Peaberry Cafe

Special thanks to Peaberry Cafe for extending this food review invitation.

Update: This business has ceased its operations.

Peaberry Cafe is a café at Plaza Ivory, Bukit Gambir. This is a little-known café due to its secluded location on the second floor. Nevertheless, Peaberry Cafe is a popular destination for students due to the eatery's proximity to Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).

Besides serving food and drinks, the café also provides lessons in vocals, guitar, ukulele and other musical instruments. From time to time, Peaberry Cafe hosts workshops and contests to aspire musical talent.

The food menu primarily consists of pasta dishes like Aglio Olio (RM9.90). Although this dish does not use too much olive oil, the spaghetti does not appear too dry. However, I feel that the pasta is slightly overcooked; I personally prefer my pasta to be served firmer. Other ingredients in this dish are green bell pepper, black olives, sausage slices and grated cheese.

The next dish is Pizza Pasta (RM15.00), and as the name implies, is a combination of pizza crust and cooked pasta. Besides spaghetti, other toppings include tomato paste, fried egg, tomatoes, green bell peppers, portobello (button) mushrooms, sausage slices, onions and black olives. I think this dish can be further improved with more saltiness in the tomato paste.

Nasi Lemak (RM6.90) is the latest item on the menu. The heap of rice is dyed using butterfly-pea flower extract, giving it a vibrant bluish hue. I really enjoy the sambal (chili) paste which contains juicy shrimps of reasonable size. On the other hand, I think the amount of sugar sprinkled on fried anchovies should be reduced.

At Peaberry Cafe, coffee beans are sourced from a roaster based in Kuala Lumpur. This cup of Cappuccino (RM8.50) is made from a single shot of espresso. Although dark roast is used, the taste is not overly bitter. With a milky consistency, the coffee flows reasonably smoothly down the throat. It is also interesting to note that Peaberry Cafe has hand-brewed coffee too.

Meanwhile for desserts, Peaberry has an in-house pastry chef. The choice of cake today is Triple Layer Cake (RM8.90), which is a 3-layer cake made from cheesecake, strawberry chiffon cake and red velvet cake. Each layer presents a different texture in the mouth.

Presented on the side of the cake is a piece of handcrafted artwork made from chocolate sauce.

As for juices, Peaberry Cafe carries fruit juices from Mocktale. The Black Widow flavor is a combination of blackcurrant and cranberry juices. This non-alcoholic beverage does not contain any food additives.

The menu at Peaberry Cafe is entirely pork-free. To attract students, there is 10% discount off any item on the à la carte menu. Besides that, the restaurant also offers lunch and high tea meals at affordable prices. Upon request, Peaberry Cafe can also host private events up to 80 people - only the cost of food is charged.

Finally, the eatery also provides the convenience of food delivery within Penang Island. There is no delivery fee, but there is a minimum order requirement of RM50.00.

Name: Peaberry Cafe
Address: 1-2-12, Halaman Bukit Gambir, 11700 Gelugor, Pulau Pinang
Contact: 04-655-4028
Business hours: 12:00pm-12:00am, closed on Tuesdays
Website: https://www.facebook.com/peaberrycoffeecafe
Coordinates: 5.35666 N, 100.29250 E
Directions: Peaberry Cafe is located at Plaza Ivory, a row of shops in Bukit Gambir. The café is situated on the second floor. There are parking spaces in front of the shops.