It was a good morning at Pregio. We visited them at their main location, which also houses their training classroom. Coincidentally, we discovered that this is KK’s arm of the Barista Guild of Asia. A pleasant surprise for us as, as the Philippine chapter of BGA and Barista Cafe often partners with us for our open cupping events in Kendo. If their training program follows the same standards as the Manila counterpart, this is probably a great place to learn the art of being a barista.
Consequently, the shop itself had a very fun barista culture, with some very hospitable staff members who seemed to really enjoy coffee. They took very good care of us, and we’re quite kid-friendly. The cafe has dedicated plasticware for kids.
To eat, Nica and the kids had that coffee house staple: waffles and fresh fruit. Meanwhile, I had a western breakfast plate that consisted of an egg, salad, bread, turkey ham, a chicken sausage, and beef bacon — which is a thing here in Kota Kinabalu. Because of the large Muslim population, many restaurants and cafes have no pork whatsoever. The meal was perfect for a neighborhood cafe breakfast: filling, delightful, but not too fancy.
That same tone is also in the ambiance. Design-wise, the cafe is kind of formatted like a garage that’s been converted into a coffee shop. Large roll down gates serve as sun shades and pan lighting drops down from the ceiling. Again, this creates a certain mom-and-pop corner-joint vibe that is not intimidating whatsoever.
The coffee itself was spot on. We had a flat white and two single origin slow drips: a Burundi brewed via V60, and an Ethiopia brewed with a Chemex equipped with a metal cone filter. I usually dislike the Chemex, but my barista said it was her preference for this particular coffee, so I took her word for it.
All coffees served in Pregio are roasted by Hong Kong’s Ideaology. I’d heard of this roaster before, but this was my first time sampling their coffees. Each cup was full flavored, without sacrificing nuance notes like green apple and earl grey tea. Excellent job by both roaster and cafe
Pregio By Barista Caffe is located at: Lot 17, Lorong Kompleks BSA, Kompleks BSA, Kolombong, 88450 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
Pregio also has an outlet in Shell Plaza, across the building lobby from the Mercedes-Benz dealership.
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