Taking Time Off For A Pleasant Lunch

        Work activities have taken precedence this month with exams, marking of exam papers and preparation for a royal visit to our school. But I managed to sneak in a lunch with one of my partners in crime on Monday.

Opens from noon till 10 pm on weekdays (closed on Wednesdays) and till 11pm on Fridays - Sundays

        Doi Chaang Coffee at Bandar Baru Medan Ipoh is one of the twelve branches in Malaysia. Doi Chaang is a village in Northern Thailand and it is where the coffee beans for this cafe are planted, harvested and processed. Although this cafe started operations in 2015, I'd not given this place a second glance till it was recommended by a foodie friend.
        I was in for a surprise. Before I could even step into the cafe, I was amicably greeted by one of the baristas. "Miss Chan! Remember me?" he enthused. The face was familiar but the name escaped me; to avoid hurting the young man's feelings, I promptly smiled and lied.
        Orders were made and paid for at the counter. I ordered a cappuccino to go with my smoked salmon pesto spaghetti (RM23 for a set) while my partner in crime had the same pasta a la carte (RM19.90).

My cappuccino with its nice coffee art

My smoked salmon pesto spaghetti (love the almond flakes)

        The cafe was cozy, with both sofa and dining table setups, lots of magazines for reading and some interesting artifacts for photoshooting. Service was brisk and pleasant. And the complimentary wi-fi service gave the hare a run for its money.

Eye-catching range of Malaysian-made soda called The Tapping Tapir

Quirky artifacts

Mummy pointed out this vintage radio

        Yes, the coffee tasted good, not too darkly roasted. But I must say that I'm more partial to the coffee at my favourite Six And A Half. Yes, the pesto based pasta was not drenched in oil as the one in Three Little Pigs & The Big Bad Wolf is, but it lacked the extra yum that was served at the latter. 
        All in all, it was an enjoyable eating experience, and I would love to return with my other partner in crime, and especially to triumphantly call my ex-student by name, to prove that I do indeed remember him. I'd spent the entire lunch trying to dredge up his name from my grey cells, but it just eluded me till later. I'd barely driven 5 minutes away from the cafe when all of a sudden, the name popped up! And that's how it is with my failing memory 😎