"What? Even the location of the toilet can't be disclosed?" I couldn't help teasing the sheepish-looking Mervin Chin, the self-proclaimed Lord of the Rinse, a popular neighbourhood cafe in Bandar Sri Damansara, Kuala Lumpur, and now the proud owner of Undisclosed Location, a quirky cafe in bustling Taman Rasa Sayang, Petaling Jaya.
I'd been grumbling about the absence of any signage to the restroom. Assuming that it'd be located at the end of the cafe when I'd walked in, desperate for the toilet, I'd instead found myself hastily sliding open one of the wooden doors only to come face to face with two chirpy cooks hard at work by the stove in the kitchen.
Chuckling uproariously at my "dig", the bespectacled 30-year-old, known for being somewhat of a maverick in the artisan coffee-scape, retorts that his father may have misplaced the sign, before exclaiming playfully: "Well, I guess that's why we're called Undisclosed Location!"
Seated opposite me in a corner of the cafe that's bathed in a warm glow from the natural sunlight streaming in from the window, the young barista is celebrating another proud feather under his cap: the birth of his latest passion project, this corner-lot cafe that's worlds away from his first cafe, Rinse KL.
"I've always wanted to expand," begins Mervin, with enthusiasm. "I had so many food ideas I wanted to realise so I knew I needed to have a new place. I can't just chuck everything in Rinse because the menu there is extensive enough. I feel that I've reached my vision with Rinse. I mean, it's helped me pay for another restaurant!"
His vision for his maiden cafe when he first flung open its glass door to the neighbourhood folks was to spread the gospel of coffee. "But then, five years later, I realised that as much as I wanted to change people's appreciation of coffee, they didn't want to change," he laments, dismayed.
Nodding, I allow my mind to wander back to the time when I first met him. It was exactly five years ago when the passionate trailblazer, trendy sneakers on his feet and lean body clad in a black T-shirt dotted with Star Wars characters, was a cocksure barista who'd just realised his dream of owning a cafe.
Then a rookie barista, he believed he could change the coffee-scape of the tranquil neighbourhood of Bandar Sri Damansara, where he resides with his family. I remind him of that. "Well, the number of people who are drinking and appreciating good coffee is getting smaller," he replies, matter-of-factly.
Tone laced with exasperation, Mervin continues: "Do you know who's taking the throne now? Those brands like Gigi Coffee and ZUS Coffee. They have a big slice of the market. Yes, their branding is strong, but I also feel their lure is the convenience aspect. You can find them everywhere. If you see so many of them expanding, there must be a market for such things."
He'd made it his battle to change people's mindset. Unfortunately, as Mervin concedes, it's been a case of David versus Goliath, the latter being a character in the biblical Book of Samuel, described as a Philistine giant defeated by the young David in a single combat.
Elaborating, Mervin confides: "For me, I was the underdog whose bigger, stronger adversary was just too much to overcome. But it has definitely been an invaluable learning journey; one that I needed to be on to have a better appreciation of how I needed to move forward."
Unperturbed by the hiccup, the bubbly KL-lite decided to turn his wandering sight to something else that he's passionate about. Food. "There's loyalty in food," he says simply, adding: "With coffee, people may opt for convenience. Whatever is nearest to them, that's where they go. But food? You know Malaysians will go the length of the country for good food."
And that's how Undisclosed Location was born.
NO GIMMICKS, JUST SURPRISES
"Can you give me the name and address, please?!" the hastily-typed text was starting to sound annoyed. I'd asked Patrick Chin, Mervin's father and the business backbone, for the location of his son's new cafe. Once again, the words "undisclosed location" popped up on my handphone screen.
"Why can't you just tell me where the location is?" I could hear the note of impatience threatening to surface and shatter the hitherto cordial exchange. "That's what it's called, dear!" he replied back, patiently.
"Oh my God, I thought your father was just trying to make my life difficult," I exclaim, sharing with the grinning proprietor my conversation with Patrick mere weeks before. Once again, Mervin's uproarious chuckles slice through the happy chatter of the other diners around us.
"I should've known. It's so you lah, Mervin!" I retort, recalling just how unconventional and quirky this marketing graduate can be. He grins proudly in response, before confiding: "Even the bank thought we were messing around. I remember we were applying for something and they asked us for the name of our cafe. When I replied, the officer said to me, 'you know it's against the law not to give us the address if you want to open a shop!' I really had to convince him that was our name!"
Asked for the origins to this unusual name, Mervin shares that it was derived from a rap song, a genre of music that he's a big fan of. Smiling, he says: "I was listening to this rap song and suddenly the words 'undisclosed location' came up. I thought, damn, it has a nice ring to it. So, I decided to name the cafe that."
