Simply delightful hangout
Presenting the Malaysian kopitiam, as seen through the eyes of a gwailo.
TOSS a stone anywhere in the Klang Valley and you’ll probably hit a hipster cafe. Urbandictionary.com explains this as “a subculture of people in their 20s and 30s who value independent thinking, and appreciate art and indie-rock”. The look is “effortless cool” urban bohemian, and this is mirrored by the many cafes here that attempt to do this with artsy or earthy decor.
You get the feeling that these are more hangout places rather than restaurants, often situated in a random location that seems a little out of sync with the rest of the neighbourhood. And yes, it must have good coffee.
Unfortunately, most cafes have opted for a cookie-cutter look of Spartan industrial lighting, cement floors, wooden tables, and mismatched chairs. The look may be minimalist, but most people have no idea that it actually takes a lot of hard work to pull off “effortless cool”.
Which is why it’s so refreshing to see Simply d coming off as cool and hip without even trying.
Brainchild of The Delicious Group chief executive officer Steve Allen, the casual “fast food” joint is a spinoff from the established Delicious Cafe, and is loosely based on the ubiquitous Malaysian kopitiam (coffeeshop).
“Our initial concept for Simply d was not to copy but to create a modern Malaysian way of eating.
“The concept centres around the food, yes, but as we all know, restaurants, kopitiams, and hawker centres are not just about the food,” says Allen, 35, a Brit from Brighton.
“Also, we wanted the outlet to be bright, colourful, and different from every other café in town.
“There are a lot of pop-up, independent cafes coming up in the Klang Valley, but unfortunately, they all look similar and are far too serious! Simply d is a fun brand and that’s why we wanted it to be cheerful and quirky!”
An abstract mosaic pattern decorates the upper walls, while timber panelling makes up the lower half. Custom-made wooden tables are paired with stools that carry fun, quirky messages; the writing is literally on the wall in the form of an extra large fork-and-spoon plus chopsticks table setting that frames Simply d’s menu; minimalist dangling lightbulbs illuminate the space.
The colour scheme is based on the blue that is a signature in Delicious outlets, contrasted against a funky bright orange. “While researching, we looked at what colours induced hunger. Red, orange, and yellow are shades that induce appetite in various surveys, so that was the deciding factor in our colour scheme,” Allen explains.
The kitchen is on display, reminiscent of a scene from a hawker centre (minus the smoke and grubbiness), because he wanted “to create a buzzing atmosphere around the kitchen area”.
What’s interesting is how a lot of items are recycled and reused in a practical manner without compromising on aesthetics.
“The price point for Simply d is very low compared to our competitors, so we looked at how we could maintain this without having to depreciate too much. I had lots of tables and chairs in our store, as well as other fittings, wood, lights, and even kitchen equipment,” explains Allen.
“There was no need to buy new stuff when we could restore some things and make them brand new. Besides, I’ve been brought up not to waste anything!”
A meticulous chef who trained under the renowned Gordon Ramsay no less, Allen has been cooking since he was eight, helping his grandmother prepare tea and cakes back then. Looks like he might be adding interior design to his resume as well: while a designer friend from Britain did help to conceptualise the design, essentially, Allen did what he liked, he says!
“Ultimately, I’m very proud of the design and, hopefully, it can be an inspiration to other restaurateurs. The outlet’s design should have a personal touch and relate back to the people behind the concept, so I’d like to think of Simply d as part of my personality!”
There were a few teething problems, such as self-designed stools with legs that were too small – people kept falling off them!
Allen reassures: “I can promise you now that it’s near impossible to fall off! All this comes with trial and error, and I believe we have damn cool stools unique to us and our brand. Of course, there are limitations with the concept, but it’s not hard to get your head around the problem.”
The concept for the food is a mix-andmatch of local favourites and Western fusion. Allen noticed how Malaysians tend to customise their food when ordering; for instance, you can have three different types of noodles in one bowl or spaghetti in Laksa Simply d’s design is inspired by the Malaysian kopitiam, says allen. photo: MinG THein/Simply d
Johor. This style of food personalisation is carried over into Simply d’s menu, which is a condensed version of the Delicious menu. You can have Pan Mee with spaghetti, Beef Short Ribs Herbal Soup with soba noodles, (Vietnamese) Pho with salmon instead of beef, and the cafe’s interpretation of Thai som tam (salad) with crab claw slivers or Caesar’s salad with tea egg, among others.
There’s no lack of Western fare: beef burgers come with caramelised onions and brioche buns, and sandwiches are generously decked with chicken, avocado and pine nuts, or smoked salmon, capers and cream cheese.
You can even customise your own iced tea or lemonade, or get an ice-blended in peach-tangerine, mango-lychee, green apple, red berry, or lemon flavours.
By the way, for a Western outlet, the Pan Mee comes with a pretty kickass sambal and is highly recommended!
While he tries to listen to customers and the menu has been tweaked to reflect the feedback they get, Allen is conscious of the fact that he cannot please everybody. Otherwise, the quality of the food and the signature of the restaurant will get lost along the way.
“I’ve been in Malaysia for three years and love the food culture here. It’s also the surroundings, the personalities, and other customers (that make the place). So while the design is inspired by a kopitiam, I didn’t want it to be so obvious. I’m quite happy that peo-
a view of the dining area in the Simply d outlet at The Curve. photos: Simply d ple don’t really realise it, but in their subconscious know what we’re trying to do.
“We really hope to make a difference in the KL scene. I know we’ll never be the hipster café that everyone talks about for six months, but hopefully, people will like our clean, healthy style of food that’s much better than just deep fried stuff.
“Our goal was to provide a very casual, affordable, clean living café where the food’s not only tasty but great fun. Our cafe is simple and unpretentious, something I believe is missing in the KL market,” adds Allen.
Well, a quick look at Simply d shows: wooden tables, check; industrial lighting, check; abstract art, check; cool hangout, check. Guess it’s got all the right boxes ticked.
I asked my college-going son whether Simply d qualifies as a hipster cafe and he gave a thumbs up. And yes, it serves a mean cup of coffee too!
Simply d outlets are located at Nu Sentral and Avenue K, Kuala Lumpur; and The Curve, Petaling Jaya.