soft shell crab secrets and pasta

#cityplaybook I’ve been a regular at this café in Kota Kemuning for years, back when I was teaching nearby and working out in the area. Two dishes that always bring me back are their pesto and aglio olio pasta. The pesto bursts with a strong herby, earthy, and nutty aroma that really hits the spot for me, while the aglio olio has been locally adapted and is packed with flavor. Here’s a little secret: the menu only lists one pasta with soft shell crab, which is a spicy, lemongrass-flavored dish. It tastes good but has a fibrous texture and lemongrass bits in the sauce that I don’t love. If you want soft shell crab with other pastas, just ask the staff to add it on. This option isn’t on the menu because I requested it years ago, and it’s still in their system. The current price for the crab add-on is around RM13. The size of the crab varies — sometimes it’s as big as in the picture and is usually fresh without much fishy smell. When it comes to coffee, I recommend going for the Driver blend instead of the pricier house blend, which is darker roasted but likely made from lower quality beans. Driver offers a full-bodied and bold flavor that suits the Malaysian palate well. The watermelon rose cake is tasty, though I don’t get why it’s made so tall. It’s not obvious from the photo, but the height makes it tricky to eat without it toppling over and makes it hard to get all the flavors in one bite, which diminishes the overall experience. Almost all the cakes here are good, albeit a bit pricey. My sister also likes their salted egg croissant — it’s not the flakiest, but it has plenty of rich salted egg flavor.