So the last food trail I went on was a month ago and life has been fairly ordinary ever since. I guess it comes as a package with the word "JOB". That however, does not mean that I have stopped my love for eating. In fact, it has made me extra fat because I have the weirdest cravings at the oddest of times. One of those days, I was madly craving for tofu cake from Poco Homemade that Callie and I absolutely love but they've closed down since December last year.
Out of curiosity, I went through their Facebook page and noticed that they shared away about a new cafe called Mainmain Cafe along Jalan Choo Cheng Khay because they serve tofu cake too. "THIS IS GOLD," I thought to myself. I scurried through information on how to get to Mainmain Cafe on Google Maps, excitedly told Callie about going to try it out and made it a point that I must give the cafe a visit. The only issue is that it's located fairly close to the city center and I despise driving there because traffic is horrendous. Fatefully though, my grandmother's tablet charger had spoiled and it was a point to go to Lowyat Plaza to look for a replacement and I thought about how I should really bring mum out of the house so she doesn't go stir crazy at home.
Striking out my visit.
Spotting Mainmain Cafe is no child's play because their signboard is extremely small and I overshot the first time I turned into Jalan Choo Cheng Khay from Jalan Wisma Putra. I'm thankful for the fact that 3G connection is decent there and I did a quick search on Google only to find that EatdrinkKL has been to this place and the picture they had helped me in looking out for Mainmain Cafe. A great lookout is for the Kwong Wah Yit Poh (光华日报) building and it is just 2 doors away.
An adorable play with their signboard; paper on a cork board supported on an easel.
And a blackboard as their menu.
You may notice that the menu is absolutely not Western friendly and that may be a problem if you're a Chinese illiterate like myself but don't let that deter you from visiting, okay? Just head on to the cafe and the extremely friendly lady will help you out on what's being served. Prior researching on the Internet will help too but there aren't a lot of reviews of Mainmain Cafe to around just yet.
An absolute quintessence of vintage feels.
Chairs and tables right from school days.
Desks from schools. They even have books in the drawers like how we do in school!
Walking up a short flight of stairs will lead you to the pink door of Mainmain Cafe only for you to escape into a place that smells of paint on wooden chairs and tables. When mum and I went however, it was locked and we were worried for a little while that they weren't open. I'm not too sure if the locking occurs often or if it was just for the day so you'll have to figure that one out yourself. The shop itself isn't heavily decorated but if you see something you like, feel free to ask if you can purchase if from them.
Vintage cupboards with handmade items being sold.
I'm not sure if this jukebox still runs...
And likes of things simply hanging on the wall.
They put quite an effort in making it vintagely homey; from tables right down to rattan baby chairs.
The menu scribbled on the window panes.
Even their counter area is put up by wood planks.
I cannot get over this OPEN sign made of staples and wood!
A rocking horse along side wooden magazine racks. I wish I could still fit on a rocking horse.
Plenty of effort has been put in and you could definitely see it as you browse around the entire space, much like how Poco Homemade was. Selected items are for sale and if you do have a liking for them, you can always ask for a price and see if you're fated to go with it too. I figure that's an interesting concept in doing businesses besides just serving food.
Cakes undoubtedly needed.
And other little details that they have.
There's no denying on how much intricate thoughts the owners of Mainmain Cafe has put in but what about their food? Their menu isn't quite a plenty with the famous pumpkin spareribs with rice and other items like nasi lemak served with chicken and butter chicken with rice. The lady was really nice however and asked if we were going to dive into the desserts after. When we did, she recommended that mum and I only took one dish to share so we could have more cakes. We opted for the star of the menu; the pumpkin spareribs because it was quite a rave online and I just HAD to give it a go.
Our food has been served. No, not me. The plate I'm holding!
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Pumpkin spareribs with rice, a side of pickled cabbage and carrots plus a glass of lemongrass water.
Up close and delicious.
I could definitely see where the rave came from because this was seriously good. For RM 9.90, the spareribs were tender and they weren't fatty at all. In fact there was more meat than I would have expected from spareribs because usually it's all bones. The pumpkin taste wasn't overpowering nor was it overly sweet, giving it a soft texture to blend in with the fragrant rice that had sesame seeds on top of it. You could definitely give this a go alone but mum and I decided to share because we didn't want to over stuff ourselves.
