Douglas Dragons at Dark
March 25th, 2024
The cup is always full, never half-empty, at The Optimist Coffee, serving flat whites, roasted hazelnut lattes & pandan lamingtons with plenty of smiles outside the Ampang Park LRT station’s street-level entrance starting this week, 7am-7pm.
Even the kiosk’s customers seem more cheerful than expected, buoyed perhaps by their confidence in the coffee here.
The flat white (RM7.90) & iced roasted hazelnut latte (RM9.90) might be served in disposable containers, but they taste as indispensable as what we’d find in many cafes. Rich & robust, perking up commuters & city workers since December 2014. Quote-of-the-day stickers on the coffee cups may vary from customer to customer.
Quite a sizeable selection for a rather small space – everything from espressos (RM5.90) to hot chocolates (RM7.90) to mochas, vanilla lattes & salted caramel lattes (RM8.90 for hot) for the steady stream of patrons.
Customers can also take away snacks – the pandan lamingtons are completely satisfying, well-balanced in taste & texture, well-priced for RM3 each. Brownies, pastries & sandwiches might be available, if they’re not already sold out in the afternoon.
Only a five-minute walk from the office where we worked last year; it’s too late for us to enjoy the caffeine here regularly, but we’re hopeful The Optimist Coffee – which seems to be an independently run business – will open more outposts eventually.
The Optimist Coffee
Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur. Across the road from the Ampang Park shopping centre