KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 14 — Cities evolve, changing with development and of course, people’s tastes. Going as far back as the 1900s, Jalan Sultan was one of the earliest settlements for those who flocked to the city.

Most of us often associate Jalan Sultan with Nam Heong chicken rice which has been served since the 1930s, shops selling Chinese tea or even derelict shophouses. In 2013, there was public furore when Lok Ann Hotel was compulsorily acquired by the government for the development of the MRT.

Things have died down somewhat since then and life goes on along the busy street that is adjacent to the bustling Chinatown.

Nowadays, the street is attracting a different crowd; young cafe-hoppers who frequent two new places — The Front Door Cafe at Grocer’s Inn and Einstein Cafe — on this street. They both join the already-opened Coffee Amo which has built a reputation for its 3D-latte art. The two cafes, a few doors from each other, are both run by newbies to the F&B industry.

The Front Door Cafe started purely by chance. About five months ago, high school friends Sarah Chan, Wai Hong and Basil Tan, all aged 24, dreamt of opening up their own cafe. The idea was mooted by Wai Hong who was all fired up with the cafe idea after a work stint at The Good Batch in Damansara Uptown.

From left to right: Wai Hong, Joshua Tan and Sarah Chan, part of the quartet behind The Front Door Cafe

Their dreams turned into reality when a space was found. Sarah’s father who runs Grocer’s Inn, a homestay for backpackers on Jalan Sultan, decided to take up the option to sub-let the space when the previous tenant, Sinn Optical Co, left.

His initial plan was to run a cafe targeted at the backpackers but later, he decided to pass it to Sarah to run the place. “Initially, we said let us do this in two years’ time but this girl made it happen,” said Wai Hong. Renovations was initiated by Sarah who also runs her own home décor and furniture business.

Eventually, the trio were joined by another partner, Joshua Tan, who is a friend of Wai Hong’s.

Long corridors upstairs lead to The Grocer’s Inn, the backpackers home stay (left). Expect a mix of industrial-like chairs and upcycled furniture sourced from Industry, which is also owned by Sarah Chan (right)

The cafe is housed in a magnificent Neo-Classical three-storey building that was built in 1931. According to information from Badan Warisan, the building houses the Selangor Grocer’s Guild which is a trade association that looks after the interests of Cantonese speaking grocers, retail traders and sundry shop owners.

Walk up the Grocer’s Inn to discover an impressive chandelier and a rooftop terrace

Walk upstairs where the backpackers home stay is located and you will find the place is well kept with a magnificent chandelier and old photographs from a long forgotten era. There’s an expansive roof-top terrace complete with a flagpole which offers a sweeping view of Chinatown and the nearby Chin Woo Stadium.

On the ground level, where the cafe is located, look for the simple mantelpiece painted white. It’s decorated with European columns but there are two Chinese characters that name it as the great hall.

Sarah kept renovations to the minimal at the cafe, just stripping the walls of their plaster to expose the raw bricks. New windows were installed but a miscommunication saw the old grills being partially removed. Eventually, she kept half of the window grills intact to give the place a cool unfinished look.

Most of the renovation cost of more than RM150,000 was spent on the rewiring of the place. Decorative touches were added by Sarah using upcycled items from her shop Industry. The biggest decorative item in the cafe is the graffiti grey-and-white wall that was painted by a bunch of Australians.

“The wall was an impromptu one as I had seen a guy sketching at the cafe and told him it’d be nice if he painted the wall,” said Sarah. Even though the guy was leaving in a few days’ time, he returned with three friends who helped paint the wall within two days. The friendly bunch were just paid with coffee and food.

Sarah and Wai Hong admit that when they first started out, they were stressed out trying to figure out if it would work. “All of us have zero experience in running a cafe,” said Wai Hong. The hardest thing was deciding the cafe’s menu. The trio knew they wanted sandwiches. “Our first references we gave was it must be a square sandwich and open-faced.”

