Urban Daybreak Cafe @ George Town — Restaurant in George Town

Date of visit: May 13th, 2024 Arrived at: 11:50am Departure: 2:30pm

Ambience: Clean, modern, minimalist decor tastefully executed. The furnishings are sparse, yet comfortable and inviting. The space is a traditional shop house design, longer than it is wide. Some original touches are the narrow stairs at the rear of the shop and the exposed brick on some portions of the interior and exterior, as well as the exposed flooring tiles that may be original to the structure. An earth tones color palette extends to the stoneware, silverware, and glassware, creating a cohesive and aesthetically pleasing environment. The upper floor appears to be great for meeting space, though it is noisier than the ground floor. We started up there, but it was far too noisy, so we moved downstairs to the much cozier seating near the front entrance.

Menu: An extensive menu with both food and drinks. Plenty to choose from. We ordered a Bling Empire coffee (espresso, orange juice, honey, and club soda), an iced coconut latte (espresso, coconut cream, and a hint of condensed milk), and to eat, we ordered the chicken and waffles (chicken karaage, baked beans, sunny side up eggs, and maple mustard syrup). Everything came out in a timely manner, with the drinks preceding the food by an appropriate margin, giving us time to settle in and enjoy the ambience and our coffees. The food came later and was honestly big enough to share. We ended up taking some home. It presented well and tasted better than any other that we’ve had in Southeast Asia.

Service: The staff was attentive and friendly without being overbearing. They were knowledgeable about the menu and happy to make recommendations based on our preferences. The service was prompt, and our orders were accurate and well-timed. The staff's professionalism and warmth added to the overall positive experience.

Value: Considering the quality of the food, the unique drink offerings, and the pleasant atmosphere, the prices were reasonable. Portion sizes were generous, and the ingredients appeared fresh and thoughtfully prepared. This spot offers good value for the experience provided.

Overall Experience: A delightful place to spend a leisurely afternoon. The thoughtful decor, extensive and delicious menu, and attentive service make it a standout option for both casual visits and more formal meetings. Despite the noise issue on the upper floor, the cozy ground floor seating more than made up for it. We left satisfied and look forward...

I've been in Penang for over a month now, hopping from one café to another. It's become a little ritual of mine. I enjoy researching spots in advance and picking one according to my mood of the day. I don't normally go for places just because they're trendy or viral, but after seeing this one appear in several social media videos, I got curious and went against my better judgement.

Let me start by saying the food itself wasn't the issue, the flavours were fine. My problem lies in the enormous disconnect between the prices and the overall experience, which was honestly disappointing.

Shortly after being seated, I was brought a bottle of water (a lovely detail some Malaysian cafés offer). However, no one came to take my order for quite some time. Eventually, I had to get up and approach a staff member. The coffee arrived promptly and was soon followed by the toasts, and here's where my frustration began.

The menu promises "4 pieces and 2 choices of spreads." Was it accurate? Yes, but deeply misleading too. What I received were two slices of bread (on the small side), each cut in half. So technically yes, four "pieces," but in reality just two small slices of bread with butter and kaya for RM18. I don’t object to paying premium prices if the bread is truly remarkable — sourdough with personality, 100% whole wheat made from heritage grains, something worth the markup really — or if the service and ambience somehow make up for it, which was also not the case.

Because, to make matters worse, I had also ordered poached eggs to accompany the toasts. They didn’t arrive until an hour later, and only after I got up once again to remind the staff I was still waiting for them. By the time the eggs arrived, I had already finished my coffee, and the two sad little pieces of bread I'd saved along with the butter, hoping for a proper pairing, had been waiting patiently to play their part in the breakfast they were meant to complete. No one acknowledged the delay. No apology was offered.

I'm not placing blame on the individual workers, who seemed to be doing their best. If anything, I found myself wondering whether they're treated fairly by whoever is running the place. But as a customer, the whole experience felt off. A little scammy, even.

Throughout my café adventures in Penang, I've found better service, warmth and attention to detail in more humble cafés, often for a third...

A bit disappointed or maybe we had too high expectations from the reviews we got online? Hmmm

Environment and ambience were great, we visited on a weekend morning, not too crowded, people are not too loud, just nice.

Parking wise - we parked at the parking space near whiteaway arcade and walk there, not too far. They do have roadside parking as well, you can try your luck.

Okay, now, the food.

We ordered fried chicken waffle and peanut butter toast, both are one of their best sellers

Fried chicken waffle We expected a savoury and sweet combo so they neutralise and compliment each other (At least this was what we tasted last time in the US) Fried chicken was just nice, not overcooked nor undercooked, still juicy inside when we bit it. However, the marinate was staying just at the skin part, not well marinated enough. Waffle - too much baking powder so it tasted a bit bitter and we expected a firmer or maybe those hard waffle? not those fluffy ones cause maple syrup will be drizzle on top, the fried chicken will be stacked on top of the waffle, so it would become pancake. And fluffy means more baking powder, and leads to bitterness

Overall, fried chicken and waffle can be eaten separately but not together cause not well balanced enough

Peanut butter toast Hmmm, more like banana toast. Yea, it was written in the menu what they've included in the dish - banana sauce, peanut butter, cream, maple syrup and etc I love the caramelised banana slice, nicely char and the salted caramel complimented the sweetness from the banana but not overpowering it

Love the toast! Fluffy like a cloud, well cooked. And the peanut butter, I think they made it themselves, it's aromatic and I love it with the crunchy peanut bits. Kinda like the apom peanut sugar fillings but in butter form.

In my humble opinion, banana sauce is too extra, overpowering the whole dish. Together with the banana slice, I couldn't even taste the peanut butter. It tasted more like banana toast with a hint of peanut butter, instead of the main key of the dish, peanut butter tasted just like a support. Again, the dish tasted better if you eat it separately. Not well balanced enough

Will I visit this shop next time? Maybe..? If my friends or family wanna try this place out. I don't mind to give another try for other dishes, but not peanut butter toast nor fried...