Doutor Coffee, Gurney Plaza – Freshly Brewed Coffee from Japan

When we got to know that another coffee house is making its waves to Gurney Plaza Penang, we thought that how could this new coffee house compete with hundreds of other coffee houses or cafes in Penang. Could it be yet another coffee house just like the rest? Find out more in my post below.

Doutor Coffee Japan continues to grow in Malaysia with its fourth outlet now in Gurney Plaza Penang. The opening of Doutor is officiated by the Executive Chairman of Texchem Resources Bhd, Tan Sri Dato’ Seri (Dr) Fumihiko Konishi.

Also presented in the opening ceremony was President of Doutor Nichires Holdings Co. Ltd. – Mr. Masanori Hoshino.

The opening ceremony was officiated by the VIPs.

Doutor coffee is renowned for its roasted beans, which are open-flame roasted, a method that takes a lot of time and involves a labyrinthine process that yields complex, richly flavoured coffee beans.

Doutor Coffee practices the 3 FRESH’ philosophy; freshly roasted, freshly ground and freshly brewed. Doutor ensures that it provided freshly brewed coffee and fresh food inspired by Japan which is prepared upon order.

During the launch, Doutor Coffee was proud to bring in the Barista Specialist all the way from Japan to perform and demonstrate how to brew the best coffee.

The professional way of mixing a good cup of coffee latte with 50% of black coffee and 50% of milk.

With the great trainer from Japan, the trainees in Penang were seriously learning the correct method to make a good coffee.

Military Latte – RM15.90, this latte is a mixture of coffee, green tea and a touch of cocoa powder. The existence of both green tea and coffee could be felt easily in equal portion. It is one of the signature coffees at Doutor Coffee.

Creme Brulee Latte – RM15.90, the latte has been topped with a layer of creme brulee-like texture which has been torched with a flame. This has made the top layer crispy and tasted very much like the real creme brulee dessert. Sipping it together with the coffee latte beneath it gave the right combination of sweet and bitter.

The torching of creme brulee latte.

Signature Spaghetti- RM14.90. Chicken bacon, sausages, shimeji mushrooms, eggplant, tomatoes and spinach tossed with al-dente spaghetti in Japanese sauce. The pasta was then topped with an onsen egg and some white sesame seeds.

This is one of the signature dishes here. The onsen egg was perfectly cooked at the right texture. The ingredients mixed really well with an added Japanese touch such as the onsen egg and white sesame seeds.

Carbonara with Yolk & Bacon Spaghetti – RM15.90, Chicken bacon and egg yolk with spaghetti in creamy cheese sauce and topped with chopped parsley.

The carbonara tasted just right. The sauce texture was not too creamy but it had a strong cheesy taste which was wonderful for cheese lovers. It is recommended to toss the yolk together with the pasta to make the texture even smoother. I love the taste of it when mixing it with some slightly salty bacons.

Mentai Shrimp Spaghetti – RM18.90, Shrimps, shimeji, broccoli and spaghetti topped with mentaiko and nori.

The sauce of this spaghetti was very normal. However the great part of this dish was the mentaiko that popped with juicy texture in your mouth. The addition of shrimps and mushroom further enhanced the taste of this dish.

Fluffy Omu Tomato Rice – RM17.90. Chicken and onion in sauteed tomato rice was hidden beneath the perfect-looking-fluffy omelette which was topped with ketchup.

Omu, the fluffy omelet was placed on top of the sauteed tomato rice. At first, I thought that inside the fluffy omelette was the tomato rice as the omelette looked extremely fluffy. The omelette was made from a mixture of egg and cheese, the texture was fluffy with a rich taste.

Fluffy Souffle Doria – RM19.90. Sauteed tomato rice topped with souffle egg, Parmesan cheese and parsley.

The base ingredients of Souffle Doria is similar to Omu tomato rice except that the texture on top was more crispy.

Shrimp Avocado Sandwich – RM14.90. Spicy shrimps, avocado, lettuce, tomato, egg mayo and wasabi mayo on toasted brioche loaf.

The taste of the fresh avocado and prawn really was a big contrast as one was spicy and the other was creamy. Surprisingly both ingredients went well together.

Sukiyaki Beef Sandwich – RM14.90. Beef, egg mayo, lettuce, tomato and wasabi mayo with toasted brioche loaf.

The tenderness of the beef slices was just right for the sandwich and blended well with the egg mayo, lettuce and tomato.

Caramel French Toast – RM15.90, the cube-sized french toast were served with vanilla ice cream topped with caramel sauce and sprinkled with almond flakes.

This dish is specially dedicated to those with a sweet tooth. The blend of ice cream and caramel sauce made this dish sweet and creamy.

Matcha Souffle Pancake – RM14.90, the matcha pancake was topped with matcha ice cream and served with some fresh strawberries.

The matcha ice cream and the matcha pancake were refreshing as the taste was slightly bitter but with an added sweetness to it.

Some of the signature drinks at Doutor cafe which include but not limited to military latte, cafe latte, hand-brewed coffee and Fizzy Berry Soda.

Fizzy Berry Soda – RM13.90, the soda mixed with berries which was refreshing and cooling, perfect for those seeking for caffeine-free drinks.

Overall, the taste and the quality of the food and beverages here were up to par. The attractive point is the price range for all the food and drinks here is less than RM20 per item which is considered very affordable for a cafe. The only thing that needs to be improved is the time taking to serve the customers and the warmth and cheerfulness of the staff can be further improved.

Operation hours: 10:00am – 10:00pm (Sunday – Thursday); 10:00am – 11:00pm (Fridays)
Contact: –
Address: 170-G-41, Ground Floor of Gurney Plaza, 10250, Penang.
GPS: 5.438008,100.3076403