Leaf & Co. Café

By a congested corner of Jalan Sultan (opposite distinguished tailors Kwong Fook Wing) lies the newest café this side of KL – Leaf & Co. Formerly a mess hall built by Kwong Yik Bank’s co-founder Cheong Yoke Choy, the century-old colonial-era heritage building is now a boutique hostel (by the name of Mingle) and café, co-founded by engineer Ng Sin Leong. With Ng’s experience in restoring and refurbishing old buildings, it’s evident that attention and care were paid to this particular building as well – old wooden beams are reinforced, pieces of original furniture from the building’s early days are scattered around, and the terrazzo tiles are cleaned and spruced up. In the café, an air well in the centre lets in light for the small garden of potted herbs. At the back, a rooftop bar is still under construction.

The straightforward menu at Leaf & Co mostly consists of variations of chicken dishes (creamy butter cream chicken, nasi lemak curry chicken, lemongrass chicken) as well as salads, pastas, sandwiches and beef stew. As for coffee, there’s the usual selection, but with the addition of interesting adaptations like rose latte and coconut latte; the Americano here comes in old-school kopitiam cups, a clever reference to its location in the heart of old KL. Check it out for the interesting architecture, but bear in mind that the kitchen needs a bit of time to find its footing.