Return to Merchant's Lane

That rustic surrounding …

It must have been three years since I last been to this cafe. It is a favourite among my KLickr friends with its rustic decor and rather hidden location, a nice place to wind down away from the hustle and bustle of daily grind. In the those time, the place had also gained popularity and getting a seat there can be a pain especially if you came in a big group.

Straight after saying goodbye at the McDonald’s in Bukit Bintang, a few of us took the MRT at the nearby stop, travelled a couple of stops down towards Pasar Seni and came out right in the middle of Chinatown. A 10 minutes walk through the scenic shops, right at the edge of Jalan Petaling, and we were there. Merchant’s Lane is tucked away on top of a shop with an assuming wooded door opening into a steep staircase up to the cafe floor. If you were not familiar with the place, you might miss it.

Waiting for our table - photo courtesy of Zol Muhamad

Full house

So, to get the eight of us to sit together, the waiting was almost 20 minutes. And even then, we had to share a small table as the other spots were already taken. But it was worth it.

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The menu also seemed more interesting with items like “The Mistress”, “Kalau Aku Kaya” and “Better than Sex”. And the taste were quite compelling as well.

Have the place lost its charm? I have to say that it has not. Leaving the place made me yearn to return. Too crowded that lunchtime, I wished I could be there late morning for brunch and enjoy its charm. I had to leave earlier than the rest of the group since I promised to attend a book launch at Ruang. That’s a 15 minutes stroll from Chinatown towards Medan Pasar.