn't try to burn off your tastebuds with this delightfully hot chilli mix.

It's so spicy, I put a little bit on my sate and immediately felt as though I put fire in my mouth.

Of course, you can always cool yourself off with a delicious Indonesian fruit mix drink of which I forgot to take a picture of AND forgot the name as well. Happens when you're gulping it down trying to stop the burning.

All in all, this is a place where you can get good and cheap Indonesian food, while enjoying the rustic call of nature. Okay, it's still in the city but that's the beauty of it. For more information on this place, please do not hesitate to contact us. It's kinda difficult to describe how to get there due to, y'know the place not having Facebook. But here is an approximate Google Map of the place.

Hope it helps!