KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 25 — KL has no shortage of cafés. Yet in Seri Kembangan, NOff Coffee sets itself apart not with latte art or brunch plates but with a subtler proposition: that coffee need not remain in the cup.

We are greeted by a large wooden door, the sort that begs you to choose between pushing it and entering, or standing in front of it, posing for pictures. A statement feature, whichever you decide on.

Once inside, the space is minimalist; not in terms of tables and seats, of which there are plenty, but restraint in the design. Clean lines, pared-down wood and sunlight that enters unhurriedly through large panes.

Now would be a good time to investigate the café’s name: “NOff” is short for “Not One Off”. A declaration, perhaps, that this is not a gimmick to be sampled once and forgotten, but an experience that hopefully lingers. 

On that note, the team at NOff Coffee seems as devoted to beans as they are to the kitchen, dissolving the neat boundary between drink and dish. Clearly coffee is not the supporting act here but an equal partner.

Brewing covers the classics — espresso, pour-over, cold brew — each bringing out a different register. A light-roast single origin from Ethiopia offers fruity clarity; a Costa Rican, deeper nuttiness. 

The Colombia La Esmeralda hints at citronella and honey. Signature drinks rotate with the seasons.

But the sharper turn comes when coffee leaves the cup. 

Take our first dish, for instance. There’s something quietly audacious about their Coffee Soba. One might say it borders on the mischievous: a cold noodle dish that dares to weave roasted bitterness into the pliant threads of cha soba. 

The green tea buckwheat strands arrive in a tidy mound, crowned with fish roe that pops with saline clarity. To one side, a scattering of bonito flakes, feather-light and smoky; to the other, a pair of tempura tiger prawns, all crunch and sweetness.

The final flourish: a cup of cold brew coffee meant not for sipping but for pouring, dark liquid cascading over the noodles and toppings.

The first taste startles — robust, dark, unashamedly so — then softens as dashi murmurs through, as nori lends its briny hush. There is salt, there is smoke; and then there is the lingering, resonant bitterness, a reminder of coffee’s less forgiving charms.

Unconventional? Perhaps. This might entice the diner seeking novelty, or the caffeine devotee chasing a different kind of fix.

Other plates are less confrontational. The Shrimp & Egg Rustic Sourdough pairs prawns and hard-boiled egg with seaweed, salad, and a smear of pepper paste — a composition that asks for the balance of a flat white. 

The Espresso Rice Bowl layers a shot of coffee into warm grains, drawing out a deeper umami. Bread with Coffee Butter, White Ragu Pappardelle, Portobello Sandwich — each finding its counterpart in a brew of equal body.

Desserts lean gentler, though still thoughtful. Their Black Sesame Roasted Soybean Cake is more subdued, its grey crumb resembling stone. The sesame’s aroma is nutty, touched with smoke, complementing the roasted bean’s earthiness.

Sweetness is restrained as it is with the other offerings — Matcha Tiramisu, Burnt Cheesecake, Earl Grey Lemon, Jasmine Genmaicha and Blueberry Swiss Roll.

Not everything here will be to every taste. For some, this interplay of coffee and food may be more concept than comfort. Not everyone seeks bitterness in noodles or espresso in rice. 

But perhaps this is less about universal appeal than about offering an alternative. Still, in a café scene crowded with safe choices, this can be a risky approach.

And perhaps that is the point. Not every sip, not every bite, needs to please. 

Sometimes it is enough that it makes us pause and consider. Coffee as drink, coffee as dish, coffee as conversation. And in that pause, the familiar becomes unfamiliar again.

NOff Coffee

No 8-1, Kompleks Komersil Akasa, 

Jalan Akasa, 

Akasa Cheras Selatan, Seri Kembangan.

Open daily 9am-6pm

Phone: 010-558 9868

IG: https://www.instagram.com/noff_coffee_/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/p/NOff-Coffee-100093117919643/

* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.

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