Best cafés for brunch

One of the city's most instagrammable cafes, Blonde is chic yet minimalist serving both Western and Asian cuisines. Serving good comfort brunch food here is none other than the Big Breakfast - two slices of buttered sourdough, a juicy chicken sausage, crispy potato croquettes, maple beef bacon and onion jam. Another must-try breakfast item is the Dutch Style Pancakes with Mutiara figs, fresh berries and maple syrup.

KL’s Breakfast Thieves features a minimal brunch menu of modern Australian dishes with Asian influences – yoghurt and homemade granola coconut black rice red bean pudding, lychee, orange-soaked goji, banana with soft boiled eggs and cheesy soldiers; spicy baked eggs with feta cheese, beef chorizo meatballs and sweet corn; and even eggs Benedict is given an upgrade with braised beef and renkon chips with brown butter hollandaise. 

Table & Apron (formerly known as The Kitchen Table) by restaurateur Marcus Low draws inspiration from world-renowned bakeries and restaurants to serve up modern comfort food that showcase local produce. Known for its sharing platters, this bustling restaurant in Damansara Kim focuses on robust, rustic flavours best exemplified in dishes like pulled pork with apple sourdough and cilantro salsa, Sanbanto pork chops with spicy chimichurri, ulam herbed crab rice, and earl grey crème brûlée with shortbread.

One of KL's most good-looking cafés is perched on Jalan Galloway, a curiously unusual option for a contemporary coffee spot. The café is remodeled from a building on-site, while much of its original charm and old-world feel are retained. On the ground floor is a dim, narrow seating area where coffee machines whiz, baristas chatter and tempting cakes parade. Climb up the steep stairs to the first floor for an airy, breezy, rattan-chaired setup. Coffee wise, the folks here don't believe in house blends. Instead, single origins rotate fortnightly, save for the Valrhona hot chocolate that retains a permanent slot on the menu. Cakes here are bang on form with the most indulgent being The King Cake, banana cake layered with peanut butter frosting, banana slices and chocolate.

The space is so tight you can’t even do a cartwheel, but that’s because it’s lined with shelves of croissants, cinnamon Danish pastries and pies. Get a freshly baked sourdough, inhale the scent and tear off an end – it’s easily one of life’s greatest pleasures. Kenny Hills Bakers was designed for takeaways, but there’s no stopping the crowd from hunkering down for a quick brunch – toasty croque-monsieur, baked eggs flamenco and quiche – at the limited tables outside.

The Red Beanbag is a modern Australian inspired café serving up hearty portions of eggs Benedicts, burgers and French toasts among other brunch delights. If you're in for a full meal, steaks, pastas and the like are also on the menu. Coffee is a specialty here but non-caffeine consumers can try out their chocolate drinks, smoothies and juices. Cakes and other creamy treats are available for afters.

Common Man Coffee Roasters (of our neighbours down south) has landed in KL with a swish new brunch space; this café and roaster from Singapore that started out as a pop-up serving espresso-based brews and mini pastries is now a full-fledged operation. Design-wise, there’s a distinct modernised vibe going on: Peranakan print upholstery, rattan-woven walls, gold accents, ambient pendant lights, CMCR merchandise and coffee paraphernalia lining the shelves.  In terms of food and drinks, there will be about ten brunch dishes from CMCR Singapore as well as a dedicated brew bar for coffee (beans will be roasted in Singapore only).

If you're hankering for crepes, be sure to drop by Strangers at 47. Here you'll find a selection of savoury crepes like the mushroom-stuffed Lethal Shrooms, and Shore To Please, which is stuffed with tiger prawns, deep fried squid, roasted cherry tomato and salted egg yolk sauce. Sweet tooths will also find pleasure in sweet crepes like the apple pie-inspired Adam's Sin, and Kayaman, a pandan coconut crepe filled with kaya, gula Melaka and banana fritters.  

Roast Factor Glee wins on account of being a specialty micro-roastery – a feature that enables owner Shyue Chin to control the signature roast of the café; a medium roast with slight acidity, sweetness and a smooth finish. Alternatively, you can opt for their cold brews: Black No Regrets and milk-based Like a Virgin.

Not only everything here is MSG- and preservative-free, it's also made from scratch; from the levain-based bread used for the hot food, to the gluten-free pastries, right down to artisanal jams. Even the pork sausages were specially ordered from the meat supplier for the just-right taste and texture. You’ll also find Scandinavian inspired dishes on the menu inspired by Shyue Chin's husband. As a gourmet eatery, their artisanal ice creams run the gamut of the alcoholic variety such as red wine and beer, along with bold flavours such as matcha with toasted rice and Belgian chocolate with sea salt.