Kuala Lumpur

This coffeehouse chain is kept close to the heart of coffee drinkers in Kuala Lumpur. There are multiple outlets all across the city, all of which serve great iced drinks that come in handy on a sweltering day.

Occupying a historic shophouse which once served as a brothel, Merchant's Lane is a hip find along tourist-favoured Petaling. The cafe is most sought after for its ambience: patches of paint flaking off the walls and tree roots apparently running straight through one of them all seem to make sense here, creating a deliciously instagrammable locale reputed for its coffee and brunches.

Housed in a bright and airy space with a courtyard, LOKL Coffee Co serves comfort food with an Asian twist. Some of the specialties include buttermilk fried chicken, pulled beef burger and Hainanese meatloaf. Pop in for breakfast, lunch, dinner or just for a coffee. When here, try coffee done in the local way: buttery local blends, hand-filtered and served with sticky-sweet condensed milk.

ChoCha Foodstore in buzzing Petaling Street breathes an air of effortless vintage chic. Its inviting inner courtyard is a true visitor magnet that's rarely vacant, despite being somewhat tucked away. They serve an extensive menu of fusion Western and Malay dishes, all of which continuously receive accolades from patrons. Tea is one of the specialities: try their specialty brews; you will most likely be drawn to the cold brews on a sweltering KL day. Don't resist the pull.

Only using quality coffee beans, Antipodean Cafe serves a good variety of coffees including Vietnamese ice coffee. Besides serving coffee, they also have a café food menu that includes BLT on sourdough bread, salmon fish cakes, shredded chicken salad and a good variety of healthy breakfast choices. If you are craving something sweet, they also have cakes and sweet treats like carrot cake, cashew cakes, raisin loaf and much more.