Chawan, Bangsar, Jln Telawi 3

For those familiar with Bangsar, Jalan Telawi eateries, Chawan is situated at the corner lot, formerly Devi's... opposite Bangsar Village. 

Quite a stylish up-market kopi tiam... minimalist decor, ample tables both indoor and out along the walkway. Spacious and airy. 

Chawan which means cup in Malay, has a menu that comprises of everyday local delights from all around the country. The coffee selection is extremely interesting. You will find coffee from Kemaman, Batu Pahat, Ipoh, Sabah etc. Quite a change from your usual Arabica beans, or fancy branded coffee names from Colombia, Ethiopia to Brazil etc. What more, Chawan provides a description of each local coffee flavor. Available hot or cold. I chose the Kemaman coffee, which was buttery and smooth... almost with the intensity of buttermilk. So yummy... My friend sampled the Ipoh coffee, which tasted a bit watered down after the Kemaman, but still have this sharp local coffee taste.

Since, I haven't had my lunch,  ordered the nasi lemak bungkus. The rice was very fragrant, warm, anchovies was crispy accompanied with a generous amount of peanuts and sambal. The sambal was the typical "cili giling" sweet type of sambal... so shiok.

Then, we sampled the pisang bakar with sambal and grated coconut. I thought the banana was suppose to be fritters, which is quite common in Batu Pahat... yes, goreng pisang served with rojak sauce or sambal. This is quite peculiar for me and the taste was quite weird... sambal with pisang "lembek" (soft) because it is cooked over charcoal fire. On the other hand, it went really well with the grated coconut. Still a very good attempt at a dual i.e. sweet and savory tea time snack. 

The keropok lekor was very nice... fresh and chewy. Keropok lekor is made out of fish and before is fried looks like a long piece of sausage. It has to be kept refrigerated, otherwise it will go bad. It is cut into slices before frying. Once fried, it is crispy outside and chewy inside... and of course, taste like fish keropok but more satisfying and especially good with a good sweet chilly sauce.

Chawan is not your regular mamak or kopitiam when it comes to prices. Not surprising. The nasi lemak bungkus was RM3 but I think it is worth it, since you are really paying for premium quality.

As we were walking out from Chawan, can't help but to spy around... the curry laksa looks good too... Must come back. : )