KUALA LUMPUR, June 8 — What makes for a really good grilled cheese sandwich?

For me, the grilled cheese (the “sandwich” part of the name is generally dropped) at Yue Coffee Bar in Cheras is as big a draw as its coffee menu. The right amount of toasting means the sourdough bread is crunchy yet still soft; oozing, melted cheese the bridge between both slices — spectacular!

There’s no one perfect grilled cheese, of course.

When I make grilled cheese at home, three requisites are using sourdough instead of plain white bread, for extra texture; experimenting with a variety of cheeses (at least one flavourful hard or semi-hard cheese, grated, and one soft melting cheese, sliced); and adding honey for a hit of sweetness to what is traditionally savoury.

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The café’s leafy theme begins at the entrance (left). ‘Pain au chocolat’ (right).

Others might prefer employing mayonnaise instead of butter when slathering some form of spread on the bread. Or perhaps add a bit of oil, if pan frying the toast, to increase the smoking point.

Yue Coffee Bar’s grilled cheese has the recognisable marks of a panini press, which allows for consistency when serving customers during a busy day. A side of salad leaves, lightly dressed, ensures some greens in your diet.

Speaking of greens, the café’s leafy theme begins at the entrance. For — despite my admiration of their grilled cheese — Yue Coffee Bar is most identified by the shop’s verdant interior.

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Ferns and elephant’s ear, devil’s ivy and evergreen vines: it’s a garden perfumed by the aroma of freshly brewed coffee.

A cosy space, filled with plants and natural light.

Pastries seem to be the default choice of carbohydrates to go with the coffee. From plain croissants and pain au chocolat to more obscure viennoserie such as buckwheat Nutella, one can have breakfast all day long.

What a cosy space, filled with plants and natural light. How delicious, too!

Back to the grilled cheese. Yue Coffee Bar offers plain (meaning cheese only) or with other ingredients: chicken ham, caramelised onion, mushrooms or homemade pesto. The mushroom is our favourite, for now; the caramelised onion grilled cheese will hit the spot when we fancy something sweet.

Whichever version you decide on, remember to gently blow on each bite before eating. This feels like a sanctified ritual, though Yue Coffee Bar’s grilled cheese arrives at the table at an ideal temperature; you probably don’t have to wait to chomp away.

Slow-brewed filter coffee for an unrushed cuppa.

I am reminded of the grilled cheese scene early in the film Anyone But You: Sydney Sweeney’s character takes an immediate (and mouth-scorching) bite from the sandwich Glen Powell had just plated, seconds from pan-frying it.

It’s common sense, but what’s a rom-com without one person doing something silly and the other laughing, and then finding the amusing episode absolutely adorable?

That might be a tagline for this café: Come for the coffee, savour the grilled cheese, enjoy the space. Everything all adds up.

Above all, the message here seems to be “Take your time.” Which is why more than one customer, possibly regulars, opt for slow-brewed filter coffee for an unrushed cuppa.

The ‘Ugly Cookie’ is nutty and crunchy, especially after being warmed.

The beans used for the pour-over coffee appear to be on a rotating basis. One week, it was The Hub Coffee Roasters; another, we had a lovely brew with coffee beans from The Roast Things.

Besides the aforementioned pastries, we found other other delights in their baked goods display. These include loaves of sourdough and banana walnut bread, bagels and assorted cakes.

Don’t miss out on their “Ugly Cookie” — though its name proves truth in advertising, one shouldn’t forget that looks can be deceiving. This cookie is nutty and crunchy, especially after being warmed.

The Ugly Cookie goes rather well with a chilled glass of Dirty latte, I find. The placid maelström of the espresso shot swirling atop cold milk and cream is spectator art at its finest; all one needs to do is slow down and observe before enjoying the first sip.

Dirty latte (left). The little details matter (right).

Every available crook and cranny appear to be game for the living room gardener. From hanging plants to pots of Monstera, their fenestrated leaves like extra windows for more sunlight, it’s a reminder we can always bring the outside inside.

The picnic chairs facing a lumpy, comfortable sofa. The profusion of framed prints, on the wall and on the floor.

These little details matter. The café functions as an eatery, yes, providing coffee and cookies, cakes and croissants, to feed their customers.

But it is also a haven of sorts, a place to escape too.

To be surrounded by revitalising greenery. To order and to patiently wait for a freshly made grilled cheese sandwich, savoured one bite at a time with a simple flat white, crafted with care.

A simple flat white.

Yue Coffee Bar

46A, Jalan Mutiara Barat 6, Taman Taynton View, Cheras, KL

Open daily (except Thu closed) 9am-6pm

IG: https://www.instagram.com/yuecoffee/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/yuecoffee/

* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.

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