The current café hype in Kuching definitely goes hands down to Rusty Bean and Batter, in which its foodporn is pretty common in my newsfeed recently.
Although it's conveniently situated just 5 minutes away from where I stay, I finally made a spontaneous trip there when trying to decide lunch places (happens all the time). I did however, stumble upon it once when the shopping mall opposite had literally no parking spaces at all on a wonderful weekend, though at that moment the place was still under renovation.
They did a pretty good job on the interior in my opinion. Atmosphere-wise, it's definitely a place worth sitting down to spark a conversation.
Rusty Morning (RM18.90)
I must say it's presented really well. And I liked how Kuching finally has a few places serving such Western breakfast and brunch.
The poached egg was just heavenly gorgeous. Pancakes were really fluffy and nice too, and I liked the mushrooms in between the layers of the pancakes.
On the other hand, the hollandaise sauce was quite a disappointment. Though fluffy, the pancakes were a little too sweet for this dish, which may have overshadowed other elements.
I'm sure a lot of people would find this a very interesting dish since it's quite rare around here, and would find it delish. But in all honesty, I personally felt the hollandaise sauce (its main spotlight) just wasn't right/rich enough or just didn't blend well, and it wasn't up to the value of what I paid for. Each ingredient just tasted like it's on its own, there wasn't a unique taste.
Red Devil (RM11.90)
My friend ordered this sandwich, "Raphael" (RM16.90). I dont have a close up photo of it, but there's a brief look of it if you refer to the top photo. If my memory serves me well, it's ham with lettuce and tomato in cranberry sauce, with an option of either Focaccia bread or pancakes. The focaccia tasted pretty alright, needs a little bit more toasting.
Loved the idea.
But this sandwich was quite a joke.
2 big pieces of Focaccia "filled" with 2 pieces of ham, one piece of lettuce and 2 slices of tomato. Oh right, there was cranberry sauce too, which could have been evenly spreaded instead of being drizzled just once across the whole sandwich. It's fine if the bread wasnt sliced well, but I really thought the sandwich filling was not generous enough. And with that in mind, you could barely taste anything distinct about it. And again, paying such an amount I would expect something better than literally, just eating bread alone.
Now coming to the drinks, Red Devil (as shown in the photo above) is a very diluted juice. It looks rich due to the dragon fruit added, but don't be deceived. It's just too awfully.... diluted.
Service was generally well. Decor was nice, loved the fresh flowers, number cans, and their unique logo-printed tableware. And I have a thing for plain water with lemon, so I liked that they have it.
Did not get to try the coffee and other sweet stuff, so I cant comment on those.
But really, sandwich and juice.. you've disappointed me. As for the Rusty Breakfast, give it a try at least since it's pretty special and rare around here.
Do bear in mind that food and drinks are on a slightly pricier side.
Address:
M42/M43, Level 1, ST3 Shopping Mall, Jalan Simpang Tiga, Kuching, Malaysia.
First floor, near elevator from Sando Ramen or enter from the pedestrian bridge.
Phone: +6019-633 8866
Website: https://www.facebook.com/rustybeanandbatter
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