SEMENYIH, Jan 9 – Isn’t it surprising how cafés and bakeries can pop up in the least expected of places nowadays?
There are cafés hidden within the labyrinth of shopping malls and there are cafés nestled inside barbershops, offering customers long blacks to go with their skin fades.
There are bakeries that transport one to Paris… whilst others bring something new to an old neighbourhood such as PJ Old Town.
But this might be the first time I have visited a bakery-café inside a furniture shop!
Advertisement
While prospective customers pick out their favourite commode or chaise lounge, they can also take a break at Café Omö in the sleepy town of Semenyih. (Or multi-task, for those who prefer to survey options from a comfortable seat, whilst nursing a cappuccino.)
To recuperate from strenuous decision making (furniture shopping is a challenge that can sorely try even the best of us) with coffee, croissants… and as it turns out, plenty of cream.
This is amply demonstrated by Café Omö’s signature Matcha Cream Cheese Scone. Earthy from the intense matcha powder, rich from the copious amount of cream cheese, and buttery from… well, from the butter.
Advertisement
How could one bake a scone without butter, after all? Café Omö’s scones are buttery enough to soothe even the most frazzled of nerves.
Café Omö’s sunlit space, in a corner lot shophouse.
Perhaps quite a bit of this pleasurable experience can be credited to Café Omö’s sunlit space. Located inside a corner lot shophouse, the small bakery-café has a long, tunnel-like ambience. Corridor magic.
Would the aroma of freshly baked pastries such as pain au chocolat and almond croissants inspire one to opt for a chifforobe over a credenza? (Who knows? All cabinetry is one and the same for some.)
Freshly baked pastries on display.
The focus of the baked goodies on display remain Café Omö’s house-made scones. These include from classic butter scones and raisin scones to scones slathered with strawberry compote or red bean paste and butter.
And lots of creamy scones.
Besides the aforementioned Matcha Cream Cheese Scone, there are double chocolate cream scones and cranberry cream cheese scones. One could visit the shop every day of the week (except Monday, when they are closed) and have a different scone each day.
Which is not to say flour and butter are all that Café Omö excels in. Coffee is more than decent. Besides your ubiquitous Americano and espresso, piccolo and flat white, regulars order from a varied coffee menu.
Dalgona Latte might amuse fans of Squid Game. For something sinful, there is the Lava Chocolate Brûlée. Would you order the Black Forest Latte or the Black Sesame Latte?
The truth is most will order the Dirty Cream Latte, considered by some to be a visual stunner.
Sip and scoop the Dirty Cream Latte.
Barista pouring foamed milk to create latte art.
It’s a bit of a performance art too: The barista pulling the shot of espresso, then pouring foamed milk to create latte art. And finally using a spoon to shape a thick mound of cream into fat quenelles for the crowning glory.
If you thought the Matcha Cream Cheese Scone was humongous, the top half of the scone teetering precariously upon a veritable boulder of matcha cream cheese, then expect much the same here.
How does one drink this, you might wonder, or eat it, even?
As with most things in life, there is no clear path. No absolute right or wrong way to enjoy this. Sip a little of the latte and scoop a little of the cream into your eager mouth.
Take it slow and enjoy your day.
It’s a dream come true for cream lovers. (Trust me, they are out there; you know who you are.)
Savour the hit of caffeine, the milky mouthfeel. Take it slow and enjoy your day.
Café Omö
18, Jalan Kiara 1, Semenyih, Selangor
Open Tue-Sun 9am-6pm; Mon closed
*This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
*Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems.