The Front Door Cafe’s signature open-faced toasts are served with an assortment of toppings like green apples, grilled orange slices, fried egg and caramelised bananas

They also considered a sandwich bar idea where people could choose their toppings. “It was too much to run and we didn’t want to be a Subway,” added Sarah. After many rounds of tasting, they finally agreed on an assortment of 10 types of open-sandwiches with flavours like pesto, grilled chicken and caramelised orange, or peanut butter and caramelised banana.

Both of them are pleased that many customers enjoy the food. Of course, the cafe-hoppers also love their Instagram-worthy space, taking many shots of the cafe and sharing it on social media. In the future, they hope to introduce grilled cheese sandwiches and prettier cakes to cater to their social media savvy diners. “It’ll be fancier desserts that will be tasty and pretty.”

Einstein Cafe is a cosy spot to grab a vegetarian meal

A few doors away, above Scene Optical, you have Einstein Cafe which is run by soft-spoken Omega Tan, 36. In the beginning, the former salesman had plans to open a franchise cafe with a group of friends. As that idea took too long to materialise, he decided to strike out on his own.

During the renovations of the place, he ran into money difficulties to complete the cafe. Luckily, his friends chipped in to partner him in his first venture.

Omega Tan will also be conducting mathematics classes at the back of the cafe

The cafe has a two-fold purpose. First, it’s a place for coffee with cakes, and secondly, a venue for maths tuition classes. Since January, he started a website that offers online videos to give guidance on maths, which is targeted towards Chinese independent high schools. The website reflects his own experience as a student of the independent high schools, where he noticed his friends had trouble catching up on mathematics, a subject they would fail every year.

He chose this spot since it was a few minutes’ walk from the independent high schools. “I think it’s safer to open here as you will have students, tourists and the office crowd.”

The place takes inspiration from famed German-born scientist Albert Einstein who was a theoretical physicist. You will notice the use of wooden furniture and painted black and white squares, touches that the interior designer had added to emulate a German cafe.

On the half-painted walls, if you look closely, there are snippets of German newspapers added as decorative touches. Everything is handmade from the wooden tables to the long sofa. The interiors are still a work-in-progress as the designer touches up the place when he has free time.

Einstein Cafe also uses old fashioned glassware and plates sourced by their barista (left). Push through the red door and walk up this pretty staircase decorated with black and white squares to discover Einstein Cafe (right)

The menu also reinterprets the famous theory of relativity of E = MC², into a simpler and more delicious formula for “meal x cake x coffee.” It’s also an ovo-lacto vegetarian restaurant where animal flesh is prohibited but dairy and egg products are allowed. The vegetarian slant is a nod towards Einstein’s eating beliefs, and Omega has been a vegetarian for more than 30 years. The affable Omega was helped by his friend’s wife who devised the special vegetarian menu for him.

Expect a compact menu that features Asian rice-based dishes like assam fish, rendang mutton and Nasi Lemak with mock meats of course. You also get Western dishes like spaghetti, burger and fries. A welcome addition for vegetarians is their small selection of pizzas since not many places serve this type of food.

Vegetarian pizzas, like this Four Season variety uses mock meat, green capsicums, black olives and mushrooms

The cafe offers four varieties of pizzas with an assortment of toppings like mock meat, pineapple, mushroom and cheese, all served on a thin crust. The only non-vegetarian exception Omega makes is the mille crepe served in the cafe, even though vegetarian cakes are available. “I’m not very happy with the replacement ingredients they use in vegetarian cakes as it’s not good for health so I rather stick to eggs.”

Pair your meal with coffee that is sourced from a local roaster, The Roast Thing. Adding to the old school appeal, they use old-fashioned teacups, plates and glasses sourced from antique shops.

Both places definitely have hit formula that has attracted a crowd of people to this old heritage area. Who knows... more cafes may be joining the buzz.

The Front Door Cafe 78, Jalan Sultan, Kuala Lumpur. https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Front-Door/1444754155788829

Einstein Cafe 58, Jalan Sultan, Kuala Lumpur. https://www.facebook.com/einstein.cafe.kl