Expatriate in KL: Acme Bar & Coffee Breakfast Review

We wanted to try something different for our Sunday breakfast since my mom is in town. Our usual options would be around Bangsar, so instead of going there we headed to KLCC area. I read some past reviews about Acme Bar (which was mixed). So I decided to go check it out myself.

Below is an account of what we experienced.

Easy to park, as they have the whole Basement 1 for guests. Upon entering Acme Bar and Coffee, we were greeted by a nice-looking counter (beautiful decorations) and the statement: Do you have reservations? I replied that we didn't have, and wondered, are they that full or packed? Did we need to reserve? We were showed to our unreserved seats at the end of the restaurant (which was okay), and yet I wondered if they ever get so packed that you need to reserve for breakfast? Hmmm...

After a few minutes (upon entering), I noticed most of the waiters are Filipino (which most probably means we will get good service)... yet there was an air of snotty-ness in this place. They did give good service, but you can feel the aura around -- high-and-mighty coupled with pretentiousness... was it because of the waiters? The ambience? The architecture? The metal structure all around? I don't know... I just had a feeling that I would have a critical review by the end of the meal.

I requested for a baby chair, the chubby waiter replied that they have one but it won't fit my daughter. I briefly glimpsed it was a Tripp-Trapp kind of chair (from another table) and requested it to be sent anyway for me to test. He looked apprehensive, stated again that she won't fit, and decided he had no choice but to bring it to me to check it out. When he left the chair, he didn't bother checking, he just left it there with the look on his face that spelled out: "go try it out, told you it is too small". That to me was step 1 of the Non-Child Friendly Type of Restaurant.

Next, I looked at the menu. My husband pointed out the WARNING statement at the bottom which told guests to mind their children -- that they should not be walking around the restaurant. Aha, now it is confirmed -- they don't like having toddlers around.

Things that I liked about ACME BAR:

Some of the Filipino waiters were okay and gave good service, while others didn't. So it was inconsistent.
Ambience and lighting very nice. People who love outdoor dining for breakfast will also love the place
Easy parking and quiet ambience. Will highly recommend for people who need a place to talk: easy to get parking, easy to get seats and quiet corner seats available
Flat white coffee was tasty. Not up to par with Antipodean, but still they serve decent coffee
Loved the music they played -- my favorite Bossanova

What I didn't appreciate:

Snotty kind of service from some of their staff.
Food was average. For the price we paid, I think we are better off elsewhere. Don't get me wrong. Food was NOT bad. But it wasn't blow-your-mind good either. Good enough for a try... but not good enough to be our regular breakfast place.
Not child-friendly, that's for sure
The service took AGES! After a few customers walked in after us, it took them 15 minutes to serve our second order of coffee. A full 15 minutes! Meaning we finished all our food and was just hanging around waiting for the flat white. We reminded a waiter, and after another 5 minutes it didn't come. So I walked to the counter to inform the cashier that I want the bill and they should cancel my 3rd coffee. After I walked back to the seat, they delivered the 3rd coffee -- so now it's a dilemma -- we don't want it anymore, it took too long. The bill came without the 3rd coffee cancellation. I asked the waitress to cancel it once again and I wanted to speak to the manager -- she said he wasn't around yet. And after my insistence, she decided to go cancel the 3rd coffee. No apologies. Just an air of snottiness around this place.

Will we go back? Probably not.

If we are desperate for coffee or in need of a quiet place to talk business, probably.

But as a family with a toddler -- no, we will not recommend this to families.

Food was average. Price is on the high side. Go there for a one-time experience. That's it.

Exterior of Acme Bar - you can catch a glimpse of the
Al Fresco seating area which is nice on a sunny day

Entrance of Acme Bar and Coffee

Interior of Acme Bar - nice natural light shining into the area

Orange Juice

Steak and Eggs - it came with a large chunk of portobello mushroom
Hubby's verdict: it was okay. Steak was soft. Cabbage was weird combination.

Eggs Benedict - looked impressive and beautiful
However when I ate it, it wasn't warm anymore which was disappointing

Tuna Melt - way too much tuna on top

Flat White with biscotti
Pricier than Antipodean.
Coffee war verdict: Antipodean serves better coffee (and cheaper)
Though the ambience and low crowd is plus points for Acme Bar