"W" Espresso Sporting Club

Taking a short break from studying for semester finals (I have my last paper for the semester tomorrow) so I thought I'd do a post about a new cafe that recently opened up in the Danga Bay area.

The "W" Espresso Sporting Club is from the same people who brought you Monsta Cafe in Taman Bukit Indah. The second and new branch has a totally different concept and feel than the former. I personally love the name because anything with three words in its title just sounds classy. For example: the Social Book Club or the Blue Pelican House. Yep I totally just made those names up. Anyways, this new joint has a rustic, sort-of no frills, organic feel to it. I can't quite put my finger on one adjective but one thing is for sure.. It's as hipster as hipster can be. Monsta Cafe has a relaxed vibe to it but "W" is more polished and sophisticated.

One of the co-owner Yuan Feng, is a 25 year-old business graduate from London, who runs the show at the cafe. He is also one of the well-known award-winning baristas around and it shows in his work. Chatting with him shows that he is intense in his vision and he's serious about what he does. He and his team drew up the whole concept of the outlet, located within the Country Garden Danga Bay commercial row.

I was lucky enough to have a mutual friend invite me over for a food-sharing session with a few other bloggers on the outlet's first day of operations recently. The food was prepared by their chef who has experience working at the Fullerton Hotel, Singapore and drinks brewed by Yuan Feng himself.

A notable effort will be their 32-page menu printed on good quality paper, which resembles a magazine. He said that it took them five months to conceptualise, take photos and produce the menu and customers are allowed to take them home because it offers more than just a list of food and drinks. It includes short write ups and interesting illustrations and the edition changes from time-to-time.

A quick look of how Monsta Cafe looks like before we move on to the new branch.




Hello distorted coffee art.

From the opening:













Yuan Feng at work.






Started with coffee demonstrations first.




Our table.










Mushroom soup. I love the surprise raviolis hidden in the soup because a blast of flavours just bursts into your mouth when you chew into it - a welcomed contrast against the smooth mushroom soup.


Canapes.


Exotic fruit and shrimp salad. Refreshing and crunchy!






Grilled chicken on a bed of yam mash. Such a beautiful shade of purple! We were served another version on potato mash as well.


Mom's Topshop basic black top; Cotton On skirt; Marie Claire wedges

There were two more dishes but I had to leave before they were served so these are all the food pictures I have. I must say that the food is flavourful and fresh from what we usually have at these type of cafes. But I should also note that I would have preferred the mushroom soup to have more texture instead of blended like it was served that night. It was a little too smooth for me as I prefer to have bits and pieces of mushroom I can chew on. But overall, it was a good experience.

The cafe kind of clinched it for me when I heard them playing The XX on vinyl in the background. Talk about taste! The "W" people really know what they're doing. So if you're up for a relaxed night out or just want to sit by yourself in the corner typing away on your laptop (sort of what I have been doing lately), this might be the place for you.

A memorable quote from Yuan Feng, "People no longer want to just pay for food and drinks, you can get that everywhere. What people want is the experience, to stand out. So we're not just selling food and beverages, we're selling an experience."

♥