Front Room by The Kneady Baker at Taman Desa: Restaurant review

The Kneady Baker has more than puns in its oven – Jo (she makes the bread rise) and Pete (he ensures the meat sizzles) cast aside careers in banking and advertising to embark on a fresh path as cafe founders, creating a cheerful space that feels like both living room and restaurant (no surprise; some of the furnishing comes from the couple’s domestic collection), discreetly ensconced upstairs in a shop-house without a formal signboard (after all, you wouldn’t stick a big billboard outside your home).

Sweet and savoury

Crowd favourites from the kitchen include eight-hour-cooked pulled pork in sweet-savoury gravy, sandwiched in milky buns (RM22, with fries and coleslaw), and fairly fluffy buttermilk waffles with strawberries, pecan crumble, passion fruit curd, custard cream and maple syrup (RM20), illustrating a clear commitment to honest, quality cooking.

Cakes

The Kneady Baker initially started life as a cake purveyor, so a slice of, say, the pandan sponge with gula Melaka buttercream (RM13) is worth relishing. And while Front Room mainly runs as a daytime eatery, it opens up on selected weekend nights for talented indie chefs who want to bring something special to the table, such as an ex-central banker who recently raised interest in miang kham and massaman.

Location & Details

Address: 16-1, Jalan 1/109E, Desa Business Park, Taman Desa, Kuala Lumpur.
Hours: Open Wed-Mon, 930am-5pm.
Tel:+6016-233-8807
Find: View directory for Front Room by The Kneady Baker.