Baci @ Citta Mall

Rating : 2 out of 5

Citta mall is located in Ara Damansara and is pretty easy to spot as it is right off the highway. Since Citta mall is still a newly constructed mall, the parking ticketing system has yet to be implemented therefore at least for now, the parking in Citta mall is free. Baci prides itself on being an Italian cafe. Among a long and proud list, they serve coffee, tea, sandwiches, pizzas and pasta. Ambience wise, I consider it one of the best among its peers.

Latte (RM 7.90) & Cappucccino (RM 7.90)
Although I shouldn't be too quick to judge as I am exactly sure if coffee in Italy should be prepared differently than what I have tasted so far, their coffee are terrible. I ordered both cuppuccino and latte together twice on two different occasions and there was literally no distinction between them. Both tasted as if they were children born out of wedlock between a proper cappuccino and latte. Even the americano tasted like they were instant coffee(I may have been a little strict).

Chicken Mushroom Pizza (RM 11.50)
Baci Cafe's pizzas come in two sizes, regular(shown below) and large. While they may not be the best thin crusted pizzas around nor do I have an uncontrollable lust for it, it was pretty decent and worth at least one try.

Shitake Mushroom-Wasabi Mayo Multigrain (RM 14.50) & Turkey Ham Foccacio On Panini (RM ??)
Despite the big disappointed in the skills of their barista, their sandwiches deserves to be worshipped. I can't say that they ARE what real italian sandwiches are suppose to taste like but I can sure as hell admit that they are the best sandwiches I have ever had in my entire adult life. Every single one displayed are amazing in their own particular way enveloped by superb bread. They are even skilled enough to carry a vegetarian sandwich (shitake mushroom) which stands out even among meat sandwiches.

Conclusion
Albeit the enormous let down in their coffee, it is still one of my favourite go to places due to its ambience and food but I will definitely refrain myself from ordering their coffee unless absolutely necessary. It is raising pretty fast among the list of teenagers and families as both a relaxing hangout and a proper diner.

Hours : Monday - Sunday : 1PM to 12AM (estimated)

Sincerely,
Coffee Nerd

Departure Lounge @ Uptown Damansara

Rating : 3 out of 5

Departure Lounge at Uptown Damansara is a cafe that has generated a huge amount of fuss among coffee lovers. So what is there better to do than to explore the renowned cafe? It took us some time to find for a parking that is not ridiculously far from the cafe but we knew it was worth the effort the moment we walked in to the cafe.

Latte (RM 9.00)
I ordered their latte and was instantly convinced that it was the best latte I ever had. The richness of the milk was properly emphasized but not too overwhelming as to cover the sweet sweet aroma of the coffee blend. In other words, the composition of the latte was down right perfect. My need for aesthetic fulfillment was also satisfied by their skillful foam art and presentation*.

Long Black (RM 5.00)
Aside from the latte, we also had the americano since there were several americano enthusiast among us. The blend was amazing to say the least but not the best, further supporting our view is this little trophy from a barista competition.

"Do It My Way" Breakfast Platter (RM 11.90)
The menu allows us to freely choose our breakfast platter from a somewhat wide variety of selections they carry. There are three ways in which an individual may order according to his or her appetite, the 3, 5, or 7 items platter (refer to conclusion for pricing).

Bagel BLT (RM 11.90)
This was actually my first ever "proper" bagel and for those who don't know what a bagel is, you can refer to the image attached below. This bagel is practically stuffed with beef bacons (it's impossible to take a bite without bacon in it!) and fresh vegetables.

Signature Club (RM12.90)
A sandwich comprise of chicken breast, turkey ham, egg & sliced cheese. I didn't actually manage to steal a bite out of this baby but according to a friend, it fares pretty well.

Conclusion
The whole experience excluding the parking was simply exquisite. I would personally visit this cafe again in the near future. The pricing was relatively reasonable as you would expect a cafe of such calibre to be creating a butterfly nest in your wallet but it wasn't so. The only problem I would like to point out is their quality control, not all of their baristas are professionally trained, at least not yet. However, even the coffee prepared by their amateur barista are very much comparable to any other cafes out there.

P/S: Click on image to enlarge

Link : http://cafedeparturelounge.com/
Hours :  Monday - Saturday              8AM-7PM
              Sunday & Holidays             8AM-5PM
              Close on Tuesdays

Sincerely,
Coffee Nerd

Carpenter's Daughter @ Taipan (USJ)

Rating : 1 out of 5

For those of us living in the USJ area, there's nothing more exciting than the arrival of a restaurant/cafe because let's face it, we immensely bored with having to make the same choices over and over again.

Fortunately, cafe's seem to be booming all around town and amongst the chase is the Carpenter's Daughter located in USJ, Taipan (Beside 7-11).

First thing most people will come to realize perhaps, is that the business is anything but professionally run. However, that fact can be somewhat overlooked if you are looking for a homely place to be. The arrangement of the tables, decorations and ambience is aimed to produce a homely feeling complimented by a limited amount of staff composed entirely of the business owner and her family.

All of us had long black which is essentially a reversed americano. They delivered our long blacks to specification, with the crema but failed to heed our order of an americano (as they didn't know what it was).

We gave their mushroom soup a chance and it didn't turn out too bad. It was hand-crafted (blended mushrooms) and topped of with a tad of butter to enrich the naturally taste of the mushrooms.

The cranberry cake was delicious in its precise balance between acidity and sweetness. We also enjoyed their brownie as what you would expect a brownie to be but nothing more.

The pizza which we decided to indulge, personally, possess the exact opposite quality of Domino's pizza. In which, you can clearly tell the pizza was homemade and definitely not mass produced but there's much to learn if they were to compete with larger the larger players around town.

Conclusion:
Although the food was pretty decent, the price however is a little steep for the quality of food they offer.
It does however, deserve a chance.

Sincerely,
Coffee Nerd