Thirty Seconds • Bandar Sri Damansara — Restaurant in Petaling Jaya

Tucked behind the kind of streets you only wander down if you live there or are seriously lost, sits a café that doesn’t try too hard, because it doesn’t have to. The décor is stripped back: fake plants, minimalist furniture, wooden tables and a soundtrack of gentle indie tunes that never get in the way of conversation. Somewhere in the corner, the owner might be hunched over spreadsheets, a reminder that cafés—no matter how artisanal—still have to pay the bills.

The hook is the food, not the furniture. They’ve been riding the keto wave long enough to outlast the fad, turning it into a defining trait. Cauliflower rice that’s dangerously close to tasting like actual rice. Laksa with a suspiciously green broth that ends up winning you over. Nasi lemak stripped of carbs but not flavour. Cakes without sugar, flour, or gluten that somehow still qualify as dessert. The regular menu’s here too, but most people here skew towards the low-carb life.

It’s not flawless though. On a good day, coffee is strong and flavoursome without gouging your wallet. On a bad day, it makes you wonder how a barista champion ended up making something so forgettable. Service is friendly but inconsistent; orders get mixed up, but are fixed just as quickly. Prices are on the high side, portions sometimes on the small side. Parking’s a pain, seating fills fast, and the resident café cat is either a bonus or a biohazard, depending on your allergies.

Despite the quirks, it works. It’s the kind of place you wander into after lunch or work, sip something hot, and forget about the time. Not perfect, not trying to be. Just a solid neighbourhood café that knows what it’s good at and doesn’t waste time...

Note:

1. mostly indoor seating, only 1 outdoor table available - tables are very clean
2. limited 🚗 parking due to location at shoplot, park further and walk over
3. menu variety caters for keto and normal diners
4. amazing coffee ☕
5. good to call ahead to secure your table

We journeyed to try out this cafe at Sei Damansara. The food is good and able to cater for the morning crowds 👍 The folks working at this cafe are all very polite and particular on cleanliness - you can see the crumbs on the floor very quickly swept away and tables cleared efficiently.

I loved the keto version of nasi lemak which comes with an amazingly well-marinated fried chicken 🤩 The first bite into this has a rush of flavours bursting! The skin was crispy yet inside tender.... just amazing! 💕 We ordered some other menu items and its all good, i would say this tom yam pasta is very flavorful! Also ordered the keto coffee as well as flat white, just for comparison - i absolutely ♥️ the flat white, very smooth, hot and not bitter at all (which means temperature is just right!)

The food pictures will speak for...

Located in Bandar Sri Damansara, Thirty Seconds is home to the Malaysia Barista Champion 2019. Unfortunately, the champion barista was not there when we dined, nonetheless coffee was good and strong. They have a wide selection of western and some local choices, including keto diet. We found the pasta quite fusiony; carbonara was less creamy and had a spicy twist and the pesto was less "green" in taste. Perhaps they made these tweaks to cater to local palates. Overall food was tasty and cake was good too, although a tad sweet. They also have low carb cake, which is also gluten free, however the taste is pretty bland (some sacrifice needed for a healthier choice).One quirk was that water is served FOC with any coffee order while it costs RM 1 when ordered separately. This caused some confusion as we were looking for cups to get water but were told to pay. Owners were friendly but food took some time...