Good Espresso and cappuccino is so hard to find in Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur and PJ included) that whenever someone recommend a cafe of good coffee, it’s hard not to check it out.

PROVIDORE,
13A Jalan Solaris 5,
Solaris Mont’ Kiara, Kuala Lumpur

It is quite easy to find, it is the same block facing Cold Storage.

Went there on Saturday with Wee Chuan. One of the reason why we wanted to give this place a try was because we  were told that providore served some decently fresh coffee from Australia, the Genovese Super Brazil.

Interestingly, on Genevose website, regarding the Super Brazil blend, they have these to say:

“Aside from the Barista and his capabilities,
the difference in producing the best in a cup of coffee
is in the blending and roasting, which take years to master.”

The entrance.

The interior. I pretty much like the atmosphere. Comfortable and relaxing.

But we were there for the coffee.

 
Espresso. The crema looks good… sign of decently fresh coffee. The aroma is not bad. Taste: medium body, light acidity and after-taste is low. I consider it a notch below average. It could have been better. This is potentially an above average kind of coffee. I tell you what went wrong in a moment. 

Here’s the cappuccino.  They are using Farmhouse milk. The best available in Malaysia. Frankly, I don’t expect latte art. The milk is averagely frothed but it is way to hot man. If you are not careful, it’ll burned your tongue. At this temparature, all the natural sweetness in the milk is gone.

Remember the caption from Genovese website?

“Aside from the Barista and his capabilities,
the difference in producing the best in a cup of coffee
is in the blending and roasting, which take years to master.”

I believe this is the problem. Whatever good potential from the coffee beans, they are limited by the capabilities of the barista. The barista here is practicing some unconventional technique.

1. The barista rainsed the portafilter with cold water and put it on top of the espresso cup warmer? Keeping the portafilter hot is one of the key factor in making good espresso. In fact, I’ve experimented making espresso side by side using one hot portafilter and one cold portafilter. The extraction and the crema look pretty much the same. But the taste is very lacking via the cold portafilter.
2. The milk was too hot.  Microfoam is lacking. The milk that is too hot burnt away the sweetness and lack of microfoam will reduce the smoothness and silkiness expected from a cappucino.

(This is my second visit actually. On my first visit, they were serving Lavazza coffee because the Genovese has not arrived. The milk was also too hot and the extration of the espresso was flawed as well.)

Wee Chuan and I thought of buying some coffee back to give it some proper testing. Unfortunately the RM95 per kilo is too much for us to consume. Alas, they don’t have any 500g pack. 

Note: The thoughts above are based purely from my personal preferences. We didn’t try their food and at Providore the food LOOKS GOOD but not for the budget-concious.

Price: (Another mystery)
Espresso single = RM8
Cappuccino = RM8
Espresso should always be at least RM1.50 cheaper than a cappuccino. Why? Because  Farmhouse milk cost about RM1.50 for a cup of cappuccino.

***End***

Check out Wee Chuan’s opinion here.