JEQ in the House

I live to eat, can you believe it? I googled JEQ in the House and there were some posts of guitars and knick-knacks here and there. The co-owner, Jason told us that they actually designed the entire place themselves. They have done a splendid job indeed because the moment I came in on that very Saturday, I was on a photo-taking frenzy! There was a rusty and old looking blue chest next to the door. Beside it, was a bar table with a guitar on top. Obviously, the 'supermodel' in me would sit on the tall stool and I immediately requested the friendly waiters to take photos for me. 

At the right of the entrance, is a rustic wooden shelf and cabinet with some knick-knacks like a treasure box and a few small pots of flowers. I am just a fan of rustic decoration, come on, it rocks! 


I met the friendly, generous and cute owner, Jason. He explained to us non-stop and answered every single question of ours. 

They use Coffee Man Roasters beans to make all the coffee here. We had the privilege to see Patrick, the barrista, at work. Patrick was so kind to oblige to my special request of making every single one of our coffee and even matcha come with unique design on the foam. 

First up was my Cappucino (RM 9) which happened to be served in my second favourite colour, red. For me, to test any coffee in any coffee bistro or cafe, Cappuccino is first choice and once it disappoints, I believe you would know what is the rest and this, I tell you, is incredible. The design on the foam is also quite special, something like those Indian flowers. The cappuccino is just nice. I could taste the coffee inside and there was not too much milk inside, which was like, thank god, since I hate milk. 

Cappuccino (RM 9) 

Having a cuppa here is the most amazing thing to do whether it is to hang out with friends or just basically chill alone. The interior and layout is specially designed so that every furniture is strategically placed so that when one sits on the sofa, one can see the bamboo shoots outside. If you change your sitting position and sit near the bar, you will get another view. It was so insightful of the owners to even think of this! 

My other friend, ordered the Flat White (RM 10) which to me, was like Valentine's Day in a cup. For coffee lovers like me, we love getting loved through our coffee. So a tiny advice for the boys out there who are out hunting for coffee lovers, show your love through coffee! It kind of reminds me of a Youtube Video I saw a few months ago, titled "Conversations Over Coffee" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkowjjnRRSg), a delightful romance short story film about a shy barrista falling in love with his customer who always comes for his coffee. So when this coffee was served to my friend, I immediately told her, that this is good feng shui, as the barrista clearly presents her with love in his coffee. 

Flat White (RM 9) 

Sorry if I seem like boring you too much with all this coffee talk. I guess by now, you more than guess the coffee mania in me. 

Caffe Latte (RM 9) was also served in a yellow cup, this time in another special design, curvy and looks like Balinese design to me. It looks like leaf creating ripples in the water. I guess my imagination is quite wild.

Caffe Latte (RM 9) 

When the Hot Chocolate (RM 9) came with the world's cutest teddy bear on the foam, you could imagine the child in me was literally jumping with delight! The bear is so cute and reminds me of some cartoon or animation. Staring at the bear totally made my day! The chocolate is very thick, meaning a thick on Catherine's Hot Chocolate Checklist! Way to go, and thanks a lot Patrick for doing this for us! 

Hot Chocolate (RM 9) 

The V60 Coffee Filter was quite an amazing experience to look at. It took almost 10-15 minutes for all the coffee to be filtered properly. I used to like looking at it followed by a longing to drink it. However, after tasting filtered coffee in coffee plantation in Bali and also at Artisan Coffee, I realized that they are not that great and too bland and diluted for me. I prefer my coffee thick rather than watery and diluted. According to Jason, filtered coffee is not in the menu and usually coffee lovers will specially request for this once they see the heavy coffee machines behind the counter. 

The Coffee Bomb (RM 16) was the best of them due to the special frozen coffee which looks like a big bomb like a hiroshima bomb, in a glass. There was a small bottle of cold milk that comes with it. I feel that this one is better than some that I had tasted in Publika. The entire bottom of the glass is made into a big dark bomb containing espresso and a chocolatey bottom. This ended up as my favourite coffee here due to the deep taste of coffee inside yet it is not as bitter as solely espresso. 

Coffee Bomb (RM 16) 

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Mushroom Chicken Pot Pie (RM 16) was the first main dish that came. I was delighted as it was my first choice off the menu. It consists of crispy pastry topping filled with warm and creamy sauce, savoury chicken, corn and mushroom. The dish looks spectacular. It was my first time seeing Chicken Pot Pie done in a star design, I mean, who designs pies so creatively anyway? Even the first stuffed seafood stew pie I had tried in Dome KLCC just had a plain round shape and never a star! It is difficult to design pies since the pastry is soft. So this pie definitely deserves a Pie Award if there is one! The stew inside is fantastic, thick and creamy and the best is that it is not overly salty like some that I have tried. 

 Mushroom Chicken Pot Pie (RM 16) 

All the savoury items and food are made by Carol who is also the baker who makes all the cakes here by hand! Well, once you taste the food here, you can tell that she has done an amazing job! 

