Let’s began today’s cafe post with a little bit of background of the cafe’s name; Koru.
At first Koru sounded to me like a name picked out on whim for its simplicity and ease of pronunciation, or perhaps because it sounded cute.
But no, Koru means “loop” in Māori and this loop refers to the spiral shape based on the contour of a new unfurling silver fern frond.
It is an integral symbol in Māori art, carving and tattoos and symbolizes new life, growth, strength and peace.
Surprised?
Well, I was too.
Spot the koru? 🙂
Koru Cafe occupies the cozy space of one corner on the top floor of the heritage inspired building at Empire Damansara.
Cat in the Box, Haraju-Cube and The Bar shares the same floor.
It is particularly quiet (except for the crowd at Haraju-Cube) and ideal for some quiet time with friends.
The cafe is small and the decor is simple; an example of what is currently branded as “minimalistic“.
For a New Zealand/Kiwi inspired cafe, there wasn’t loud that epitomize “New Zealand”; or perhaps it was lost on me since I’m not particularly well-versed with anything New Zealand.
There isn’t a menu full of kiwi fruit inspired drinks/desserts nor are there pavlovas or NZ lamb. There are however, some NZ travel books, a cute lamb at the cashier and some decorative pieces.
In my haste to sit down and catch my breath before my next review, I forgot to research on the coffee, which might be using NZ coffee beans as stated on their FB page.
My affogato (RM10 nett) was strong even with an added ice cream; though unfortunately the ice cream isn’t Kapiti, but Tip Top brand.
He pronounced his long black satisfactory, which could mean anything, since Angus wasn’t much of a coffee snob.
The RM5 Raspberry Slice passed muster. I am not going to complain too much considering that its components of jam, shortcrust and strawberry icing were all made in-house using butter and actual fruits.
While the icing was sweet (well, it is icing after all) I enjoyed the buttery biscuit.
More solid, savoury food options include sandwiches, fish and chips, pies (PORK rendang pie!) and quiche.
If you are here in a big group, perhaps the Latte Bowl comprising of 4 espresso shots is ideaa.
Will I be back?
The positives are aplenty; good service, decent coffee, luscious home-baked cakes (not sourced from the same old cakes suppliers around KL/PJ), promises of fluffy scones and the PORK rendang pie are definitely strong temptations.
However, the WIFI is wonky, most of the items on the menu MIGHT be unavailable on weekdays and Empire Damansara can be such a pain when it comes to locating a parking spot.
Hmm… I’m still undecided on this one.
Koru Cafe
125 First Floor Empire Damansara,
Jalan PJU 8/8, 47820 Petaling Jaya,
Malaysia
Mon-Wed: 8:00 am – 7:00 pm
Fri-Sun: 9:00 am – 8:00 pm
+60377326068
