Nonagon is tucked between shop lots in Petaling Jaya’s Seksyen 22 (All photos: Kong Wai Yeng/The Edge)
An omakase meal hardly needs embellishment because the tradition behind it speaks louder than any fanfare can. The ritual dates back to the Edo period, when edomae sushi — made from seafood marinated in soy sauce and vinegared rice due to lack of refrigeration — became the standard. Despite its longstanding history, the dining concept only rose to prominence during Japan’s champagne-fuelled bubble economy of the 1990s. Newly affluent diners found themselves able to afford the most expensive cuts of fish, but unsure of how and what to order, they left it to the itamae to make recommendations, avoiding awkwardness at the table.
This chef-selected practice may be the metonym for excellence in the art of sashimi and nigiri but its philosophy has now extended to other disciplines, including coffee-making. Here are two purveyors demonstrating that the bitter liquid gold is more than just a caffeine delivery system.
Toothless Coffee Roaster
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The old studio in the King Musical Industries Sdn Bhd building on Jalan 13/2 — where legendary singers such as M Nasir, Sudirman and Teresa Teng once recorded — no longer produces chart-topping hits. Yet, just behind this former hub of vinyl and cassette tape manufacturing, a different kind of note, one of roasted caramel or bright citrus, is captured in a cup. Composing accolades behind the four-seater counter of Toothless is founder Edward Choo, a certified world judge in sensory evaluation for the World Barista Championship (WBC) and World Brewers Cup.
Its hour-long omakase journey unfolded as a triptych that riffed off on coffee: First, your everyday fix, served black or white, followed by a mocktail and a cocktail. If your aversion to alternative dairy options stirs up unhappy memories (perhaps, the judgemental glares of purists), Toothless is a safe haven to shake off prejudices. Our Costa Rica geisha arrived combined with a trio of regular, oat and cashew milk, the last imparting a honeyed trace that lingered just long enough to intrigue. This triple fusion took inspiration from Indonesian WBC champion Mikael Jasin’s winning entry last year.
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Mocktails have long been dismissed as the designated driver’s dull reward but Toothless’ versions are no sorry consolations. Without the crutch of alcohol’s burn, every element must pull its weight. Proof was in our Ginger Ale, made from a ginger bug, much like a starter used to ferment drinks. A hint of fresh carrot tempered the rhizome’s fiery punch, before it was mixed into a Kenyan iced drip concentrate. Should the sharp zing that sneaks up from behind prove overpowering, the mellower Coffee Cider — blended with pear-infused pomegranate tea and topped with a wheel of dehydrated apple — takes the edge off a sweltering afternoon.
The way guests settle into their seat and the tempo of their conversation are subtle tells that steer a mixologist’s hand as they reach for a bottle. Luckily, barista on duty Josephine was also a skilled bartender, with a well-honed instinct for reading unspoken cues. After deducing we were very much creatures of habit, she crafted a cocktail that mirrored our mood: a cold Irish coffee. This quiet confidence in a glass wove together a slug of Jameson whiskey, Cointreau, earl grey syrup and the apricot-tinged El Salvador La Cabaña. Even this writer, who balks at the thought of whipped cream on precious crema, could not resist a delicious cloud sprinkled with orange bitters. The adventurous might find themselves served something effervescent and playful, like an espresso martini or a caffeinated twist on whisky sour.
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Rare is the barista who can translate personality into taste, and rarer still, classics into calibrated creativity. Who knew coffee — ambrosia of city slickers and fuel of the nation — could also be an unwinding release after a long day?
Lot 5, Jalan 13/2, PJS 13. RM100 per pax. Make reservations here.
Nonagon Roastery
In a city lacking privacy, the unmarked door of Nonagon, tucked between shop lots in Petaling Jaya’s Seksyen 22 provides a brief escape for those who notice it. The outside world fades away as you amble down the corridor leading to the garden, which obscures any sight of the neighbours, leaving only the blue sky above and fine gravel beneath your feet. If the landscape, dotted with shrubs, trees and tallgrass prairie, looks familiar, it is because Sputnik Forest Labs — the Penang-based plantscaping studio behind Dou Dou Bake in Taman Rasa Sayang, SS4 — is responsible for its verdant aesthetic. And why the name Nonagon? It reflects the nine characteristics of coffee such as aroma, acidity and aftertaste.
Do not expect piping-hot java buried under an avalanche of frothed milk, slung at you in a paper cup. Instead, pull up a chair at the nine-seater table (sensing the theme here?), where Ipoh-born roaster Mika guides you through a three-course pairing, beginning with cascara (Spanish for “husk”). Typically discarded during coffee processing, the shell of the cherries reveals a tea-like profile when steeped. Nonagon was off to a “wobbly” start, matching the delicate extract of dried pulps with a konnyaku daikon appetiser cradling a cherry compote centre. The tartness detonated in our mouth but quietly dissipated with every sip of the cascara, its fruitiness as fleeting as vapour.
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Fussy as we are about the provenance of our daily roast, it must be acknowledged that the nuance of an exceptional brew can sometimes be lost when not given enough room to shine. The next quencher on our list was created from clarified jambu air (sous vide with pine leaves and pink peppercorns at 70°C), pistachio milk and speciality beans from Indonesia’s Sumatra Gayo Santhuru. The latter, processed using the traditional giling basah (wet hulling) method, lent an earthy depth that was unmistakably Sumatran. We were instructed to sample a little, then savour the accompanying poached pear with sweet potato puree and a satisfyingly caramelised brown butter crisp, before returning for another slurp. What initially seemed restrained soon bloomed in complexity as the dessert’s sweetness sharpened our palate, attuning us to the drink’s aromatics and hidden layers. But alas, the caffeinated element — deserving of its own moment — was eclipsed. If coffee had a voice, this felt regrettably drowned out.
Nonetheless, the progression of flavour — each step building on the last to create contrast — was not entirely subdued when our ears pricked at the mention of green tip geisha beans from Panama’s Janson Estate Alpes Lote 538.
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“We bought them at about S$232 per kg. So, counting the logistics cost of getting them to Malaysia, they’re about RM800-plus per kg. We choose to be transparent [with the price] because we want to work with people and traders who give back to growers,” says Mika. With no need for experimentation, this sought-after varietal, executed with precision, was a study in balance, emanating notes like red apple and papaya milk, underpinned by pineapple acidity and a distinct osmanthus floral finish.
Of course, one does not need to lean into exclusivity to impress. Nonagon demonstrated sincerity through its commitment to protecting farmers and warm service, which glided smoothly like a shoji screen settling into its groove. A fellow customer compared this PJ newcomer to the scholarly cognoscenti of Ogawa Coffee Laboratory in Shimokitazawa, Japan. Nonagon shows promise, but as any great roaster knows, innovation with a clear purpose, without being superfluous, is part of the recipe for catching up with the masters.
24, Jalan 22/49, Seksyen 22. RM89 per pax. Make reservations here.
This article first appeared on Mar 24, 2025 in The Edge Malaysia.
