Note: Fēst at Jaya One is now closed.
If nasi lemak cheesecake and nasi lemak gelato don’t appeal to your taste buds, skip the dessert versions of the breakfast staple and have nasi lemak as a sandwich (minus the nasi) at Jaya One’s Fēst (pronounced 'feast'). The brainchild of three childhood friends Jia Yuan, Lisan and Maryam, Fēst offers an extensive coffee and food menu, but we say skip the café mainstays for Fēst’s star dish: the Lemak Sandwich.
Eager to put a Malaysian spin to his sandwiches, Jia Yuan’s sandwich version of nasi lemak ditches rice for sourdough bread sourced from Damansara Jaya restaurant Li, and comes stuffed with Fēst’s chicken waffles, toasted coconut, homemade sambal, egg strips, cucumber, anchovies and peanuts. If you previously turned up your nose at new-fangled nasi lemak dishes, Fēst’s Lemak Sandwich might sway you.
Besides sandwiches, waffles are aplenty on the menu, with both savoury and sweet options. Have the chicken waffles and salad for a meaty dish, or if you’re a sucker for nostalgia, the Milo waffle with coconut ice cream should bring back memories of your Milo powder-loving days.
For drinks, there's the usual espresso-based coffees, but try Fēst‘s soy chai using tea from boutique chai tea company Prana Chai. Served in a stainless steel pot with a separate small glass (with a fine mesh strainer balanced on top), allow the tea leaves and spices in the chai to steep for a few minutes before pouring through the strainer for a strong and smooth, lactose-free version of chai latte.