Syarikat is a Malay word for company, and truth to be told this is a cafe with a Syarikat concept and design. Located in a quiet neighborhood in Pulau Tikus, Syarikat cafe is an abandoned company-turned cafe. Bear in mind that it took me some time to find the cafe as it’s located in a housing area, not a commercial area.
As you enter the cafe, seatings are only available at the back of the cafe. You would need to place the order at the counter yourself. For me, it reminds me of a company, where the receptionist always welcome guests while employees are always situated further back of the office.
You will also find the entire cafe ‘decorated’ with office appliances.
Take a look at this very funny and interesting ’employee handbook’.
For drinks, I had the Gula Melaka Latte. I love the fact that they substitute the coaster for the floppy disc haha. The latte itself is actually quite mild, and has an aromatic Gula Melaka flavor. I also like the crispy coconut flakes they added on top of the drink.
For main course, I was served one of their best sellers, Asian Garlic Butter Chicken Chop. The chicken chop has a thin batter and was deep fried. For me, I think it was slightly overdone as the skin turns a bit too hard. The sauce, however, was very tasty. It also reminds me of salted egg sauce. This dish come served with a side of salad and fries.
The signature dish at Syarikat Cafe has to be their garlic ramen, served with a choice of clam, smoked duck or scallop. The soup base was full of garlic flavor, and extremely savory and creamy. I like the variations when it comes to the topping, as I thought the clam actually goes quite well with the ramen. The noodles are thin and grabbed onto the soup very well too.
To end my dinner, I had a unique burnt cheese cake. It is a double layer cheesecake, featuring matcha and hojicha. The texture of the cheesecake is extremely dense and creamy. I can definitely taste the bitterness from the matcha and a slight bitter and sourness from the hojicha.
This cake is perfect for matcha/hojicha lovers. The cake itself is not too sweet. Personally, I thought a side serving of sweet cream/whipped cream would elevate the flavors even more.
Final Thoughts
All in all, I had an enjoyable dinner at Syarikat Cafe. I definitely loved the vibe and environment in the cafe itself. Food itself was OK, and pricing are pretty affordable too. The only downside of my trip was I couldn’t book a grab to get back to my hotel. As the cafe is situated in a neighborhood area, away from the tourist hotspots, it might be difficult to get a grab car, especially late at night. I ended up walking back to my hotel.
If you ever wanted to dine in a more unusual cafe, why not try out Syarikat Cafe?
We would like to thank Jolene and the Syarikat Cafe team for their hospitality and for hosting us for dinner! We thoroughly enjoyed our dining experience.
Syarikat Cafe Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Syarikatcafe/
Syarikat Cafe Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/syarikatcafe/
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