The Grumpy Cyclist @ TTDI KL

I'm so glad that this is a 4 day working week. Gone with the Monday blues. Happy Malaysia Day everyone.

The Grumpy Cyclist

From the outside, The Grumpy Cyclist looked just like any other cafe.

Upon stepping inside, I immediately felt intrigued by my surroundings. There were loads of stuff happening in here - bicycles, dangling light bulbs, wood and metal structures, retro-looking fittings and you'd surely wouldn't miss the huge container, filled with tools and supplies, meant to be a fully functional workshop, manned by a bicycle therapist.

I gathered that avid cyclist will enjoy the ambiance even more.

It is true. There is a grumpy cyclist. He is none other than one of the co-owner of this cafe himself.

The Grumpy Cyclist was born out of passion for cycling and coffee. Setup by two homies who are both avid cyclist and managed by a clan of very young and enthusiastic team. Of which many of them have worked and trained in some of Klang Valley's notable cafes. Psst: Cycling is not a pre-req to work here.

Coffee (Rm8 - Rm10).

Grumpy Cyclist uses a blend of coffee beans, done by Artisan, but with a hint more character to add. Thegardennomm thought so too.

The Old Bicycle.

Now, this is an experimental dish. It is not in the menu. Baked chicken tucked with melted mozzarella in between, topped with a dollop of pesto and shredded beef bacon.

Some contrasting textures there, I thought the clever use of chewy bacon balanced out the slightly squishy breaded crust. However, the dish could have been better with some other sauces - mustard, barbecue, secret sauce?

Chicken Oh Chicken. Rm20.

This reminded me of a hearty meal, on a rainy day at home, on my couch. That's how I felt.

The roasted chicken thigh was perfect - juicy and tender, over a pour of homemade mushroom sauce, with warm and crisp potato wedges and rocket drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette at the side. We hungrily polished this down to the bone. A little tweak - I'd like a thicker and richer mushroom sauce.

Pesto Pasta with Chicken. Rm19.

Pesto pasta wrapped in sweet basil paste made fragrant with garlic oil. This is slightly drier than your usual pesto dish but that's what I really liked about this one. The chicken was a little dry though. Notwithstanding, this is still one of my top pesto picks.

Crespella. Rm12.

This serving of fluffy chocolate chip pancakes is one of their best sellers here - you have to order this. The best part of it would be the lightly charred and melted chocolate chip base - those were seriously addictive.

Overall Rating: 7.5/10. There's just something really likable about this place, not the garage music though. I can't relate to the bicycles - I don't cycle, but I can definitely relate to the food - I had a great meal here. The chicken main was very hearty; the pasta pesto was exactly the way I liked it; and the pancakes were to die for. The Grumpy Cyclist cooks up a dose of what I call - comfort food.

They will be revamping the shop starting from October onwards and will only be reopening in November. Rest assured though, they will be rolling out a food truck soon. In the meantime, say Hi to the guys if you happen to see them strolling around town. 

The Grumpy Cyclist is located at:

Address: 36, Jalan Datuk Sulaiman, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Phone: +0377311400

Opening Hours: Daily 8am - 11pm. Closed Tuesday.

The cafe is just a few doors away from Table Talk. To read more reviews of places to eat in the TTDI area. Click Here.