Jamboo in KL, Jalan Tun H S Lee
When it comes to cafes, we would think of coffee drinks and warm baked goods. Some cafes would add warm meals, be it pasta or rice bowls. But this cafe in KL has lei cha bowls that you can customise to fit your taste.
Jamboo is that quaint little eatery. It serves buildable lei cha bowls, and also matcha drinks through a literal hole in the wall. This makes it perfect for introverts looking for a meal, minus the ordering verbally part.
Customisable lei cha bowls
Jamboo opened in 2021 at Jalan Tun H S Lee in KL. This cafe specialises in lei cha and matcha drinks. Jenny Ying and James Wong, the founders, started this business to make lei cha more accessible and accepted by many.
Instead of just ordering lei cha with all the ingredients dumped into a bowl, you can uniquely choose what goes into a lei cha bowl from Jamboo. Called Jamboo Bowl, the dish is created for customers to build their own lei cha bowl.
It starts at RM18.90, with carb, vegetable, and protein options. You can even choose not to have any carbs in your lei cha.
Image credit: @Jamboo KL via Facebook
How it works: you start with a base of rice, quinoa, or mixed green vegetables. Then, you choose 4 vegetables from an array of leafy greens, tomatoes, and bean sprouts.
After that, you can optionally add a protein like teriyaki salmon or a simple sunny-side-up egg. Then, you choose 2 toppings that range from nuts to fried garlic, and finally, a choice of either sauce or soup for your lei cha.
Image adapted from: Jamboo KL via Facebook; and Jamboo
Besides customisable lei cha, Jamboo also offers other lei cha fusion dishes. One of them is Lei Cha Peanut Butter Toast (RM6), your usual peanut butter toast but with an added lei cha spread. Another dish is Oriental Pesto Lei Cha (RM29), a lei cha pesto dish with almond flakes, parmesan, and grilled shrimp.
A hole-in-the-wall alley cafe
Next to this cosy establishment is an alleyway, where you can order drinks to go from Jamboo through a literal hole in the wall. Rather than a drive-thru, this would be a walk-thru.
You can browse the drink options from the menu cards from a rack hanging next to the hole in the wall. To order, you can ring the tambourine hanging nearby and hand in your order when a hand pops out of the hole.
Image adapted from: Jamboo KL via Facebook; and @theicedamericanogirl via Instagram
Jamboo has a matcha specialty menu, perfect for matcha lovers. Some of the must-try matcha items are Jamboo-Cha (RM17), matcha with pink guava; Mango-Cha (RM17), matcha with mango and sago; and Strawberry Matcha (RM17), matcha with rose syrup and chia seeds.
To make this little section stand out even more, customers are greeted with a monster hand serving their drink order.
Image adapted from: @theicedamericanogirl via Instagram; Jamboo KL via Facebook
The ultimate tea meal, lei cha & matcha at Jamboo
A lei cha and matcha combo sounds like the ultimate tea meal. If you have time to spare, check out this locally owned cafe. Otherwise, pop by their hole in the wall for a cool refreshing drink and meet with the monster hand.
Address: Jamboo Cafe KL, 19G, Jalan Tun H S Lee, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur
Operating hours: Mon-Fri 9.30am-6.30pm | Sat & Sun 9am-6.30pm
Contact: 012-891 9159 | Jamboo Instagram
Cover image adapted from: Jamboo KL via Facebook, @jamboostory via Instagram