Hipsterism is alive and thriving at the old printing factory, APW. The acronym remains the same, but what was once Art Printing Works has been restyled as A Place Where. This eating destination is lined with cafes and eateries with diverse cuisines from around the world. You’ll find Italian, Mexican, Japanese, brunch and more under a single steel roof.
Pulp
This cafe has an odd name that sounds like a juice bar, but Pulp specialises in coffee and pastries. Pulp has a small menu of breakfast food, but nothing looked too tempting.
Breakfast Thieves
Brunch seekers will likely fall into Breakfast Thieves instead of Pulp. This cafe is much larger, with abundant indoor and outdoor seating. The brunch menu at Breakfast Thieves also spans more than the standard eggs and waffles. Cakes and pastries are in the chilled cabinet inside that are not listed on the menu. Water is free at this cafe and comes in a large amber bottle. We weren’t hungry, so we only stopped here for drinks and a snack.
Price for 2 Pax: RM46.40
Ong Lai Pineapple Juice: RM15.00
Long Black: RM10.00
Earl Grey Genoise Cake: RM15.00
10% Service: RM4.00
6% SST: RM2.40
Bask
Bask is a rammed, little cafe that specialises in one thing and one thing only: burnt cheesecake. They have a very short list of Japanese lattes and coffees by other popular Bangsar cafes like Niko Neko.
Hokie Pokie Ice Cream
This small ice cream counter next to Bask has eight flavours, two of which contained alcohol. There are slight changes in the ice cream lineup depending on the day. The flavours on this day were pretty basic, but their descriptions were cheeky.
Olivia’s Deli
An al-fresco vibe and Spanish-style tapas make Olivia’s Deli ideal for grazing with friends. Cheese platters, small plates and cold cuts will make for an expensive meal if you’re aiming to get a full meal’s worth.
Kaiju
Kaiju is a flashy place with pink neon and a long naga menacingly hanging from the ceiling. This restaurant dedicated to the smash-happy monsters has a Japanese menu. Kaiju is for when you’re really hungry. There are so many interesting things on their extensive menu that you’ll want to try a bunch of things.
Flat Earth Tacos
Flat Earth Tacos brings under-represented Mexican food to the area. The walls can only fit their kitchen, so all the seating is outdoors at this restaurant. While I was taking a photo of the above menu, a staff member informed me that the place was closed. Flat Earth Tacos seems to unofficially close in the middle of the afternoon and re-opens at 5 pm.
Proof & Grano
Anyone craving Italian comfort food should head to the double restaurant, Proof Pizza + Wine and Grano Pasta Bar. It’s a carb overload with lots of pasta and artisan pizzas, cooked in a special wood-fired oven.
Jushi
Jushi, a Japanese western fusion cafe, is hidden at the end above a short flight of concrete stairs. Look for the door with the circular window to find this cafe.
Toilets at APW Bangsar
The toilets are at the end of the lane, past Flat Earth Tacos and on the left. A large communal sink separates the women’s and men’s cubicles. The cubicles are roomy with sitting toilets, toilet paper and lots of ventilation.
Saturday Worthy?
APW Bangsar is the ultimate hipster hangout with art galleries, trendy cafes, and stylish people. I saw a guy wearing shorts with pink flamingoes on them and he still looked cool as fuck. Even if you don’t know anything about art and your style is more t-shirts and flip-flops, there are a lot of cafes to try here. APW Bangsar is a relaxing, if not crowded, hangout venue.