Secluded Passion Heart Café for Reunion Brunch
Passion Heart Cafe is the best place to have a meal with a childhood friend after parting for over ten years.
I found this cafe on Google with a 4.6 rating, and took a glimpse of its fantastic menu. My instinct told me to choose this cafe for brunch. Kev, one of my childhood friends, picked me up from my place and we headed towards Georgetown. There were only clouds gathered above the island, a marvellous weather for a day out.
The place is relatively easy to look for. If you know where Musion Mansion was, the cafe was just a few streets ahead. A left corner turn from the lively Transfer Road (yup, that’s the name of the road) into the more reserved Jalan A.S. Mansor, where a row of preserved heritage houses lived.
Kev parked his car in front of the yellow and maroon cafe. We thought it was still closed, but there was already a group of customers inside. The potted plant arrangements were like the Lorong Ikan’s NOOK Books & Coffee cafe and the nearby Emily Darling cafe. The blooming red hibiscus and purple bougainvillea among the green lushes proved the owner was an attentive individual.
“What is this place?” An auntie behind me asked, pointing at the cafe’s facade.
“It’s a cafe,” I said.
“I see, I see,” the lady turned to her younger companion, assumingly her daughter. “Did I speak out loud?”
That was… awkward.
After going through the glass door, the brightly coloured scheme and the cushion seats emitted a cosy atmosphere. The two large display racks with a variety of cakes could rival any bakery. Gosh, I might have a problem with choosing one for dessert. The owner kept most of the original design, with the windows as the most obvious part.
What You Can Have There
The menu offered light meals like soup, sandwiches, and pasta. Kev had a pasta craze since his last visit to Lunarich, so we ordered aglio olio and bolognese. We avoided the pesto sauce like the plague, after I had described the colour and the taste. Kev planned to share a plate of sandwich, but the owner suggested not to order too much food.
“Tea would be the best refresher,” I looked through the drinks menu. “We can get chamomile.”
“What does it taste like?” Kev asked.
“Something like chrysanthemum tea.”
Thanks to Agnes, I am hooked on this floral tea.
When my aglio olio came, a light cheesy scent hit my nose. However, the parmesan cheese was covered lightly over the vintage white plate. The cherry tomatoes still had water droplets on the surface, and I could tell the fruit was fresh with one chew. Some aglio olio had excessive oil, but the bottom of this dish was almost clear.
“This tomato sauce tastes delicious,” Kev said, after slurping one fork of bolognese pasta. The noodles were covered in scarlet red tomato pasta. My mom had this cooking technique in which she would extract everything out of the plump tomatoes to keep the redness and flavourful puree. They might use a similar method.
“Really?”
“No kidding. I could eat the whole plate.”
He did. Every single drop of the sauce on the plate was licked clean. Kev hoped to bring his family to this cafe for an appetising meal and a serene atmosphere.
“Aren’t you going to eat your salad?”
Kev was referring to the sliced cabbages. I prefer the side to be eaten separately rather than incorporating it into the main dish.
The Experience
Kev was inexperienced in the tea culture so I helped him in appreciating tea. We could pour the tea into the cups once the bag of dried flowers had submerged in the water for at least three minutes. Placed underneath the nose, the fragrance soothed the nerves. A good cup chamomile tastes the best when it has a strong flavour. This was an enjoyable cup of tea.
We drank the tea while waiting for Kev’s colleague. Kev needed to hand over his item, but the poor fella seemed to be stuck in the traffic. We had about two refills, but the taste remained. Kev bought a slice of tiramisu for his colleague as a form of gratitude.
During our long wait, we had a long-winded discussion on our childhood, youth, and Marvel movies. I did not expect we could still chat with no barriers or awkwardness, as if we were close friends since day one.
“Do you want to go somewhere else for tea?” Kev asked. More and more customers entered the premises as the time almost reached one in the afternoon.
“Coffee, or perhaps matcha?”
“I love matcha.”
“Me too,” I cried. “Matcha is my life.”
“Let’s look for a matcha-themed cafe.”
Overall Rating: 8/10
Date of Visitation: 15th May 2022
Address: 23, Jalan A.S. Mansoor, 10050 George Town, Pulau Pinang
Opening Hours: 11.30am - 9pm (Monday-Sunday; Closes on Tuesdays)
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