Kiam Siap

Budget Barista Brewed Coffee
By Mihar Dias
(C) Copyright December 2021

Barista brewed coffee is affordable for some but not for the average worker. At Starbucks a tall Americano is RM8.50 but at an artisan cafe, it is about RM9.00 or 10. Perhaps more if you wanted almond or soya instead of regular milk.

If you were accustomed to Nescafe ‘Tarik’ at a ‘warong’ or ‘Mamak’ shop, barista coffee is a luxury. Almost four times higher than a cup of local coffee.

Being ‘Kiam siap’, stingy, ‘kedekut’ rolled into one but still like to enjoy brewed coffee, I am always on the lookout, for the best deal in town.

It is a habit for me to check out what’s on offer, where! Allow me to share with you my most recent discoveries. I hope you too will enjoy a cup of barista brewed coffee at half the normal price from my tips.

From Monday to Thursday you may enjoy a cup of brewed coffee, be it a latte, flat white, cappuccino or long black at only RM5 nett, as long as, you are prepared to drink it from a takeaway cup. But you may sit and drink at the restaurant, as long as you wish. You may then have as many cups as you want to.

For RM10, you get two cups of freshly brewed coffee, for the price of one, at other outlets. The taste is as good as what you’ll get from other artisan cafes. They do not stinge on the coffee and milk or cream. They use their best coffee beans ground on site, with full cream milk from Australia or New Zealand.

To take advantage of this great offer go to Fahrenheit 600 at Publika, Solaris, Mont Kiara.

While you are there try their Mediterranean cuisine. We love “honeymoon in Greece”, a dish with dolmades, chicken on skewers, hummus served with hot pita bread fresh from the oven. They also offer a wide range of dishes, including a variety of pizza as early as 9:30.

Another bargain brewed coffee is from Yeast. For RM9.90 you get a cup of hot brewed long black and a large freshly baked croissant; Monday to Friday at Jalan Telawi 2, Bangsar.

I love sitting outside under a canopy with French music in the background, dunking my croissant in black coffee, staring into space with my mind turned to a memorable cool Summer’s day in Paris, a long, long time ago.

They don’t charge extra for mind travel at Yeast. However, the fabulous French cuisine is tempting but not for those on a budget.

Anyway, if you were with a friend and wanted to try a dish on a budget, share a side order of ratatouille. At RM9.90, you’ll get to taste France. Enjoy that with a piece of hot ‘petit pain’; or a small bread roll in French.

Lastly, the best value for money for breakfast coffee is at La Juciera.

It offers a “Rise and Shine” breakfast of black coffee and a healthy wrap till noon. The wrap is a rolled pita bread, filled with scrambled eggs, romaine lettuce and chopped tomatoes. At RM9.90 it is the best deal in Kuala Lumpur. One serving should keep you full, way past lunchtime.

Visit La Juiceria at The Verve, Mont Kiara or other outlets in the city.

While you are at it, check out their quinoa nasi lemak or fried rice. They are low in fat but high in protein.

If you were in the mood for dessert they have raw cake or an “honest treat”, on the menu. The cake is made without eggs, gluten or dairy, free from preservatives, artificial colouring. It is sugarless but sweet.

Once you tried the coffee in these places do let us have your views. If you knew of similar deals, do share.

Mihar Dias is a content writer under Headliner by Newswav, a programme where content creators get to tell their unique stories through articles and at the same time monetize their content within the Newswav app.
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