Openwork | 开工咖啡馆

Openwork is an unsuspecting cafe plying at the mouth of the busy Skudai Highway, Johor Bahru. Vinc Pow—one of the co-founders of Openwork—picked the ground unit of the Gim Shew Building as his ideal location for his third cafe venture. The reason? Enter Openwork (from ground level) and be treated to a “hilltop” view as though the cafe has a second storey.

The Chinese characters 开工 in 开工咖啡馆 is a literal (direct) translation of the English words open and work. A little wordplay turns Openwork into “we’re ready to start work”.

Vinc took cues from Scandinavian design—a style characterized by minimalism and functionality—and married it with the vibes of old-school Hong Kong cafes to create a calm and pleasing environment appropriate for rainy days and laid-back afternoons. Openwork’s logo could very well be the cafe’s homage to the last shimmers of Hong Kong’s iconic neon lights.

Expect gyozas and a selection of fine single-origin coffee. It does not stop there. To stand out from the usual cafe fare, Openwork serves rice bowls that offers sambal (and yuzu) flavored rice. 木瓜 (Papaya Milk Yakult Foam) and 凉凉 (Mint Green Tea with Raw Honey) are two refreshing drinks from Openwork’s beverage menu. And they are quite unique; so much so that you might run into trouble if you try replicating them at home.