Tête-à-Tête at Maison D’être

Looking for a cosy cafe within the Batu Caves area? Some place with great coffee to have great conversation?

Let me share some background with you.

Taman Perindustrian Selayang is a paradise for a particular type of consumer. This is where only those in the know search for wholesale high quality groceries at competitively low-prices.

However, for some residents living around and within this popular wholesale hub, one place they frequent for not only groceries but also to take a break, have breakfast or enjoy amazing coffee after their morning walk is nestled within the Gogopasar warehouse.

Hidden Meeting Place

This secret treasure is Gogopasar’s French-themed café, Maison D’être, a place where you can chill, enjoy quality food and good coffee surrounded in cosy Parisian ambience.

The café only recently started operations in December 2021. Co-founders of Maison are currently Gogopasar, online grocer app (subsidiary or FGV Integrated Farming Holdings Berhad), and Galabites, a central kitchen based in TTDI Jaya, Shah Alam.  

The Gogopasar headquarters cum warehouse in Taman Perindustrian Selayang are almost always having people coming and going for business meetings and warehouse visits. The crowd is made up of mostly suppliers, business associates and shoppers who want to take a short break in between work or have business lunch meetings here.

And Maison D’être is just the place for this.

The café easily accommodates 30 people indoors and 26 al fresco at a social distance of one meter. With a service team consisting of 4 staff and 2 kitchen crew, the café is the place to rest and relax while you plan your shopping list to shop for groceries next door, at Gogopasar’s farmers market grocery outlet, Marche.

The Food

The al fresco tables outside the café and the French background music lend a cosy Parisian café vibe to the place. Employees of Gogopasar and FGV Integrated Farming Holdings who frequent the café for its amazing coffee and yummy local and western classics affectionately call it Maison, for short.

The food is not entirely French, though, unless you consider the ‘french’ in french fries. According to the restaurant manager Amira Zulkifli, Maison has plans to include French delights such as Croque Monsier, Croque Madame, Eggs Benedict, Salad Niscoise and French Hot Chocolate in the pipeline.  

However, the quality offerings that suit the local taste and demand of regular patrons drive Maison to keep serving Malaysian favourites and classic Western dishes, all halal certified. These offerings are what keeps people coming over for meals time and again .

Take your pick of delicious Char Koay Teow, Laksa Asam, Curry Mee Soup, Maison Fried Rice and Mango Thai Chicken or savour juicy Chicken Chops in mushroom or pepper gravy for lunch or dinner.

Out of the local favourites, the Nasi Goreng Maison is a best-seller for it’s accompanying chicken satay, sunny-side up fried egg, colourful seafood crackers or ‘keropok’ and salad on the side. The satay is prepared at the central kitchen and then grilled to perfection upon orders at Maison.

The western best-seller is the Chicken Chops- breaded chicken deep-fried to juicy crispy perfection, and served with fries and added salad on the side. The choice of mushroom sauce or pepper gravy is up to you. It is recommended that you choose the mushroom sauce made out of a special recipe of blended fresh mushrooms resembling home-made mushroom soup.

Maison’s choices of pasta will make the mouth water with their al-denté noodles in your choice of cream or tomato-base and your choice of seafood or chicken with fresh parmigiana on top.

Their all-day breakfast is also a satisfying choice to have any time of day. With perfectly grilled sausages, tomato, pan-fried beef ham, baked beans, hash browns and copious slices of toast to soak up all the delicious savoury juices, it is a complete meal to last you the whole day if you wish.

But what will really pique your curiosity is the Nasi Lemak Lobster. Yes. Read that again. Starting at an affordable seasonal price of RM35, this unique and luxurious take on the well-loved Malaysian treat will set your senses on fire. The lobster is broiled to perfection and you can request for cheese to make the whole dish extra. If you are a lover of spicy sambal, which are ground chilies sauteed in onions, garlic, lemongrass and tamarind juice- then you will enjoy this extravagant version with succulent lobster on the side.

The Coffee and Cakes

Maison offers a simple Italian Arabica and Robusta mix, medium roasted, course grounds, to suit the local taste. Not too strong, yet not too mild. Their barista, Iskandar serves up a mean latte with beautifully crafted latte art that adds to the cheer of your coffee experience.

Pair your choice of coffee with their signature burnt cheesecake, made by the co-founder and resident pastry chef, Puan Aida in their Galabites central kitchen. Taste a variety of authentic home-made local and western cakes and muffins exhibited at Maison’s chilled cake display to satisfy your sweet-tooth.

One of Puan Aida’s specialties is the ‘Kek Batik’, a modern Malay dessert made up of biscuits and chocolate sauce, chilled and molded into delightful chocholatey squares.

Weekly Offerings

Maison doesn’t just offer ala carte servings for breakfast, lunch and dinner from 8am till  8pm daily. Every Friday, they set up their Buffet Hi-Tea from 11am-4pm. Patrons can enjoy brunch, lunch, or hi-tea with a change in choices every week.

The buffet lays out a mix of Western and Asian favourites for you to sample with complimentary coffee/tea and cold juice included. For a very reasonable price of RM18 per adult and kids at RM15, this buffet is a great bargain for all you can eat.

Menu items in the buffet include one protein main course (usually chicken), a rice dish, one type of pasta, finger food (usually consisting of dim sum or sandwich), local desserts, fresh fruit , cakes or muffins and a soup or congee.

Come on down to enjoy the cafe or stay home and shop with us at www.gogopasar.com or download our Gogopasar app on Google Playstore for a hassle-free shopping experience.

Protect yourself from COVID-19 by staying home, staying safe, and increasing your immunity with foods that are well-made and delicious. 

Order from us Mon-Fri before 10am and get groceries delivered the same day. Orders made after 10am will be  delivered the next day. FREE delivery within Klang Valley for orders above RM50!

First timer? Use our voucher code: WELCOMEGIFT and get RM5 off your first purchase.