Journal by Plan B

Journal by Plan B’s hanging chairs were inspired by Brother Baba Budan in Melbourne.

The Big Group’s Benjamin Yong.

Inspired by the surreal ceiling installation of Brother Baba Budan in Melbourne, Journal by Plan B has the makings of an artisan Australian coffee shop with Malaysian proclivities. Stocking coffee beans from three continents, the café roasts and grounds its sun-dried Brazilian Santos, Ethiopian Sidamo, and Sumatran Mandailing blend in-house. Along with traditional breakfast sets, bold fusion options including kimchi chicken spaghetinni and duck confit-and-orange salad are on offer. Opened in 2012, Journal by Plan B is part of the wildly successful Kuala Lumpur-based Big Group, with six Plan B locations preceding it. Journal by Plan B distinguishes itself from the pack with its unique design identity, curated by the group’s owner Benjamin Yong, himself. Hanging chairs are sourced from Malaysian school-rooms, worn typewriters hail from local furniture shops, and medicine jars labeled alcohol and ether decorate bare gray shelves. The shop has an intimate, open-air vibe, with half-indoor-and-half-outdoor seating, replete with overstuffed couches and high-backed chairs. Service is attentive and professional, serving customers their morning fuel while they strategize their Publika jaunt. For more from the Big Group, wander to Ben’s Independent Grocer in the basement for more than 200 certified organic grocery products and gourmet, ready-to-eat meals.

Publika, Level G2, 1 Jalan Dutamas 1, Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur; 603/6205-5318; Journal by Plan B