When Aka Café opened its doors in January 2016, many were intrigued by this Japanese fusion eatery that incorporates traditional-looking meals in a modern minimalistic setting.
People are easily attracted to cute items and designs and at Aka Café, these things are aplenty. It is obvious that the founders of this eatery have placed priority on not just the food, but also the experience that they can provide.
Aka’s bento set features pandas made out of sticky white rice and bits of seaweed, coupled with a pot of fragrant tea and some pickled vegetables. As for their panda dessert, it is in fact a panda vanilla roll cake served with bits of chocolate and fresh blueberries.
As for their ice ball desserts, they come in a variety of flavours including chocolate, matcha and taro. The set also comes with traditional Japanese wooden tea spoons which is used to stir the mixture together.
Their classic shiratama dango with red bean and matcha sauce is in fact created in-house and each ball is meticulously shaped one by one by the kitchen crew. As such, no two dango balls are the same.
Their blend of java and ice cold matcha drinks may be worlds apart in terms of flavour and degree of temperature but they are both great drinks to have on rainy days or when it’s blazing hot outside.
As for their signature taro au lait, many would be attracted to the colour but the taste of yam is a unique one that you have to try at least once when you’re dining in this café. On the other hand, Aka’s matcha au lait uses premium Uji matcha powder which is imported directly from Japan and both the au lait drinks feature adorable latte arts on them.
At Aka Café, it is customary for guests to pour warm milky liquid, be it chocolate or vanilla, on some frozen ice balls. Not only is it satisfying to pour the liquid on the frozen mixture, it also makes for an appetising Facebook shot. At this eatery, they serve the dish alongside some fish crackers which are synonymous with our childhood days, as that is a snack that most kids would have sampled at some point in their life.
Waffles from this eatery are savoury and they incorporate bacon bits, seaweed and cheese for flavours of East meets West.
When it comes to their cakes, the traditional butter cakes are further elevated with pastel colours which gives it a whimsical feel. It is interesting to note that the chefs at Aka have even briefly been under the tutelage of Chef Gael Etrillard, who has experience serving as the executive pastry chef at Raffles Hotel Singapore for around half a decade.
While Aka Café features plenty of sweet treats, they do serve main meals here as well. The bento set features fish, pickled vegetable, gyoza, rice and miso soup. As for their crispy karaage chicken, it is served with a side of salad.
For those who have paid Aka a visit, they know that there is no need for the cat figurines on the counter which beckons them to return. They would gladly do so anyway.
Aka Café is more than just a place to makan. It is also a place where people can kick back with some good-looking food, and enjoy all that Japan has to offer, right here in KL. After all, their tagline states: “Taste like Japan, feel like home”.
Aka Café
Hours: Thursday-Tuesday: 12pm-9pm. (Closed on Wednesdays).
Address: 21-1, Jalan 109F, Plaza Danau 2, Taman Danau Desa
Website: Aka Cafe
Tel: 03-7971 8282
