Gaslight Cafe & Music at Bukit Damansara: Restaurant Review

Talk about a throwback: Taking inspiration from the Greenwich Village coffee house that became a focal point for folk music in 1960s New York, Bukit Damansara’s new Gaslight Cafe is an atmospheric venue that seeks to capture the essence of the era when Bob Dylan first warned of battles outside ragin’ & old roads rapidly agin’.

A Refuge from the Modern World

Gaslight Cafe is a real refuge from the modern world – hidden in a second-floor lot in Plaza Damansara, this is a shadowy space where vinyl LPs (Peter, Paul And Mary; Joan Baez; even Nick Drake) occupy a place of pride alongside vintage portraits of Simon & Garfunkel. There’s also a book exchange section, & naturally, a corner where guitar-strumming musicians perform & poets hold court on some nights. We’d love to see a screening of Inside Llewyn Davis here someday.

Menu is Modest but Enjoyable

The menu is modest but enjoyable – Gaslight’s founder Johann Sultan, the singer-songwriter of Malaysian indie band The Cotton Field Scarecrowes, makes a mean ‘moonshine’ – Irish coffee (RM18) actually – & very decent Old Fashioned (RM20). Bring your own wine; corkage is RM30. Simple warm meals may be available eventually (Johann promises an all-day Big Breakfast), but for now, the ‘healthy biscotti’ – made with ingredients like almonds, hazelnuts & seeds – are a delicious snack (RM3). Coffee & tea, chips & nuts are offered too. Nice vibes here & a concept we admire – this is a cafe worth checking out.