I’ve never been one to take notice of a luxury brand’s F&B openings – and they seem to be in the in-thing in recent times. I can’t even begin to tell you how many pop-ups there were when we lived in Seoul (all of which I never went to – ha!). They’ve never been on my list either as an eatery to try (yes, I keep a list and it seems as if it keeps getting longer and longer by the week). I mean, do luxury brands really need to open up food outlets? Is it even in their forte?
When I got the invite to a tasting at The Coach Coffee Shop APW Bangsar, I was intrigued. Would a known luxury brand also score in the food department? Living up to my Mama name, I took up the invite and headed to APW Bangsar.
First impressions
Decked out in earthy, neutral tones, along with greenery, the al fresco dining area was inviting and roomy. The seating in the inside dining area on the other hand, was limited but intimate. I was immediately distracted and was pulled to the merch shelves – they have the cutest college level starter kit (in my opinion at least, and I will put it out there that I’m a sucker for stationery!) – tote bag, zip-up case, note book, and water bottle.
It’s all about the food
Reminding myself that I was there to taste the food at The Coach Coffee Shop and not to shop(!), I restrained myself and obediently looked at the menu. The menu is small, but offers up hot sandwiches, bakery treats, beverages, and soft serve.
The hot sandwiches available are Reuben, Beef Hotdog, Grilled Cheese and Egg Sandwich. I ordered the Grilled Cheese and it was really good. The house-made sourdough was crispy, whilst the cheddar and mozzarella were oozy, and together it was grilled cheese heaven! The side that accompanied the sandwich was a heap of crisps. These too are made in-house and they were so delicately sliced – super thin – that I couldn’t stop munching on them.
One thing to note here, is that the portions are H-U-G-E! One order of sandwich can easily be shared by two – except maybe for the Egg Sandwich.
I wasn’t able to try the Reuben and Egg Sandwich (recall the size portion) but the folks at The Coach Coffee Shop APW Bangsar were kind enough to pack them for me to-go. Well then, that’s the teen’s dinner sorted!
“The Reuben was very generous in its serving of beef and had a spicy kick to it. The taste wasn’t what I was expecting but it was nice and all the seasoning were balanced well. The Egg Sandwich was very creamy and fluffy but was a bit bland,” the teen.
I ordered an Iced Chocolate which came as a DIY kit. You can decide how much chocolate syrup you’d like in the chilled fresh milk – this is such an American way of doing it. And then there’s the ‘C’ ice cubes (branding, branding, branding!). These are made to take its time to melt so that your Iced Chocolate remains cold and doesn’t taste diluted by the end of your meal. We are after all in the tropics!
To cap off the meal, of course it had to be the soft serve from The Coach Coffee Shop. The Flight offers up a tasting/sampler of the 4 available flavours in-house – Cereal, Key Lime Pie, Pepperoni Pizza (which is only available at the APW location) and Peanut Butter & Jelly. If you don’t know by now, I simply love mini options so that you can taste more of what’s on offer!
My favourites were the Key Lime Pie – zesty and zingy, and the Peanut Butter & Jelly – this is also very American, I mean it’s PBJ! The Cereal was a bit too milky for my taste whilst the Pepperoni Pizza was a bit too ‘out there’ for me as a dessert.
I also took home a Raspberry Glaze Cruller and a Lemon Curd Donut. These were too sweet for me as a dessert on their own. I would imagine though, that they would go down a treat with a cup of coffee.
Does The Coach Coffee Shop make the cut?
I’ve always told the then kid never to judge a book by its cover as a line to live by. And here, The Coach Coffee Shop certainly made me eat my words. The food on offer is certainly on par with many known cafes in the Klang Valley. Not only that, the pricing is friendly on the wallet too. Although the menu is small, what they do have on the menu is more than ample for a meal, and they do them well.
I can see plenty of families with young ones and teens heading to The Coach Coffee Shop for a meal. The food is picky-eater, kid, and teen friendly not forgetting the portions are huge enough for everyone to share in.
Yes, The Coach Coffee Shop definitely makes the cut!
We were invited by The Coach Coffee Shop. As always, our opinions are honest and our own.
