It only took a moment for me to fall in love with Georgetown, especially early in the morning, before the hoards of tourists and the high heat and humidity arrive. After a week of sipping Malaysian kopi, a dark roasted coffee usually blended with margarine during roasting, Rich had a craving for some more familiar brews. Luckily we were staying in an apartment right around the corner from Ossa Roastery & Brew Co.
George Town was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008 for its unique cultural and architectural significance. The city was a thriving port from the 18th century onwards that brought together Malay, Chinese, Indian, and European communities along with merchants from the Middle East and Southeast Asia. This mix has creating a rich heritage where many different people, religious, foods, cultures and architectures come together. The Peranakan style shophouses, with their ornate facades, carved wooden doors and decorative floor tiles, have thankfully also been protected, it seems just in time as many locals told us that this area had been at risk of disappearing in favour of more modern developments.
We admired the decorative floor tiles at Ossa Roastery while waiting for The decorative floor tiles originally came from Europe and became associated as a status symbol. Many of the shophouses in the UNESCO World Heritage Precinct of Georgetown have these colourful tiles, each one different. These usually cover the inside floor as well as the outside covered walkways of each shophouses which, traditionally, has been five feet wide. The fun bit is that everyone seemed to have a different idea of what five feet wide meant, so the different buildings don’t line up exactly, which only adds to the charm of the neighbourhood.
While these buildings are now protected by World Heritage Status, the best way to truely protect them is to use them. There are many cafes that have set up in the centre, putting the original historic designs of the houses front and centre.
The coffee got high reviews, but so did the hot chocolate. Malaysia grows cacao, and there is an emerging craft chocolate movement, but most of the chocolate commonly found in Malaysia is not really worth travelling to Malaysia for. So it was a pleasant surprise that this cafe. Although it doesn’t say so on the menu (for some reason), I think they are using Malaysia’s own Chocolate Concierge bean to bar chocolate to make their two chocolate offerings. The first chocolate origin is Kelantan (red apple, grape, red bean, sweet potato flavours) while the other is their Kota Marudu origin (floral, sea hawthorn, berry, robust red fruits). The flavour notes are theirs, not mine as I found completely different, yet equally interesting notes in both (yes I ordered two hot chocolates). The flavours were a little muted because of the thick layer of milk foam on top, however the late art was so expertly prepared that I would not want it any other way!!
After your hot chocolate, wonder down Armenian Street, ducking into each of the unique, thankfully air conditioned shops. While there are the expected tourists traps, there are also many small shops featuring local designers or Malaysian brands. We spent a lot of time in Loka Made, a souvenir shops. And then there is Penang’s famous street art. One of the most famous murals is at the top of this street featuring some children on bicycles (but there are hundreds around the city worth visiting!).
Verdict: Ossa Coffee Roasters & Brew Co. 116, Lebuh Armenian, Georgetown, Malaysia
@ossa.coffee
