Gaya Dine & Café
My Own Bakes Café: No Fuss, Yet So Delicious
Te x t b y S H A H I DA S A K E R I I m a g e s b y K A M I L A Z I M N A S I R
I don’t know about you, but I’m slowly growing tired of hipster cafes. You know, those with heavilyor over-designed spaces, complicated menu with funny names (Monster Mashed Pie, anyone?), and crowds that seem to be hungrier for pictures rather than food. What happened to the old simple places where our parents flocked to for proper, satisfying meals?
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This is when My Own Bakes (MOB) Café at Eight Kinrara comes in, a casual, cosy restaurant and – yes – without an ounce of that ‘hipster’ vibe. This is the place where you’ll see friendly servers chat with regulars. The kitchen churns out no frills, but only comfort food in generous portions. The design is kept minimal: black and white walls with a pop of colours coming from the striking canary yellow chairs and turquoise sofa in the lounge area. There is also a designated children’s play area so that parents can dine in peace. In fact, the café’s location itself screams family; Eight Kinrara is in Bandar Kinrara 5 that is close to residential areas, supermarkets such as Giant, ample parking spaces, and convenient amenities like banks and a post office. So, why not pop into MOB when you’re in the neighbourhood? One might say MOB Café sailed into the scene with a humble yet inspiring beginning, starting with a humble home-based operation where they sold their heavenly baked goods at booths during special events in shopping malls. Kayla, the Head Baker, learned most of her tricks from YouTube videos in her early days until a growing demand prompted her to take this field professionally. She began to attend classes, honed her skills, and team up with Adibah who currently handles the management side of the business along with another partner (who would like to remain anonymous). One day, Subang Parade knocked at their door to offer them a permanent spot in the mall, and they never looked back since then. In 2017, the second outlet was opened in Eight Kinrara with an extended menu comprising Western cuisines, while the third one has just recently been launched at Sogo Central i-City Shah Alam.
Among the highlights at MOB Café Eight Kinrara are the cakes, of course, including the butter chicken rice and pasta with five different sauces: seafood creamy marinara, carbonara, aglio olio, Bolognese, and salted egg prawns. My favourite is the classic Bolognese, cooked slowly and prepared with care by Chef Aiman, a graduate from Taylor’s University in Culinary Arts. Perhaps his reverent approach to the classics makes this dish brilliant; everything is made from scratch with fresh ingredients in the café’s kitchen, resulting in a well-balanced, tongueteasing dish that I think, even the likes of Madame Mallory from the movie ‘The Hundred-Foot Journey’ would approve. For a richer Asian flavour and a blush of spiciness, go for the salted egg prawns’ sauce that is equally satisfying to the point that I don’t have any unkind words to say about it.
