A new place on KL’s heritage row, Bricks and Bread opened a couple of months ago. I usually don’t rate places which I have a connection to, but in this case it is fairly tangential, as one of the owners was a year below my wife at university.

Exterior, Bricks and Bread, Kuala Lumpur

They have kitted out the old house quite nicely, and a small downstairs area with central plants is below an industrial looking zone, with a mezzanine level connected by a bridge.

Interior, Bricks and Bread, Kuala Lumpur

We ordered a steak and eggs, a pancake, and a Turkish eggs with a potato rosti, plus coffees and juice. About half an hour later, we were told the kitchen was out of rosti, so we swapped it to a flatbread. A bit later, with everyone getting a bit grumpy, our drinks finally came.

Bread, Bricks and Bread, Kuala Lumpur

Finally, after 45 minutes they delivered a flatbread. It was tasty, almost like a sourdough naan. Would have been nice to have other food to have with it, but by the time it arrived our little one was so hungry we just let her have it.

The ill-prepared kitchen, Bricks and Bread, Kuala Lumpur

After 65 minutes, we finally got our food. Except for the pancake, which they only told us had run out as they served the rest of the dishes. Did we want to swap to another dish? Not if it would take another hour.

Eggs, Bricks and Bread, Kuala Lumpur

It turned out that the eggs actually came with a slightly different, and smaller, flatbread. The dish was reasonable, with two poached eggs on a serving of labneh-like yoghurt, and a mild spiced oil. Not a bad taste, but not enough bread for what was a very runny dish.

Steak, Bricks and Bread, Kuala Lumpur

Wife’s steak and eggs came with a chilli sauce which was a little smoky and way too spicy, as the chilli absolutely overpowered the flavour of the beef. My wife can take more chilli than most Malaysians (or even humans), so this came as a surprise.

Greenery, Bricks and Bread, Kuala Lumpur

The place was only about 60% full, so it was a shame to find the staff were overwhelmed. They seemed universally to be university age, and perhaps didn’t have the customer service experience to cope. While it has potential, Bread and Bricks isn’t ready yet, so I’d recommend giving it 6 months to settle in, or picking a time when it’s empty.

Address: 20 Jalan Kamunting, Chow Kit, 50300 Kuala Lumpur

Website: https://facebook.com/bricksandbread.kl/