KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 25 — Open faced sandwiches don’t get much fancier than this.

First a generous spread of homemade tofu dressing. Studded with confit garlic and cherry tomatoes; the latter likely oven dried. A few leaves of sweet basil and a good glug of extra virgin olive oil sprinkled liberally over it all.

Now this is what I’d call a proper tartine, not exactly extravagant, given its humble but carefully chosen ingredients, but celebratory, certainly.

It’s worth celebrating, then, that we stumbled upon this relative newcomer to KL’s teeming café and specialty coffee scene:  All Time Roasting Company.

Located in Taman Overseas Union, the shop is just a year old and already has its coterie of customers who range from neighbourhood residents dropping by for their morning cuppa to committed coffee connoisseurs.

The cobalt blue shutters and the terracotta toned tiles on the doorway lead us into a more minimalist space. White walls and washed concrete flooring. The roastery on one side and the coffee bar on the other.

A clutter-free set-up, all the better to appreciate the café and roastery’s coffee. There are three of us; two decide on filter coffee whilst the third prefers a milk coffee.

For the pour-over coffee, our barista first recommends the Ethiopia Cup of Excellence (COE) #21 lot from Arbegona Woreda. 

A natural process coffee, the resultant cup is a vibrant tapestry of zesty bergamot, crisp green apple and delicate lemongrass.

Of course, you could say one can never go wrong with an Ethiopian coffee, but even exemplary beans can be roasted or brewed poorly. Fortunately for us, this is a delightful cup. Splendid, really.

An entirely more adventurous choice is the Thailand Srima Mango. Hailing from Chiang Rai, this light roast coffee first underwent an experimental double-stage anaerobic fermentation.

The barista explains that the beans were co-fermented with fresh mango to develop a juicy, almost tropical flavour. 

Then the coffee was dried using the honey process, leaving a little of the fruit’s sticky mucilage clinging to the beans, bringing with it a deeper sweetness.

For our flat white, the barista recommends a medium roast espresso coffee. In this case, the Brazil beans from Sul de Minas promises a smooth and nutty cuppa when combined with milk.

This is a natural process coffee, so we enjoy a lovely sweetness with flavour notes of dates and almonds. Full body and balanced, with low acidity, this flat white is easy to drink.

We enjoy our coffees with the café’s savoury sandwiches, eschewing the sweeter offerings such as their alcoholic tiramisu and coffee jelly with sea salt cream.

Given that the trending Japanese salt bread is everywhere nowadays, it’s perhaps inevitable that the menu also has shiopan. Here it comes with a side of egg mayo, which reminds us of the filling of tamago sando you can find in all konbini (convenience stores).

There is the aforementioned tofu-based open sandwich, of course. For something heartier, and perhaps a little more indulgent, we try their tuna melt double cheese sourdough toastie.

Ah well. We console ourselves that all that cheese is offset by the protein and omega-3 fatty acids of the fish. (Indulgent doesn’t have to be decadent if you can find some healthy side to allowing yourself something pleasurable.)

Be it bold brews or blissful bakes, All Time Roasting Company has been a pleasant surprise on all fronts. 

Proof, perhaps, that there is no such thing as a glut of coffee shops, only a dearth of ones that do their job well. As far as that goes, All Time Roasting Company hits the mark.

All Time Roasting Company

9, Jalan Awan Hijau 1, 

Taman Overseas Union, KL.

Open daily (except Thu closed) 10am-6pm

Phone: 010-825 9711

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

For more food fables and café chronicles, visit Life for Beginners. 

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

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