Pace Coffee

Cafe hopping is here to stay in our lifestyles and even when we are travelling, it is natural for us to search for the most popular cafes in town for a visit. Since we were in Penang, we wanted to visit some of the popular cafes recommended by locals

After doing a quick search and reading reviews on Google, we decided to visit Pace Coffee which is nestled along Beach Street amongst shops selling weaved products and other household items. Pace Coffee was opened in 2021 and has been packed during meal times

With a clean and no-fuss concept, Pace Coffee creates a simple yet comfortable environment with the use of both industrial concrete materials and natural wood furnishings. They also incorporate the use of weaved lampshades and display plates from the neighbouring traditional weaving shop. We waited for almost 10 minutes before getting a table on the ground floor which is quite aesthetically pleasing for photos. While there is seating on the 2nd floor, the first floor is the preferred choice

For drinks, we ordered the sweet purple latte, normal latte, flat white as well as the watermelon juice drink. The juice drink was refreshing and thirst-quenching in the very hot Penang weather whereas the coffee was milky and light

The first thing we ordered was a traditional breakfast which is very familiar to us. Half-boiled egg served with toast is something we can see in every coffee shop in Singapore and Malaysia. Pace Coffee gave this familiar dish a twist by offering sourdough bread toasted and pre-cracked soft-boiled egg in a cute bowl. Soft-boiled eggs are always a comfort meal for me and dipping it in bread is also a familiar favourite. This version is healthier and less sweet and there is no kaya jam or a big slab of butter so you can enjoy the crispy bread with the original taste of the egg

The next item we ordered was the potato tots, bite-sized hashbrowns served with a dipping sauce of ketchup. There was nothing too fancy or bad about this as they are cooked from a frozen packet

We ordered 2 different types of risotto, the cheese mushroom risotto and the tomato-based seafood risotto. Both of the consistencys of the risotto were well done with a thick and creamy sauce and the risotto cooked till soft and starchy with still some grains to give a nice bite. The serving of the seafood is also generous and fresh. I preferred the tomato-based better as the slightly tangy flavour made the dish less starchy. The cheesy one was extremely cheesy and can be slightly filling only after half the plate

We also ordered a pan-seared salmon with a side of sesame soba and vegetables. The noodles were great with a light sauce and paired nicely with the salmon. On its own, the salmon tended to be slightly dry since there was no additional dipping sauce on the side

Overall, the environment at Pace Coffee is very chill and relaxed and their food offerings were also one of the better ones compared to many cafes in Malaysia. Most of the dishes we ordered were pretty tasty the price was not too high and the beverages were also quite nice

Address: 397, Beach St, Georgetown, 10300 George Town, Penang, Malaysia

Operating hours: 9 am to 6 pm ( from 8 am on Sat and Sun )