KOPI MELALI - KELAPA GADING

First of all, I would like to apologize to all my readers that I have just got some time to get back to blogging. I have been really busy and occupied with all the tight schedules from my university orientation, resulting in having almost no time to write articles, reviews or even going out to explore new places. In fact, I have been cancelling lots of events and tastings over the recent months. Well, here I am and I hope I can still keep this blog updated with new articles and reviews! Anyways, thank you for always supporting me - even during my hiatus. I really appreciate all of you!

I have spotted and heard about this tiny coffee shop around Mall of Indonesia since quite long ago and I made time to visit Kopi Melali a while ago. I think Kopi Melali is widely known and recognizable by its interior/decor and I have to agree that they did a stunning job by maximizing their tiny space and turning it to a very cozy and homey pretty kind of setting! They reside a small space in a two-story shop house near one of the lobbies in Mall of Indonesia (so they are located outside the mall building). I actually made a visit to their place at night (around 7-8 PM) for a quick meal and I did not really take lots of pictures due to the insufficient outdoor lighting. However, here are some that highlight the heart of their space - the wall that you might have seen around and about in your Instagram feeds:

I really love their decorative theme - having all the elements complementary towards each other. They adopt Balinese culture and incorporating it wit hall the tropical elements. All the illustrations on the wall are hand-painted and I really love the monstera leaves! They really maximize the use of their space by having that stacked lounge area with small round tables and matching cushions. Hearty and comfy!

I went here with my sister and we redeemed our Zomato Gold benefit (1+1 on food), so we only had to pay one for two dishes! They have a very simple range of menu, highlighting their rice bowl for the main course with some additional snacks and beverages (coffee of course!). We initially wanted to try some different variants of their rice bowl. However, since we dropped by at 7-8 PM, they had pretty much run out of some of the ingredients. They only had two options left so we went with one each.

Sambal Matah Rice Bowl (Dory)

Their Sambal Matah variant becomes the best-selling among their rice bowls. I liked their Sambal Matah - it was quite fresh and nice for a scale of a tiny coffee shop like this! However, the dory coating was not the best in terms of texture. It was more to the floury side and needed to be fried a little longer for more touch of crisp.

Aside from their Sambal Matah variant, I also tried the Korean BBQ Version and it was surprisingly quite good! I could taste the character of Korean spices instead of being plain sweet kind of BBQ sauce. Price-wise, I think they are quite fair with the portion which was also fulfilling. Well, of course it was totally even more worth-it with Zomato Gold!

I cannot really say anything about their coffee since you know I cannot really stand that much of coffee for my intake. However, I asked opinions from others who made their visit to Kopi Melali and they said that their coffee is not that strong yet smooth and balanced. Although their space is very small, their place is still very suitable for catching up with friends or colleagues. I even spotted a group of 8-10 people discussing about their fashion projects when I was there that night.

Best wishes for Kopi Melali!

Kopi Melali

Mall of Indonesia Ruko K1, 

Jl. Boulevard Bar. Raya, 

RT.18/RW.8, Klp. Gading Bar.,

Kec. Klp. Gading, Kota Jkt Utara, 

Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta 14240

Opening Hours: 7AM - 9PM

Instagram: @kopimelali

I N S T A G R A M

@richienakata

Z O M A T O

@richienakata