Discover ‘dorayaki’, ceremonial matcha and more at the ‘machiya’ inspired Tomo Tomo Café in Subang Jaya

October 24, 2024
10:13 am

SUBANG JAYA, Oct 24 — The wooden house stretches from its discreet entrance, dusk-coloured noren curtain hiding the interior for now, to the grassy lawn outside. The front façade is layered with a lattice of vertical wooden slats.

You’d be forgiven if you imagine you were walking along a narrow street in old Kyoto and this was one of the city’s machiyas or traditional townhouses.

Instead we are in Subang Jaya, in the community hub of PARC. The machiya in question isn’t a machiya at all but a new shop called Tomo Tomo Café.

Your imagination isn’t running wild, however, given the café’s studious homage to Kyoto and the architectural influences of the city’s iconic machiyas.

This Japanese inspiration isn’t limited to structural design though; a quick glance at Tomo Tomo’s menu reveals a strong culinary sway too.

Take the simple yet adorable dorayaki, for instance. Served on a metal dish sans extraneous adornments, you can savour it for what it is: two pieces of kasutera pancakes with a generous anko filling and a thick pat of rich butter.

Biting into the chilled dense sponge cake gives way to the sweet adzuki bean paste and the solid creaminess of the butter.

This is a memory of a sweet treat in Japan, be it from a bakery or konbini or even, yes, a dessert course in a machiya turned café in Kyoto.

The surroundings help: Tables are arranged close to each other in a space designed to resemble the interiors of old Kyoto townhouses. If you get a table upstairs, your server might ask if you’d like to sit at their outdoor tatami area.

Tables in a space designed to resemble ‘machiya’ townhouses in Kyoto. — Picture by CK Lim

(Note that the “tatami area” only refers to the design of the space, resembling a washitsu or Japanese-style room; there aren’t any actual woven tatami mats used.)

Form follows function, so all the careful attention paid to architectural details would be wasted if the food offerings didn’t match the décor appropriately.

Fortunately, Tomo Tomo excels in this area. While there is also the usual coffee menu, from espresso-based beverages to filter brews, a more fitting choice might hail from their green tea selections.

One can’t go wrong with their ceremonial grade matcha; there are two types available – Gokou Matcha and Kanayamidori Matcha, both from Wazuka Town in the Kyoto Prefecture.

Gokou Matcha (left) and Hojicha Black Sesame Miso Foam (right). — Picture by CK Lim

After a quick chat with the helpful staff, I decided on the Gokou Matcha as she informed me this would have a more evident umami flavour, and opted for the usucha preparation.

While the usucha preparation has a lighter mouthfeel, you can also try the koicha preparation, which is more intense. Basically different amounts of water and matcha powder are used to create the desired final concentration of the tea.

There are other more fusion style green tea drinks, from the Genmaicha Tonic to the Sencha Koji Melon. For our second beverage, we went for their Hojicha Black Sesame Miso Foam, which had just the right balance of roasted aroma and savoury flavour.

Tomo Tomo can get packed; they do not accept reservations for now, only walk-in customers. If there are no tables available yet, just add your name and contact to their waiting list.

I mention this specifically because I was so impressed with the politeness and efficiency of the staff in charge of the waitlist; not an easy task so bonus points for doing it so winningly and with a warm smile.

This means the kitchen might be a bit slow when it is crowded, which might be a good opportunity to explore the space, from the wooden staircase to the shelves filled with manga and other bric-à-brac.

Wooden staircase (left). Shelves filled with ‘manga’ (right). — Picture by CK Lim

One could try the Beef Okonomiyaki Croffle or the Curry Katsu Don. We picked the Chicken Nanban and Gyudon instead; the former a crunchy and very moreish chicken karaage that didn’t really need the accompanying tartar sauce, the latter a fairly straightforward sweet simmered sliced beef atop rice.

Chicken Nanban. — Picture by CK Lim

Gyudon. — Picture by CK Lim

It does feel like a slice of Japan closer to home, down to the row of tokyobike bicycles parked outside the café. (The tokyobike company is Japanese and the bicycles are available for sale.)