Time Tested

Coffee Ritual is a big refreshing change from the countless international coffee chains dotted across the Klang Valley. Firstly, it has only one outlet in Section 14, Petaling Jaya—this outlet marks a relocation for the cafe, which first opened in Phileo Damansara. Secondly, it is 100% family-owned—Chung Yeh Chin runs the cafe with the help of his partner Hoh Ee Mei while his sister, who majored in culinary studies, handles the kitchen.

Chin never set out to one day be in the cafe business. His past career experience was in IT, but when he realised that that was not working for him, he quickly started searching for alternative business ventures. When he discovered the vacuum pot, aka the siphon coffee maker, he was fascinated. Chin wasn't a coffee drinker himself, preferring black teas instead, but he is a self-professed history buff and the siphon coffee maker has a heritage that harks back to 1841. Although there is a dispute over who created it, Madame Vassieux from France was the first person to patent the device.

Over time, the look of the vacuum pot has become more modern but the principles of coffee brewing remain the same. Consisting of two chambers (upper and lower), vapor pressure pushes the boiling water into the upper chamber which holds the coffee grounds and the filter. As the water moves away from the heat source, temperature drops to about 97–98º Celcius which is ideal for brewing coffee. Its background as well as the interesting brewing process captured Chin's attention and the rest, as they say, is history. At Coffee Ritual, the specialities are their single-origin gourmet coffees—Colombian Special, Brazil Fancy Santos, Sumatra Mandheling and Java Arabica Jampit—that are brewed using the vacuum pot. But if you're not into black coffee, not to worry as they also offer espresso-based drinks.

A substantial menu awaits the hungry diner offering pastas, salads, soups and heavier meat and fish mains. They are popular for their savoury crêpes like the tomyam chicken crêpe, the otak-otak crêpe and the more conventional mushroom and turkey toast crêpe. Throw in a comfortable environment and friendly service and Coffee Ritual might just be your new favourite hangout spot. Coffee Ritual is located at 35, Jalan 14/20, Section 14, 46100 Petaling Jaya. Tel: 03-7956 1080. Web: www.coffeeritual.com. Open: 10am–11pm (Mon–Sat), 9am–10pm (Sun and public holidays).

Text Sarah Chan Photo Myra Mahyuddin