KUALA LUMPUR, March 24 — Less is more, they say.

Sometimes that means a minimalist décor. Sometimes that comes in the form of a pared down menu.

Then there are the times when they simply mean the place itself is smaller, far smaller than you might expect. But – as we are about to discover – half the space can also mean double the charm.

This concept seems particularly suited to small cafés, the kind that focuses mainly on good coffee rather than an extensive food menu.

A narrow room, perhaps, with a handful of tables pressed close, the air gently scented with coffee. Step inside, and the city recedes almost immediately.

The noise softens, not into silence, but into something human: cups placed on saucers, a murmur of conversation, the soft hiss of milk being coaxed into foam.

We find such a place in noconnection.coffee (or NCC), tucked within the ageing residential lanes of Taman Taynton View in Cheras. 

It is the sort of neighbourhood where time appears to idle rather than advance.

The façade is painted a weathered blue, striking against the open sky. 

Look closer and you notice the menu on the wall next to the entrance, offering everything from espressos to cold brews.

Inside, it is indeed tiny but cosy too. One senses immediately why regulars return: not merely for the coffee, but to relax, to speak softly or simply day dream.

We take our seats, such as they are, and order.

There is something vaguely improper, and therefore irresistible, about a dirty latte. 

The way the espresso slips, almost provocatively, into the chilled milk. Like a secret that ought not be shared being whispered guiltily anyway.

Our flat white, by contrast, is steadier in temperament. Warm, composed, its bitterness and sweetness held in balance. 

The texture is smooth, almost restorative, like a long conversation with a good partner.

The coffee at NCC is complemented by its unobtrusive if eclectic décor. A wall map assembled from laminated wood pieces suggests both craft and curiosity. 

Elsewhere, a vinyl record rests atop a stack of books, only revealing itself as a clock upon closer inspection.

There are, of course, other sanctuaries of this kind scattered across town. At the opposite end of the Klang Valley is Calibrate Small Space.

Located in SS2, PJ, this is yet another café that embraces its constraints with a certain ingenuity. Half a shoplot, no more.

Yet it accommodates comfortable seating; an occasional, revolving series of artworks (a nod to how single origin beans are rotated in specialty coffee shops, perhaps?); and a warmth that owes as much to its staff as to its coffee.

Here, we opt for a trio of coffees. First, a long black. The flavour is bold; there is no attempt to soften its edges. 

In a kopitiam, we’d call this kaw and mean it as a compliment.

Or, as M.F.K. Fisher once described it: “Fresh as the springtime, black as death, strong as a long-gone lover’s arms.”

Another dirty latte follows. Served in a thick glass, condensation tracing its surface, this tastes more robust than NCC’s version yet retains a natural sweetness from the cold milk.

It is the sort of drink that encourages one to slow down, to look around. The longer we sit, the more the room begins to offer itself. For instance, the walls, though white, are far from bare.

On a previous visit to Calibrate, we had fun reading the various illustrations of Chinese proverbs, from “Ghost fighting ghost” to “Kicking it all with one foot”. Moments of recognition and amusement abound.

We couldn’t leave without ordering their signature Citrus Sunset. A flirtation more than a drink, bright with the optimism of orange and the sharper insistence of espresso beneath.

Even with a thin slice of dehydrated orange as garnish, it is, in essence, iced espresso and orange juice. 

Yet a sip reveals more than that; this is playful, certainly, something like a memory of summer.

In cafés such as these, there is no urgency, no unrelenting rush. No obligation to commit to a full meal or negotiate a menu; a cup of coffee will do nicely, taken slowly, as though time itself has been given permission to stretch.

The window becomes a theatre, the street outside a distant suggestion rather than a demand. 

Here, in this sanctuary from the crowds, you can sit with all your deep thoughts, or with none at all, and feel fine in either case.

Once again, we turn to the redoubtable M.F.K. Fisher. As she put it: “I observe and wonder, discreetly, without being the center of anyone else’s observations... When you are invisible, all possibilities are imagined. Meal over, espresso finished... I made my way home.”

This is what we have discovered: the small café does not hurry you along. It seems, instead, to conspire in your idleness, making a quiet case for the simple pleasure of staying put just a little longer.

noconnection.coffee (NCC)

9, Jalan Goh Boon Hong, 

Taman Taynton View, 

Cheras, KL.

Open daily (except Thu closed) 9am-5pm

Phone: +60 12-426 1848

https://www.instagram.com/noconnection.coffee/

Calibrate Small Space

10, Jalan SS2/103, 

SS2, PJ.

Open daily 7am-7pm

Phone: +60 17-370 8325

https://www.instagram.com/calibrate.ss/

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

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