Note: Lepaq Lepaq is now closed.
Will Malaysians never rest until they've found more ways to make nasi lemak a dessert? Cielo Dolci has their nasi lemak gelato, and now Lepaq Lepaq has nasi lemak cheesecake. Those curious enough to make the trip will find themselves staying for more than just the hybrid cheesecake; Lepaq Lepaq is a very good-looking space, giving in to today’s trendy industrial-style decor. With two stories, the café is also startlingly spacious (we're told it's a 200-seater) with floor-to-ceiling windows offering a calming view of a quiet Jalan Ceylon – and enough natural light to produce beautiful Instagrams. Tip: Go upstairs and sit at the 'outside' smoking section for best results.
For food, Lepaq Lepaq has a rotating daily menu of mostly Western staples like pasta, sandwiches and meat and fish dishes prepared by their in-house chef. From Friday to Sunday, the menu is expanded to include several upgraded versions of eggs Benedict, including a very luxe-sounding Ikura and Caviar Benedict. For group dining, order the Big Daddy, a huge breakfast platter comprising truffle scrambled eggs, three types of sausages (footlong, smoked chicken cheese and lamb cranberry), hash browns, turkey and chicken ham slices, salad, baked beans and toasted ciabatta slices. A less greasy version of this would be Big Mama, which features mainly salad, eggs and sauteéd mushrooms.
It's on the drinks menu that Lepaq Lepaq gets a bit more playful. They serve bottled beer like Tiger and Heineken, but order any of their virgin mojitos and you'll be presented with a small cardboard box – poke a straw through it and start drinking from said box (a packaging trend that's apparently popular in Taiwan). But for real theatrics, the Rainy Day Coffee takes the cake. A stick of cotton candy is positioned above a hot cup of long black; the steam from the coffee moves up to the cotton candy cloud and makes it 'rain' into your coffee. Presto, sweetened coffee.
Meanwhile, the nasi lemak cheesecake is a curious combination of glutinous rice and peanuts, with cucumber gelatine, ikan bilis and chilli flakes. Good to know: Lepaq Lepaq makes all their cakes and breads in-house, which you can also buy downstairs to bring home.