Review: Grumpy Bear Coffee and Elixir Espresso at Sri Hartamas

Sing Hallelujah! Two blessedly brilliant coffee enterprises embarked on their genesis over the Father’s Day weekend; we open with a psalm of praise to Grumpy Bear Coffee, a pop-up bar created by potential pour-over prophets Zhou Chern & Sarah Joy …

… as well as Elixir Espresso, one of the closest things to a divinely inspired cafe, opened by friends Aidan Teo & Danee Neoh.

1. Grumpy Bear Coffee

First up, Grumpy Bear, which caters coffee for events; its first disciples were the hundreds of people who came for the Kingdomcity church’s Sunday services on June 15 & worshipped at this altar of Americanos at Petaling Jaya’s Luther Centre.

Zhou & Sarah turned more than 150 cups of water into coffee within their first three hours; it’s unclear whether they’ll return for future church sessions or where they’ll be next, but there’s no need to wander in the wilderness; fans can stalk Grumpy Bear through www.facebook.com/grumpybearcoffee or harass Zhou at 012-700-6242.

Coffee

Grumpy Bear fulfils the First Commandment of coffee bars: Thou shall love thy latte. Truly lovable in temperature & milkiness.

We probably over-indulged, but we couldn’t help it. The love for macchiatos could well be the root of certain evils.

Kingdomcity

There’s food at Kingdomcity every Sunday; no fishes or loaves, but lots of eclairs & cheesecakes supplied by a separate caterer, Ms Foong (not affiliated with Grumpy Bear), who also makes everything from baked macaroni to mixed-nut tarts. She comes recommended; reach her at 017-620-1076 for food enquiries.

Location and Operating Details of Grumpy Bear Coffee

Grumpy Bear Coffee

Available for coffee catering at events in Kuala Lumpur & Selangor

View Grumpy Bear’s directory page here.

2. Elixir Espresso

Next up, Elixir Espresso, which had its soft launch on Saturday; it’s a bit hidden in Sri Hartamas’ Plaza Damas 3, but the signs point to this becoming a significant hit soon. Expect many of your friends & enemies to find their way here in the weeks ahead.

Elixir Espresso is helmed by the welcoming team of Aidan & Danee, two twentysomethings who cultivated a love for cafes in Melbourne (Aidan only returned to Malaysia several months ago). They’ve left their work in IT & banking respectively to open Elixir Espresso, where a Synesso machine that reputedly costs over RM60,000 occupies a place of pride.

Coffee

Blends here currently come from PULP by Papa Palheta, but Elixir Espresso also expects to bring in beans from Down Under.

Desserts

Elixir Espresso will serve savoury food soon (Danee promises bagels, among others), but feel free to head here now; we really like the range of desserts (supplied by an independent producer) …

… which includes lamingtons, baked cheesecakes with mocha & salted caramel swirls, chocolate cakes with Nutella & toasted hazelnuts, plus green tea mousse cakes with red bean. Mostly RM11 or RM12 per slice.

Location and Operating Hours of Elixir Espresso

E2 Elixir Espresso @ Sri Hartamas

A-0-15, Plaza Damas 3, Jalan Sri Hartamas 1, Kuala Lumpur

Currently open daily, 1030am-7pm.

Will eventually extend hours & determine a day to close each week.

View Elixir Espresso’s directory page here.

3. Kaffeine Cafe

For folks who are visiting Elixir Espresso, do also check out the recently opened Kaffeine cafe, only a few metres away (the former location for Top Brew Coffee Bar). Owners Andrew & Jeff are doing a nice job at Kaffeine, which is starting to showcase Instagram-ready murals (still a work in progress) & feels wonderfully cosy.

See here for review on Kaffeine.

This entry was written to the sounds of Phillip Phillip’s terrific new album, Behind The Light, more rousing than most ristrettos.

What are your thoughts about Grumpy Bear Coffee and Elixir Espresso? Post a thought in the comments below.