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On my method to Siti Khadijah Market in Kota Bharu earlier this 12 months, an interesting-looking cafe on the roadside caught my eye.
Named To The Moon, it appeared paying homage to a spot you’d discover in Penang or KL. Whereas cafe tradition in Kelantan has been rising over time, it’s nonetheless uncommon to seek out “aesthetic” or “Instagrammable” areas within the space.
Though I wasn’t in a position to dine there on the time, it piqued my curiosity sufficient that I reached out to be taught extra.
I managed to get in contact with CK, the Kelantanese founding father of To The Moon.
Graduating from Taylor’s with a level in enterprise administration, CK had beforehand jumped on the bubble tea development and even took on a bubble tea franchise.
Nevertheless, he ended up having to shut down the enterprise resulting from a scarcity of demand and excessive rental in Kelantan.
“Really enterprise was nice for the first 4 months, after which increase—MCO for nearly two years,” he defined.
However it was additionally the pandemic that allowed him to prepare dinner up one thing new.
With folks caught at dwelling, CK knew that when restrictions had been lifted, folks would undoubtedly need to exit and dine with family and friends. Thus, he knew it was an opportune time to get into the market.
“By some means, deep down my coronary heart, I all the time thought why there wasn’t a contemporary restaurant/cafe in heritage buildings like in Penang, Ipoh, or KL,” he mentioned. “Individuals of Kelantan deserve one.”
For many who are into crypto, you may perceive the reference made by the cafe’s identify. Basically, To The Moon is a well-liked saying within the crypto group, referring to a crypto witnessing a serious upward market development.
Discovering the saying fashionable, catchy, simple to pronounce, and by some means romantic, CK made his choose and launched To The Moon in 2021.
Cooking up fusion meals
At To The Moon, the delicacies is a mixture of various things, from Japanese fare to Western flavours, whereas incorporating Thai and Malay dishes too. CK shared that the explanation for going the fusion route is as a result of he felt like simply common Western cafe meals can be too boring.
However CK doesn’t assume that they soar on tendencies only for the sake of it. Reasonably, the crew places thought into whether or not folks will or not like the meals, and whether or not the dish will stand the check of time.
Take for instance their panna cotta, which he felt was excellent because it’s not simply cute however can be scrumptious.
At present, To the Moon contains a nine-person crew. The cooks are all native to KB, and plenty of have labored at well-known lodges and eating places in KL, CK shared.
A unusual inside
One thing notable concerning the cafe is its quirky inside design that blends nostalgic, conventional components with an industrial and fashionable vibe. There are many mirrors round too, for that excellent OOTD shot.
And also you received’t need to miss the jokes hidden about. There’s a trash can labelled “Ex Aku” (my ex), subsequent to stairs that learn “Jatuh Cinta Bukan Tangga” (fall in love, not off the steps).
CK proudly shared that he designed the area himself alongside his contractor, and didn’t rent any inside designers.
“To be trustworthy, I consider myself as fairly a inventive individual,” he mentioned. “Plus, I had a lot time throughout MCO to take into consideration the design. I’d sit at the store for one or two hours simply to brainstorm and picture what it will seem like.”
Explaining the humorous elements of his design, he mentioned, “Life is simply too quick, why not simply snort? I all the time need to see folks snort, and so I all the time consider humorous concepts and put in in the cafe and our social media.”
True to this mindset, they’ve had a couple of viral movies, with one gaining over 2 million views on Instagram. CK mentioned that this technique has been essential in boosting their enterprise.
A rising cafe scene
Though cafe tradition in Kota Bharu has been rising over time, CK believes To The Moon’s idea is new to the state.
“First, it’s in a heritage constructing—as talked about, I needed one thing of a mix between fashionable and heritage,” he mentioned. “Plus there may be already a restaurant name Kedai Kopi Lama positioned on the similar row, and their enterprise is sort of properly.”
On high of that, the situation is by the principle highway, so drivers and passengers will discover them as they’re near the site visitors gentle too.
And he can be appropriate, as a result of that’s precisely how I first got here throughout his enterprise.
Going ahead, CK foresees the cafe market to develop into extra aggressive. To keep up their place, he believes one of the best factor is to simply proceed enhancing To The Moon’s meals, buyer providers, and creativity.
“Solely the inventive ones will reside when it’s getting extra aggressive,” he quipped.
It’s by way of creativity that CK believes To The Moon can now be thought-about “well-known” within the state. However now, the following step is to draw audiences from different states.
However for now, CK’s sights are set on one thing nearer. The founder revealed that the crew is renovating the second flooring of their cafe with a view to flip it right into a bakery serving pastries and truffles.
This would be the first step in CK’s ambitions to broaden To The Moon to not simply different states however even different international locations, fulfilling his dream to serve up Malaysian fusion meals worldwide.
- Study extra about To The Moon right here.
- Learn different articles we’ve written about F&B companies right here.
Featured Picture Credit score: To The Moon
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