After that bear delight, we were delighted even further by the Pizza of the Day (probably RM 19) whereby the flavour was not even in the menu of JEQ which was only opened since January 2015. For a person like me who is fussy on pizzas, this one has definitely made me really happy. According to Jason, Carol makes pizza with different toppings. I guess it goes with her feelings so it is kind of interesting this way rather than having a fixed menu all the time. This time round the pizza consists of turkey ham, capsicum, cheese and last but not least, Jason adds with a grin, LOVE. Love is the secret ingredient which makes any dish tasty and shall I say, supernatural? It results in a very crispy pizza which beats the ones we usually eat in the normal big international franchises. I never am a fan of franchises anyway. 

JEQ Pizza of the Day (RM 19) 

Whenever I see that a cafe menu contains Egg Benedict (RM 18), I could not help myself from ordering as it is one of my favourites. But then, once this disappoints me, I would then go on and on on terrible it is. It turned out to be the best and comparable to another cafe which serves this too. The egg yolk oozes out like it was supposed to. There were slices of 3 tantalising turkey ham on top. I really like the way the chef has spread the sauce artfully around it. The price of RM 18 is well worth it. 

Egg Benedict (RM 18)

Spicy Crivette Agio Olio (RM 26) is pan-fried spaghetti with fresh seafood, garlic, extra virgin oil and chilli flakes was simply satisfying. It was not too oily like what people normally do to olio spaghetti. The 2 big mussels and also prawns were amazing and so fresh. We finished every strand of spaghetti! 

Spicy Crivette Agio Olio (RM 26)

By the time The Big Breakfast (RM 24.90) came, we were too full to the brim. We braced ourselves and assure ourselves that it is not every day that we eat so much. It came with a foot-long sausage, herb-mushrooms on top of french baguette, omelette, 2 pieces of turkey ham and also canned beans. The star item is the omelette, which was again, luckily, done the way I like it. It was soft and not overdone and too oily like how most people do it. I also liked the button mushrooms on the bruchetta which was cooked with herbs. 

Finally, after this big breakfast,  the much awaited Green Tea Latte (RM 10) finally arrived. At first I wondered what is it and after a while of staring, I realized is was Monster Inc.! Sorry couldn't blame me for being ignorant when it comes to cartoons as I am not real follower of cartoons! I was so happy that Patrick actually did the cartoon design to appease me due to, my longing to see the design on green tea latte, ever since I saw it done on the one at Strangers at 47 which is a few units away. 

Green Tea Latte (RM 10) 

Are we cruel? We are digging into the Monster's eyes! 

Yippee, it's finally dessert time! THE Tiramisu Cake (RM 16) arrived. For the first time in my life, I can safely say, I am addicted to this. This is due to the caramelized crushed almond and macadaemia which provide the crunch for every bite I took. I also liked the strong coffee taste which came from soaked espresso that formed the ingredients for the cake. Another super big thumbs up. All coffee and tiramisu lovers, this is THE PLACE TO GO! 

Tiramisu Cake (RM 16)

The Macadaemia Cheese Cake (RM 14) is creamy and done just the way most cheese cake lovers would like it. The layer of biscuit crumbs at the bottom was also thicker than usual. For me, it is pretty unfair to comment on cheese cake because I am not a big fan of cheese cakes. So I shall leave it as it is. All I can say is that they do not stinge on macadaemia nuts which were layered in whole nut sizes on top. 

Macadaemia Cheese Cake (RM 14)

Surprisingly, JEQ also serves wine and alcohol. Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! But it is true! The owners have hand-picked a few of their favourites to be sold to customers by the bottle. This is because they are not a wine house so patrons cannot just buy wine by the glass. The wines available currently are Red Wine Hahn Winery Pinot Noir California 2012 and also White Wine Rustenberg Stellenbosch Chardonnay 2012. Of course my favourite Somerset Apple Cider is available too. 

We had so much fun on that day  - making new friends, chatting, bantering and discussing our top favourite topic on the FOOD and DRINKS in front of our very eyes. 

I am definitely making a comeback for my Egg Benedict, Coffee Bomb, Heavenly Tiramisu and also Pizza of the Day. This is the perfect place to hang out with friends and family or also for organizing reunions and gatherings. Perfect for all occassions including photoshoots. If you like rustic and vintage environment, then you have landed yourself in the correct place. To top if off, spinning from the old records, the 1950s and vintage music are blasting softly. I was so happy to listen to my all-time favourite song, Cuando Cuando while sipping my cappuccino and thinking, what a fantastic way to kick off the day! 

Anyone should head here to chill and unwind after a long day at work. It is very tranquil and peaceful to sit by the glass window and enjoy the view of bamboo shoots opposite and also soaking the sights of passerbys in front of you. Also, this is a respite from all the hustle and bustle of the city, neatly tucked in the section 17 enclave, out of the traffic zone. 

Oh, and if you are too bored, you can chat with any of the affable barristas and who knows, he might make a beautiful design on your coffee specially for you! 

Details about JEQ in the House: 

Address: No. 19, Jalan 17/45 Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
Tel: 03-7932 2261
Opening Hours: Mon-Fri: 11 am - 11 pm, Sat-Sun: 11.30 am - 11 pm
Website: www.jeq.my

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeqinthehouse/info