With many hipster cafes, survivability is important and it’s not something that comes easy. Cafes have to have a combination of beautiful instagrammable aesthetics, good food, coffee, desserts, and friendly servers. These factors determine whether or not a café survives the initial hype and trend to actually be an established eatery.
Pokok is one such place that embodies a really peaceful and soothing aesthetic, reminiscent of clear spring days. You’ll find it on the grounds of MAHSA campus in PJ. This is an unconventional location for a café, but it grows on you the moment you see this place. It’s really a sight to behold. You can almost hear a peaceful piano concerto start playing in your head.
The only drawback is that it attracts a huge crowd, especially on weekends. This place will be packed to the brim and you’ll have to leave your name and wait in line, or make a reservation beforehand. This was what happened when I tried to eat here on a Sunday afternoon. The friendly waitress told me that things were less hectic during weekdays at tea time around 3-4pm, so I returned several days later, on a weekday instead.
Service is really warm and welcoming here, and once you’re assigned a seat, you memorize your table number and order your food at the counter. There are soups, desserts, brunch dishes and mains. In fact, Pokok is known for their brunch offerings, like the Smoked Salmon Benedict (RM 28), Big Breakfast ( RM35) and the Avo Maverick ( RM18) that consists of sliced avocado on rye bread with fried eggs. There are also main dishes, like the Nasi Lemak Bomb(RM25), Cili Padi Pesto Pasta (RM 20) and Rosemary Grilled Whole Chicken Leg ( RM28).
I actually settled for something pretty light, which was sautéed mushrooms and scrambled eggs on croissant (RM20). It was one of the most luxurious smelling meals I’ve ever had since it was drizzled with truffle oil. The eggs were perfectly scrambled and served on a soft, fluffy and buttery croissant. The mushrooms were sautéed with garlic and there was fresh salad on the side.
The real treat came later, in the form of their Signature Chocolate Lava (RM12) which was served with a scoop of their in-house Waka-Waka brand ice cream. This dessert was truly beautiful, with a presentation that complemented the plate it was served on. The rich chocolate sponge hid a treasure of melted chocolate cream in the centre. Surprisingly it wasn’t overpoweringly sweet, just enough to be the mood-boosting, comforting dessert that it is.
Pokok is a halal café, so the drink section is a combination of coffee, teas, juices, frappes and fizzes. Since it was a pretty humid day, I had their Peach Passion Ice tea (RM10). It turned out to be the right choice since its mild sourness balanced out the chocolate lava dessert.
The food quality matched the effort that was put into the design of this place, which reflected the airy, natural and minimalist preferences of millennials today. I truly felt this place re-energized my creativity somewhat, and the amount of natural light is perfect for pictures.
- Address: MAHSA Avenue, Block B, Jalan Elmu, off, Jalan Universiti, 59100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Phone: +60 3-8408 1811
- Opening Hours: Daily 09:00 - 21:00
