Fest at Jaya One: Restaurant review

Fest lives up to its name – on a Saturday afternoon, this cafe hums with the sounds of life, love and laughter, as families and friends celebrate the weekend. Fest’s founders Jia Yuan, Maryam and Lisan have known each other since they were seven years old, and their new venue is a cheerful destination with a few distinctive food choices that combine childhood flavours with contemporary flair.

Lemak Sandwich

Chef Jia Yuan is determined to craft novel fare imbued with elements that Malaysians have long been familiar with – nasi lemak is the inspiration for this intriguing Lemak Sandwich, constructed with sourdough bread sourced from Damansara Jaya’s Li restaurant, stuffed with Fest’s savoury chicken waffles, toasted coconut, cucumber, anchovies, peanuts, egg strips and sambal – everything in a full-fledged plate of nasi lemak except rice, replaced by the bread – packing a fragrant, flavourful punch (RM13).

Waffles for the young at heart

Waffles also manifest a young-at-heart streak. Ideal for sharing: Hash brown waffles (RM14; made with real hash browns) and the Milo waffle (RM12; a riff on the Milo Dinosaur mamak drink, the waffle’s completely infused with Milo, with more Milo sprinkled on top, plus a dash of condensed milk and a topping of homemade coconut ice cream from an independent purveyor).

Chai and coffee

For chai worshippers, try the Soy Chai (RM15), lovely hot tea, aromatic with cloves and cardamom, well-balanced with soy milk and a touch of honey. Coffee is taken seriously too; Fest secures blends put together for them by their Singaporean roaster pals.