It was unfortunate that we couldn't try more food but that's the limitation you have when there's just the 2 of us small eaters going out to try out someplace new. When we were ready to get our desserts, Xiao Fei, as she addresses herself offered us their set deal that had 2 slices of cakes and a pot of flower teas for RM 29.90. If you're doing the math, regular cakes costs between RM 9.90 to RM 12.90 a pop while a pot of tea goes at RM 11.90. The deal was a steal.
We had the Bulgarian rose tea brewed in this cute glass teapot just like the ones I've seen in Winter Lover Bakery House.
Cakes, tea and great company. This is my kind of Sunday.
I was very sure on the tofu cake that I was going to order and heeded to Xiao Fei's recommendation of the mango mousse cake for our 2nd slice. It was the best decision we've ever made.
Tofu cake from the folks at Poco Homemade is now sold at Mainmain Cafe!
True to the taste I got from Poco Homemade, this still rocks out as a simple dessert balance. It isn't overly sweet, the texture is still thick and compact while the scent of tofu essence is still right there where you will want it to be. I would have had more if I didn't already feel full. It's really, really good. The difference between the one at Poco Homemade and Mainmain Cafe however is that the predecessor had a layer of green tea top to it while this one was short of that little detail. It doesn't make it less tasty though, I just wanted to have that pointed out.
Mango mousse cake, the best decision of cakes we've ever made in our lives.
Xiao Fei told us to have this only when we were done with the tofu cake because it may overpower in taste and smell which was very true. This mango mousse cake is the absolute bomb. It had the texture of the tofu cake with a spongy cake center but the scent of it is to die for. We were told Alphonso mangoes were put into the creation of this cake and it was just heavenly. Each bite gives you the burst of mango smell yet isn't cringe worthily sweet. Mum and I gave it two very excited thumbs up for how delicious it was to end our meal.
The meal costed RM 39.80 by the end of the day but the hospitality offered and the taste of the food is really just priceless. Plus the environment is really great if you're looking for a Sunday escape although the traveling could already be quite a hassle. Parking is of plenty though so that's one thing you don't have to worry about and I do believe it is accessible by Monorail with a short 10 minute walk when you've gotten off the Maharajalela station. Not recommended if you're alone because Jalan Choo Cheng Khay can come off as a dangerous area.
Some self-loving moments of pictures taken by mum of me:
Mum kept saying, "Look here and smile!"
But all I wanted was a moment with my Old Master Q (老夫子) comic.
They also have an outside patio for awesome picture taking moments like these.
A picture of the best Sunday company ever; an amazing woman called my mother.
I really love this picture. My friends also pointed out that mum and I had the same pose in these pictures when I posted it on Instagram but I swear it was accidental.
Snuck a picture of mum talking to Xiao Fei.
As
an overall, Mainmain Cafe is a must visit in my own opinion; for the
mango mousse cake if not for anything else. I have never tried a cake
that tastes so good in the exquisite texture it offers. It's really
worth the price you pay too and I'd be revisiting for their butter
chicken some other day for sure. I should also note that today marks Mainmain Cafe's first month anniversary so...happy monthsary, Mainmain Cafe. Please stay true to the ingredients you use, the warm hospitality you offer and the amazing food you offer. I'll be back someday.
138, Jalan Choo Cheng Khay,
50460 Kuala Lumpur
Xiao Fei: 016 - 215 5523
Open from Tuesdays to Sundays: 11 AM - 8 PM
Closed on Mondays.
NON-HALAL
3 comments
Hi I'm Totoro, so glad that you like my mango mousse cake :)
ReplyDeletehttps://www.facebook.com/TotoroGourmetStudio
Hello Totoro! So you're the mastermind behind the amazing mango mousse cake from Mainmain Cafe? Thanks for creating such a wonderful piece of delicacy! Keep it up! :D
DeleteYa... Im doing home made cake and supply for cafe. Thank you very much for supporting the cakes :)
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