Cafe

Kota – when Francis meets Rempah

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Location

Summary:

4.3

Your RatingUser Rating: 4.4 (4 votes)

+ Address

Fort Cornwallis, Jalan Tun Syed Sheh Barakbah, 10200 GeorgeTown, Penang, Malaysia

Operating hours:
10:30am to 10:30pm. Opens Daily.

Tel: +604-3714929

200 metres away overlooking the beautiful coast lies a nyonya fusion restaurant called KOTA. Kota Dine & Coffee – When Francis Meets Rempah was named after Captain Francis Light in honouring the founding father of the British colony. Interesting enough, KOTA has been operating in the middle of a 200-year old fort since 2016.

Signature Drinks

After walking for a long day under the scorching sun, you would certainly be elated when served with refreshing drinks. And that was exactly the word to describe our mood at that moment. We sat sipping the thirst-quenching Signature and Creamy Pandan Milk like someone who were stranded in a desert for a week.

Both drinks served a different style and experience for one being fresh and energizing, and the latter being flavourful. The Pandan Milk is certainly worth trying considering it’s refreshing and milky flavour that cannot be easily found elsewhere.

Signature– Lemongrass, Lime, Mint, Chilli, and Sprite

Pandan Milk– Milk, Grass Jelly, Basil Seed, and Screw Pine Juice

Signature Dishes

It did not take long for the main dishes to be served. We were first served with the signature Nyonya, a blue coconut rice plate incorporating various flavorful sides like rendang, achar, and otak-otak. It was a perfect combination that comes in bundle. The fragrance achar further enhances the taste of the dish with a little sweet-sourish touch.

Nyonya– Rendang, Butterfly Pea Flower, Coconut Rice, Achar, and Otak-otak.

Not long after came the Kota Asam Pedas and Satay. Apparently, the Asam Pedas served here is of little or no difference compared to outside except its tantalizing broth with fish and prawn that makes all the difference. The fresh salmon and prawn, accompanied with fried rice made a perfectly delectable combinations.

Kota Asam Pedas– Prawn, Salmon, Lemongrass, Chilli, Galangal, Ginger Flower

Equally delicious was the Satay that would change the way you know it. The dish was a “refined” version of the traditional Malay satay stuffed with rice, chicken roulade, roasted peanut with brown sugar and herbs. If there’s any dish you would like us to recommend, this would be it.

Satay– Spices, Peanut, Brown Sugar, Lemongrass, Ginger, Rice, Tumeric, Chicken

Next came the long-awaited desserts! You would be surprised how much desserts we had savoured despite having a full complete meal earlier. If you ever planned to come over for a tea time after visiting Fort Cornwallis, you’ll not go wrong with Creme Brulee and Nyonya Tiramisu. Both desserts were enough to give your dining experience a sweet ending.

Inspired by a French dessert, Creme Brulee combined the nyonya flavours of screw pine, palm sugar, and black glutinous rice which gave a very distinctive light to heavy taste. On the other hand, we’ve also got the opportunity to try the infamously “instagrammable” Nasi Lemak cake.

At first glance, it truly looked like a Malay fragrant rice, nasi lemak but we certainly had our eyes fooled. It was actually a cake served with pandan jelly, sambal, anchovies, and peanuts. For those of you who are up for something unique and different, this is for you.

Creme Brulee– Cream, Egg, Pandan, Gula Melaka, Black Glutinous Rice

Nyonya Tiramisu – Gula Melaka, Mascarpone Cheese, Jelly, and Coffee

Nasi Lemak Cake

Overall, Kota-when Francis meets Rempah gave us a fantastic dining experience with cosy ambience and friendly staffs. Despite a little pricey, the value and experience is more than what you could obtained outside. Don’t take our words for it, go check it out yourself.

Interview – Kota Dine & Coffee

Q1: What is the profile of your customers? Mostly local or international patrons?

Manager: Our customers include all races because we are pluralism country. Our food served for all people due to we are pork-free restaurant and gonna be a halal restaurant. Besides, our customers include business persons, families, friends and couples. This is because our environment is suitable for every gathering and event. Other than that, our customers include all age group, which is from kids to olders. This is due to our food is created to fulfill needs for all people from different age group. There is quite a number of tourists come to visit us, which included local and international tourists. Our restaurant are catering for the masses.

Q2: You are regularly researching and adding new items to your menu. How do you balance the food quality?

We are constantly adding new elements to our cuisine and bring our cuisine to another level of treats. Portraying modern Nyonya & Malaysia’s cuisine in a cultured ambiance, every dishes was fully flavoured and a happy intrigue to the palate. Every dishes sounds like familiar Asian dishes but each had their own twist, elevating the traditional from something common to culinary enchantment. All of our food must meet rigorous requirements which ensure only freshest, cleanest and most delicious morsels reach the table.

Q3: Is there any message you would like to tell anyone who has not tried Kota Dine & Coffee?

Dear all, welcome to visit us and you will soon be glad that there is an eye-catching landmark. Kota shall be the very first modern dining experience that combined the local taste buds into fusion style of food. Enjoy local cuisine in a totally different ambiance. Make your next meal a memorable and special dining experience!