BEAM cafe

the food scene is always spearheaded by a trend.. 

a flavor of the season, if you will.

and i feel that it is especially obvious in kl. when something catches on, everyone wants to be part of it. since earlier this year, cafe & coffee have headlined the food scene with the many brunch spots and cafes dominating the many neighborhoods in the city. even though the movement has considerably mellowed to date, more than a few newbies have entered the scene to take a piece of that cafe pie. 

one of the relatively newcomer that opened in july is beam cafe, located in bandar sri damansara, which is a little ways away past one utama shopping mall on the ldp heading to damansara. unfortunately, the rain decided to 'rain on my parade' as i was hoping for the beautiful stream of dusk light to illuminate my photos with a lovely flair.

capitalizing on the vast space and high ceiling, the cafe is dressed in a industrial chic decor with its main hues of cement grey walls, black detailing of the inner structures that contrasted with the home-y rustic wooden furniture, exposed red brick walls and several potted plants to bring that punch of needed color to the cafe. the walls were adorned with whimsical art pieces, which breathed a special charm to the place.

oh, how i crave for natural lighting for my photos.

it was not difficult to see where beam cafe's passion and respect lie - the coffee. elegant coffee machines flaunted themselves on the shelves that line the walls and a couple of tables. red coffee roasters revealed themselves grandiosely on the second floor. a centerpiece table where the barista offers hand-brewed or by siphon technique (love!) in brewing freshly ground, aromatic blend of coffee beans.

[#protip] pick a table and once you have your chosen table number, order and pay for your food&drinks at the counter. the drinks list on the blackboard at the back of the counter is only a fraction of what they have offer - a complete menu book can be found at the counter.

[#protip] oh btw, it's cash only!

from its limited offerings of entrees (four variations of both panini and salad - that's eight to choose from) on top of the many options of sweet pastries and local kuih, we opted share one of each with a nice cuppa joe for me and a cup of hot chocolate for {mh} to drown the rainy blues away.

ang mo pattern | latte (rm 11)

i always crave for caffeine especially in a cafe that pays meticulous attention to its coffee conception. the best way for a coffee taste test is the basic espresso+milk combination - the latte. crowned with a lovely foam art, that familiar coffee aroma wasn't prominent but the first sip more than compensated for that. the temperature was just right, the bitter undertones of the espresso lingered with the creaminess of the milk. smooth finish. a well done cup of latte which i would rank as one of my favorites after its counterparts from espressamente illy and azzurro.

hot picks | hot chocolate (rm 12)

this was worthy of a cheer-me-upper for {mh}, which was depicted accurately by its foam art in the form of a heart. her thoughts on the cocoa goodness was "the chocolate drink was quite nice. very rich." so if comforting sweetness is what you're looking for as a pick-me-up booster for the day, this might be the beverage for the job. ;)

panini | roast chicken panini (rm 18)

it was a panini kinda day. well, more precisely, we were both starving and craving for carbs to hit that hungry spot. toasty sandwich, served with a side salad of tossed greens in a rather thick italian dressing. a little lighter on the vinaigrette would have done the salad a whole lot more justice but i really liked the mix of the peppery arugula (it's called rockets here) to contrast that burst of sweetness from the sweet cherry tomatoes. the potatoes were seasoned  - cooked through perfectly but slightly chilled.

if i had to describe the panini in three words - chicken pizza sandwich. 

with slices of roasted chicken with more than a handful of julienned raw onion + green bell pepper, the usual suspects of tomato slices and lettuce, glued together with a generous amount of perfectly melted mozzarella cheese, sandwiched in between perfectly toasted bread. 

simple and light on flavor but seasoned aplenty while featuring the individual components in a wonderful manner. the chicken was almost borderline dry but i loved the melted cheese that came to the rescue, done just right where the melted cheese pulled satisfyingly as i took bites. a great play on the textures although i am not a huge fan of raw onions - but granted that is really a personal preference.

salad | japanese seafood salad (rm 18)

we were very much looking forward to the salad - we are suckers for seafood, after all - especially after a successful session with the panini. a mixed seafood bounty of shrimp, flaky cooked tuna and scallops with edamame to complete this japanese-inspired salad, rested atop a bed of coleslaw... 

"wait...wha.."

-- yes. coleslaw. tossed in a creamy sesame dressing. 

the coleslaw threw me off -- like, a lot.
i suppose it's probably because coleslaw wouldn't be the first thing that come to mind when i think of japanese salad.

this salad rendition was disappointing after a promising start with the panini. the main stars of the salad - the seafood - could have benefited from slightly less cooking time and a tad more salt/seasoning, which was resonated throughout the muted/mild flavors of the rest of the salad. we agreed we would have been happier with another order of panini to be shared. 

with its coffee in the spotlight, BEAM - which is actually the abbreviation for 'bean expedition at manufactory' - displays such love and respect for every stage of  their coffee masterpieces creation. and while i haven't tried their sweet offerings, i have read that 'when tea meets coffee' seemed to reign as the crowd favorite.  in all, it's a great place to get your caffeine fix.

while you're at it, consider getting a panini too ;) 

BEAM | location

no 25 jln gangsa, sd5/3b
bandar sri damansara
kuala lumpur
{open daily except tuesdays; 11am-8pm}

disclaimer this is written based on personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others.