Mukha

Right from the start, this winsome cafe has nailed the formula for keeping customers content, with a thoughtfully crafted menu of well-executed fare, warm service and a spiffy setting.

The highlight is Middle Eastern-influenced food & beverages. Try the fava bean stew, addictively creamy & aromatically steeped in gentle spices. This might pair perfectly with some liver & a nice Chianti, but booze is verboten at Mukha.

Baked eggs with toast. Seems deceptively like a simple recipe, but takes 15 minutes to make. Scrape below the three yolks _ not runny but not too hard _ for hot, mushy layers of roasted tomatoes & shredded cheese that rescue the egg white from blandness.

Beef bamia with okra _ a thick, tangy Egyptian casserole. Everything feels freshly prepared, with surprisingly rich, multidimensional flavors.

Shahi Arab tea, infused with mint leaves.

Gahwa, Mukha's house-blend coffee, laced with cardamom & ginger.

A mocktail in lieu of something stronger: Virgin Mango Mojito.

Shisha is available as well for visitors who prefer to puff the night away.

Things appeared relatively quiet on this recent Friday evening; but we left early, before 7:30 p.m., so it's likely that everyone else only came in after that.

Mukha Cafe @ TTDI,

15, Lorong Rahim Kajai 13, Taman Tun Dr Ismail.

Tel: 03-7732-2248