Jalan Sultan is a busy heritage street in downtown KL, full of pre-war shophouses. These one of a kind shophouses carry the flavour of KL’s history, but many of them are in danger of falling apart. Preserving the buildings on Jalan Sultan has now become the quest of a whole new generation of KL-ites, who have stepped up to the plate.
Leaf & Co. is a café that’s located at a prominent corner of historic Jalan Sultan. The upper floors are occupied by a hostel called Mingle, which also manages Leaf & Co. on the ground floor.
The first thing you’ll notice about this café is its eclectic mix of old and new. The interior has such an interesting vibe to it, neither too hipster nor too ‘kopitiam’. As you walk in, you’ll notice plenty of modern embellishments, like the artistic wall made of cement bricks. However, if you stay longer you’ll start to notice several original parts of the building have been preserved, such as the Terrazzo tiles from the 70s, the large side entrance steps and even the chipped cement walls.
Leaf & Co. has also added a few touches reminiscent of the olden days, like a vintage swing (very popular with the kids) and antique furniture. What really caught my eye when I visited was the table I sat on, which was an old mahjong table, complete with those tiny drawers that were used to store betting money. The courtyard in the middle is open air, which lets in plenty of natural light, which is great for photos.
There was a mix of locals and tourists when I arrived. This café serves a full menu of pasta, sandwiches and mains. Their local selections were especially popular with tourists. Their rice sets include things like beef rendang served with rempah rice, curry chicken with rempah rice, chicken satay with sambal fried rice and buttermilk fried chicken with fried rice.
I chose to go with pasta that day and chose the spaghetti carbonara with mushrooms and chicken slices. I loved that they were generous with the portions. Another dish we had was sautéed mushrooms with herb rice. The mushrooms were cooked in a dark sauce that had a tinge of tartness to it, which I guess maybe Worcestershire sauce (but I could be wrong).
In the end, I was rather happy that their menu had vegetarian and vegan friendly items all over the place. It’s also pork and alcohol free, which makes it welcoming to all faiths. All rice dishes, pasta and sandwiches are priced between RM18- RM25.
A glass of iced chocolate finished off our meal here. The surroundings and vibe of this place made it special, largely due to the wonderful aesthetics. The only setback would be that this place lacks easy parking. The nearest parking lots are located opposite the road and cost about RM10 per hour, so maybe you can consider using your ride sharing app or take the train to the nearest station (Plaza Rakyat).
- Address: 53, Jalan Sultan, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Phone: +603-2020 2220
- Opening Hours: Monday - Friday 10:30 - 22:00, Saturday & Sunday 08:30 - 22:00
