Haikara-Style Cafe & Bakery

November 27, 2008 at 10:15 am · Filed under Eating Out, Food

Have been meaning to go to this Japanese bakery & cafe for sometime, but have not been lucky with catching the opening times. Apparently “Haikara” means stylish, or chic, which is such a unique name for this place. But what interests me most is that they serve charcoal roasted coffee. I thought it was one of those tea places initially but was pleasantly surprised to find out that they serve food too! Pasta, rice, sandwiches etc.

In conjunction of the upcoming Yuletide festivities, they have hung this adorable bread ring adorned with ribbons and plastic bells at the entrance.

The shop interior is a bit tight, but pleasant to the eyes. I love the round paper pendant lamps which has a lace-like pattern on it. There’s also a bar counter instead of just tables and chairs. A collection of Japanese magazines and comics are also available for the customers’ reading pleasure. Probably the owners’ own collection, since they’re both Japanese.

We were very early the first time so they were only serving breakfast and drinks. Breakfast menu consists only of toast and one egg. The bread was baked in their premises though, and tasty quite good! Crisp and buttery. The egg was hard boiled though, and we were expecting soft boiled ones. But a flip thru the menu made me resolve to come back on a lunch hour the next time.

So when we did manage to come back for lunch on a separate occasion, the place was packed and the only table that was not taken up was the sole one outside. And about half of them were Japanese! As the Japanese couple are the only ones waiting on the patrons, service was quite hurried, but still polite. The daily lunch sets are written on a board for easy referring and we all ordered off there instead of from the menu decorated with Japanese paper dolls. While we were waiting, we were served small glasses of cold water, infused with mint leaves.

The Seafood Aglio Olio Pasta was served al dente with prawns, squid rings, minced squid (!) and surprisingly, broccoli florets. Doesn’t taste like the conventional Aglio Olio pastas but still very delicious.

I chose the “Roko Moko” which is described as a Hawaiian Hamburger Rice. Must admit, I didn’t really know what to expect. So what it was was actually this plate of rice, topped with sliced cabbage, a burger patty, slathered with brown sauce and a sunny side up. And on the sides, some sliced tomatoes and Japanese cucumbers. It smelled wonderful when it was being served and it did not disappoint! The patty was juicy and took in the tangy flavours of the sauce very well.

This is the Chicken Kerokke, which is essentially chicken croquettes, served with butter rolls and a side salad. Sounds like a small portion, but is very filling. But the best bit is probably how the croquettes are deep fried but doesn’t taste oily at all. Just crisp on the outside and yummy creaminess on the inside.

There’s complimentary soup for all orders, but coffee with the set lunches only. Not sure what the clear soup is, but it tasted alright. As for the coffee, it was very fragrant but not bitter. I could just drink it with the given cream and not add any sugar. And I love the mini milk jug (yes, gushing like a girly girl now :P)!

Even though I noticed a lot of people having desserts or buying bread, we didn’t get any coz we were really stuffed by then. Looks like another return visit! Hehe. Two things though, prices are a bit on the high side (RM25++ for sets) and due to the lack of help, be prepared to wait a bit during peak hours so come here if you have time to spare.

Edited: Also tried the sandwiches and Mentaiko Pasta on another return visit. The sandwiches were not your everyday plain tuna mayo and egg ones, but the tuna mayo one had freshly diced onions in it, adding a sweet crunch to it.

As for the Mentaiko Pasta, we weren’t too sure what to expect. Creamy spaghetti with roe, and seaweed! Despite the seemingly strange combination, it was surprisingly good! Rich and creamy and I was easily hooked. Yum.

Haikara-Style Cafe & Bakery (www)
E-Tiara Service Apartments,
GF Jalan SS16/1, Subang Jaya (at the other end of B&N’s diner ,next to Carrefour)
Tel :03-5630 0743
Closed Mondays.
Tues – sat :11am-11pm
Sun : 10am 0 6:30pm

other reviews;
– mycoffee
– scrap your creativity

Permalink