Thirdwave @ Nexus Bangsar South KL

One thing I can't help but emphasize more, especially for independent eateries - first impression counts. 

Chain restaurants on the other hand sits in a slightly different spectrum, primarily because people who work there don't exactly take a personal interest in the business. Though that doesn't mean that customers can be welcomed with a scowl. It's always nice to be greeted with warm smiles and friendly greetings. 

What I'm trying to say here - customer service plays an equal role when it comes to the overall dining experience.

Thirdwave

I stepped into Thirdwave on a fine Saturday afternoon, in anticipation of a great lunch date. It has been months since I've last caught up with Chooi Ling - our timetables never seemed to match. Today's outing though, is made a little more memorable - it was her belated birthday brunch.

There I was, standing at the doorway for the past 15 minutes, anxious to be seated, but ignored time and again. A handful of servers walked passed us hastily yet none stopped to acknowledge us. We tried to make eye contact but that felt like an impossible feat. I felt invisible. My 5'7 frame was that obvious I tell you.

On their defense however, it was Kelvin's birthday - some random dude whose name was plastered on the wall. A bunch of 20 odd customers pushed through the doors in that 15 minutes and a long table was arranged to fit all of them together. I guess Kelvin was way more important than me.

Don't get me wrong, there were vacant tables. Even if there weren't, I wouldn't mind waiting. I always believe that good food is always worth waiting for. However, mere courtesy was equally important to me.

After what seemed like flustered beginnings, we finally got seated, after playing two-stoodges for awhile. We were the only two left standing amidst an entire room of seated crowd. I finally felt human again.

Orders were promptly taken but food took a little longer than usual to be served. A good 30 minutes. It was peak lunch hour after all.

Cappuccino. Mocha. Rm10.

I have heard great things about the coffee here and living up to the expectations - mine was fantastic. Served at the perfect temperature and mildly pleasing to the palate. My friend really liked her mocha too.

Darlings Egg. Rm22.

They say, the 63C egg is the perfect soft boiled egg and Thirdwave did a pretty good job here - the whites were watery and mostly in tact and the yolk nicely poached. The polenta (cornmeal) was shaped into two triangles and perfectly crisp all over. Underneath those chicken salami and argula, tomato and french rose sauce. That, could've been laden on top instead to add more color to the dish. After all that, I have to admit, this felt like an odd combination, but somehow worked rather well altogether.

Secret Green Fettuccine. Rm19.

The secret green sauce is garlicky spinach sauce, topped with spiced chicken minced. For me, this dish had a strong basil-mint flavor, definitely not your typical pesto. I really liked it but my friend thought otherwise.

Flourish Waffle. Rm19.

These savory waffles was a clear winner. Generously laden with strawberries, blueberries, banana and vanilla ice cream. They serve kapiti ice cream in their menu but I'm not too sure if these were, but this was equally amazing. What a fantastic way to end our meal!

Overall Rating: 7/10. By the time we were done with our so-called 3 course meal, the cafe have already been emptied out. We were the only ones left and it was already closed to 4pm. It was gloomy and drizzling outside, definitely not the best time to be on the road, especially after a satisfying meal. The food was good - all of it felt a little different; a little more memorable compared to the norm. The coffee was really good - one of the better ones I've had. Still, I couldn't get the thought of being ignored earlier out of my head - first impression counts. However for Thirdwave, I may be able to make an exception.

Thirdwave is located at:
Address: Unit 1-11, Level 1, Nexus, Bangsar South, 59200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Email: hello@thirdwave.my
Opening Hours: Mon - Fri: 10:00 - 22:00 Sat - Sun: 09:30 - 22:00