Continuing, he elaborates: "And to add to the element of mystery, I decided to put the cafe signage along the ceiling outside. I mean, if I place it in a conventional location, like along the front of the shop, then I'd be disclosing the location, what!"
Nodding, I recall trying to locate the signage just hours earlier having been "informed" by Waze that I'd arrived at my destination. I'd stood in front of the corner-lot cafe, staring in bewilderment at the blank concrete-grey canvas that stared right back at me in cheeky defiance. If it hadn't been for the sight of Patrick weaving his way from inside the cafe towards the entrance, I might have easily walked away.
NEVER HOLDING BACK
"I've never craved all that glitz and glamour. I'm not into gimmicks anymore," Mervin's admission slices into my reverie and whips me back to our conversation. To my left from where I'm seated, the vision of the legendary hero from Greek mythology, Theseus, pinning the part-bull part-man, Minotaur, erected in glorious marble in the cafe's courtyard, genitalia subtly covered by leaves, makes it difficult for me to focus.
And once again, Mervin lets out an uproarious chuckle as he notes my wandering eyes. "Like I said, I'm not seeking gimmick or glamour, but I do want things that represent me," he confides, adding: "Like, over there. I feel that Theseus represents my strength. He's human and he's fighting against a demi-God. Everyone was afraid of the Minotaur."
Adding, the driven Taurus shares that he's a big Greek mythology fan. "I've always said that Greek mythology doesn't make sense. But then again, does the world make any sense? At least that statue is a talking point. People come here and can't take their eyes off it!"
Brows furrowing under his glasses, Mervin tells me that he once saw the impressive sculpture somewhere in Paris. I nod in acknowledgement, recalling from the recesses of my memory the white marble sculpture that's an homage to Etienne-Jules Ramey's 19th century work and forms the centrepiece at the Tuileries Garden, a public garden located between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde in Paris.
"I liked it so much that I wanted to have it for my new cafe," continues Mervin, adding that he approached his contact in China and commissioned him to make one. "That thing there is handmade white marble," he adds proudly.
Continuing, he says sheepishly: "It cost me RM30,000. We had to destroy the walls in order to get it in. There was no way on earth we could've lifted it over and put it down. When I told my dad the price, he asked me why I was doing this. Now, I think he understands my madness!"
His gaze travelling to his piece de resistance, Mervin nods his head, a look of wonder crossing his eyes. "You can stare at it all day. Look at all those fine details. I'm just amazed by how they managed to carve the lines on the body and the way it looks so real."
The work was commissioned back in August last year and took more than a month and a half to arrive by sea. "To be honest, I was afraid that I'd get cheated," he admits, chuckling nervously, adding: "I'd already paid 80 per cent of the cost and I really wasn't sure whether the thing would arrive here in one piece. Nobody wanted to insure it because it's so fragile. Any part could break. I made them take pictures of it every day!"
Touching on the rest of the eclectic pieces that make up the rest of the cafe's many "artistic adornments", Mervin steers my attention to the moody portrait of Russian novelist, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, that occupies pride of place by the entrance, framed by a collection of indoor plants, complete with what looks like a veiled Mary just below it. These pieces were all shipped from China too.
Incidentally, Dostoyevsky, whose most acclaimed works include Crime and Punishment (1866) and The Idiot (1869), is hailed by many literary critics as one of the greatest psychologists in world literature.
Expression thoughtful, Mervin muses: "People like Fyodor always remind you that you're living on borrowed time. Do I subscribe to that? Yes, I do. That's why I'm brave to make certain decisions. I do believe I'm living on borrowed time and that you can't take everything with you when you go. So just do it. I'm not going to hold back!"
NO EXPECTATIONS
Mervin is keen to keep hitting customers who walk into his cafe with plenty of surprises. "I purposely decided to keep everything looking so unassuming — from the bare cement to the grey walls, right to the more sombre colour scheme," he confides, adding that the 1800sq ft space had been visualised to resemble a box, from where many surprises spring.
"I didn't want anyone to be able to pin any kind of expectations on my shop," adds Mervin mysteriously. Asked to elaborate, he explains: "For example, go to other cafes. When you look at them from the outside, you can more or less guess what the inside might be like or what the concept will be. There's many out there that's either bent on the minimalist look or get completely gimmicky. You know the food isn't going to be great if you see Donald Duck hanging out there. It's just tacky!"
That's definitely not what he's aspiring to. "I just want to make it dark. It's only when you walk inside that you go "wow" because it's totally unexpected," shares Mervin, adding: "The idea is I reduce their expectations and then over-deliver, instead of having them over-expecting and me, under-delivering. I just want to keep hitting our customers with surprises — and that includes the menu we offer."
Recalling his time in the United Kingdom as a student, Mervin points out that for most good eateries and bars, "unassuming" was always de rigueur. "They make it classy and clean and just hit you with good food and drinks. That's what I'm after," he confides excitedly.
