Lai Po Heen at Mandarin Oriental Welcomes Chef Thomas Fong from Doha
April 24th, 2024
Fans of hidden cafes are poised to flock to The Front Door, which makes its modest entrance this month into Chinatown, tucked inside a nearly century-old, three-storey building that was formerly occupied by Cantonese-speaking retail traders & now houses the Grocer’s Inn backpackers’ retreat.
The Front Door is still a work in progress, spearheaded by Basil, Wai Hong & Sarah, three relatively young entrepreneurs with family ties to the Grocer’s Inn operators. But whatever happens, Basil promises the structure of this street-level cafe – its pilasters, floors & other neo-classical elements – will remain entirely unchanged, preserving the strong sense of history here.
Come for the old-world charm, stay for the open-face sandwiches, surprisingly even better than expected. These are fabulous, with beautifully tuned flavours that make each toasted creation distinctive & delicious.
Hard to choose which ones we like best; we tried 10 from the current menu. Our three favourites: The gorgeous kitchen-made pesto with grilled chicken & caramelised orange; the luscious smoked salmon with cream cheese, capers & cucumber ribbons; & the sweet-savoury mozzarella with crunchy green apples, almonds & salted caramel.
Special mention for the beef bacon with honey, cheddar & strawberries, a complex ensemble supplying supreme satisfaction. Or try the pepperoni with pizza sauce, mozzarella & fresh basil. Or for something sweet, the peanut butter with juicy bananas. Everything’s thickly topped for big bites of brilliance.
Eggs aren’t elusive at The Front Door; we like ’em both fried with a runny yolk (paired with sliced avocado & cream cheese) & hard-boiled (partnered with asparagus, sauteed mushrooms & cream cheese).
One slice costs RM6, while a set of three is RM15 & five go for RM23. We’re calling it right here: Open sandwiches are set to become the next hot trend at the Klang Valley’s cafes; so far, the places that do it best (in very different ways) are Thirdwave & The Front Door.
The rest of The Front Door’s menu comprises salads (our recommendation’s this one with grilled prawns, mango, bean sprouts & cucumber with spicy lime mint vinaigrette & roasted sesame almonds for RM17).
With a sprinkling of brunch fare, like the beef-bacon & cheese omelette with sage potatoes (RM15, not the highlight here).
Pastas including spaghetti in a house-made arrabiata sauce with prawns & calamari (RM19; skip this for the sandwiches).
Coffee? Yep, The Front Door has it. Expect to hear much more about this cafe in the months ahead; it has heaps of potential.
Location? The Front Door is on the same street as Coffee Amo; cafe-hopping in this neighbourhood is a pleasurable breeze.
Business hours? 10am-6pm on weekdays & till 9pm on weekends for now. Closed on Thursdays once every two weeks.
The Front Door At Grocer’s Inn
78, Jalan Sultan, Kuala Lumpur
10am-6pm on weekdays & till 9pm on weekends for now. Closed on Thursdays once every two weeks.