There is a new shoplot called 88marketplace in Kepayan. There is a wet market already built but not yet opened for business.
My husband brought me there to drink a cup of coffee for afternoon tea breatk at a coffeeshop called Fu Lin 福临. Was told the shop owns by the ex-partner of Fu Yen富源 in Damai and KK Gaya Street. The coffeeshop style of 福临 is almost similar to Gaya Street富源.
I ordered a cup of kopi-o kurang manis, as usual. I always believe that to drink coffee, I must taste and smell the coffee without covered up by fresh milk, ideal milk or creamed milk.
Most of the time I get disappointed with the local coffee here. After taking one sip, there was no coffee taste and no coffee smell. Either the coffee powder was stale, or the same batch of coffee had been run down by more than one time.
My husband's kopi-c tasted just the same. Looking around, people were drinking, chatting, I think I must be the fussy type who always complain about food in Kota Kinabalu having no varieties and no quality but everyone else except me is happy about what we have here!
The business in the shop was quite good. Mostly small group of men talking and some were government staff who worked in Sembulan like JKR, Treasury and Federal Department where they can conveniently drive here. I saw a group of them left after 4 something. I think it was the right time to go back to the office to punch out.
I wish I can find a place to drink a good cup of coffee. People at my age don't usually go to Starbucks or Coffee Bean for a cup of coffee. It doesn't sound right to pay so much for a good cup of coffee when Malaysia is a country that grows coffee bean.
I remember once I ordered a cup of Cappuccino at Olde Station in City Mall. After my first sip, I knew immediately it was coffee-mix. I went to the bar tender to find out how he made the cappuccino. I was speechless when he honestly showed me the coffee mix which had been pre-mixed and packaged in small plastic bags.
Another time I ordered chocolate milk at Southern Cake House in Damai. I don't know why I am so fussy. I feel that I have the right to drink a freshly made hot drink when I ordered a drink at a coffee house. The chocolate milk tasted like the bottled flavoured milk drink. When I queried the waiter, he showed me Dutch Lady chocolate milk which he poured on the cup and heat up with microwave oven. Phew!!!! I was speechless again.
Anyway, my conclusion is, most people in Kota Kinabalu drink coffee just for the sake of taking a break. It doesn't matter how it tastes.
Where can I buy a good cup of coffee in Kota Kinabalu? I should drop by KK wet market to see whether I can buy fresh and good coffee powder there.