Surprisingly, or maybe in this case, not, Mervin hasn't embarked on his usual social media blitz with Undisclosed Location. I remember well how he was far more aggressive with the branding and promotions for Rinse KL.
He nods, before replying: "For awareness, we're just relying on word of mouth. I personally believe that good food speaks volumes. It just so happened that some online portals were here recently and wrote about our food. And no, I didn't invite them."
Beaming, Mervin shares: "Before long, a lot of people started coming and they went on to spread the word to their friends. Before we knew it, our weekends became really packed. That's what I really want for Undisclosed Location. No glam, no gimmick. Just good food; the sort you'd be raving to your friends about."
OUT OF THE BOX
Although the space is subdued and simple, the same can't be said of the spread here. This is where the colours burst forth, with a menu that's very much inspired by Mexican cuisine. "I love Mexican food. It's my favourite cuisine," exclaims Mervin, eyes under his glasses dancing excitedly.
His journey with Undisclosed Location, he adds, is to fuse every food out there and make it contemporary and fresh. "Not only in the realm of Mexican food," he's swift to add, before continuing: "That's just my stepping stone. Then we'll move on from there. In Malaysia, whenever you see fusion on the menu, it's more often with English or maybe French food. I've not really seen it done with Mexican."
Continuing, he shares: "I actually googled 'tacos' and only the authentic version came up — with the usual fillings of maybe beef or chicken, and the conventional toppings of beans, onions, chili peppers, lime etc. There didn't seem to be anything new in the market. It was then I realised that there was room to innovate and elevate our classic Malaysian food into a more contemporary and adventurous setting. As long as it's Chinese or Asian, I want to bring it forward!"
Chuckling, Mervin points to Chinese food as an example. "It's always done in the same style," he exclaims, elaborating: "It's always salted egg with this or that. And I was thinking, why has no one relooked at that? I'm a millennial and I want something new. I don't want to eat my Kam Heong chicken in the same way and always with rice!"
So, are you taco-fying our Malaysian food? I couldn't resist teasing the passionate foodie. The mischievous gleam in his eyes tells me that I've hit the bulls-eye with my guess. Beaming, he asks me: "Have you heard of the Medici effect?" I nod in response. The Medici effect is the name given to the idea that increased creativity and innovation occurs through diversity.
"We're so comfortable in our little box that we just grab what we see or what we can visualise," muses Mervin, before adding: "When you talk about Mexican food, no one would think to cross it with Chinese food. What others aren't doing, I want to do."
Grinning, he continues: "I did google Asian Mexican food when I was doing my research and saw nothing. So, I want to reverse this. Just like the Medici effect. I'm always asking myself if it can still work if I were to reverse things. That's essentially how I get my inspiration."
He points to one of Rinse KL's popular dishes, the Asam Fish rice bowl. "I looked at this item on our Rinse menu and asked myself whether this would work in a taco. I googled and discovered that no one else was doing it. So, I did. Our Malacca Asam Fish Taco, which comprises dory fish fingers, Melaka-inspired asam sauce, guacamole, homemade sour cream, salsa and jalapeno, is one of our best sellers here."
Just to prove that he can do the classics well too, Mervin also offers, in addition to the Asian fusion taco selection, a couple of classic tacos to choose from — the OG Classic Beef Taco or the Breakfast Taco, with scrambled eggs, chicken slices, avocado et al. If tacos aren't your thing, there's always a delectable selection of pasta dishes as well as rice and caulirice bowls for a healthier option.
DRIVEN BY CURIOSITY
"I'm always inspired to create," confides Mervin, the smile never leaving his face. Adding, he shares: "That's why I spend so much time doing R&D. My mum hates me for that! If I buy a whole bottle of something, I'd end up just using a bit for my tests and discarding the rest. I really enjoy researching, innovating and creating."
Expression thoughtful, he says: "I've definitely moved my passion from coffee to food. But I use the same method I used to apply to my coffee venture, to my food now. Just passionately trying. I guess coffee has a ceiling but food is indefinite. It's more exciting!"
Suffice it to say, Mervin is in no hurry to slow down despite, he confides to me, telling his ever-supportive father that he'd probably do so by the age of 40 — when he's achieved everything. "I don't think I can ever stop," he exclaims, again chuckling good-naturedly.
Concluding, he says: "I'm now 30. I have two cafes and I want to go for more. Maybe it's craft beer next. I'm driven by curiosity. I tell my friends that my super power is curiosity. Why? Because once I find A, I want to find B, and then C, and so on. It never stops. And that's quite worrying too!"
Undisclosed Location
Where: 1, Jalan SS 4c/5, Taman Rasa Sayang, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
Opening Hours: Daily, except Tuesday. From 11am-6pm.