Dou Dou Bake

We’re not sure we can call Dou Dou a cafe. Sure, it serves up classic sourdough-based brunch items along with some baked goods, but Doudou has high aspirations. Thanks to Penang-based plantscaping studio Sputnik Forest Labs, the design forward space is more refined than anything we’ve seen in town. It’s been described as a Shinto shrine, an oasis of calm, an ashram - anything but a cafe. At the entrance, a wild, austere garden sets the mood, and stepping through the bronze doorway, the venue’s benches (made from wood rescued from old houses in Penang), an understated bakery counter with corrugated concrete, and massive glass windows come together to create a raw, neutral palette that allows the heaping pastries to take centrestage. When Dou Dou first opened, travel-starved KLites swarmed the bakery to experience a place that doesn’t quite feel like home. Now that the fervent crowds have ebbed to a more manageable volume, Dou Dou has emerged for what it really is - one of the best bakery cafes in KL. As it also serves as the central kitchen for sister cafe One Half, Dou Dou churns out some serious sourdough (they use organic milled flours from UK-based Shipton Mill), croissants and pastries (don’t miss the tie guan yin chocolate tart!). While their seasonal baked goods like pear milk frangipane tarts, yuzu apple eclairs, and apam balik danishes keep us coming back for more, Dou Dou’s coffee also sits above the rest.