Trendy pinterest-esque cafes are taking over the city (rightfully so)! Anything Cafe tucked away in a new up and coming Glenmarie district surprised us with a delicate amalgamation of modern Japanese cuisine and traditional Malaysian delicacies. The modern and trendy outlook made clear by the organised mess of posters plastered across the walls around the cafe will definitely elicit a sense of nostalgia for 2019 where micro-aesthetics thrived and impressionist art dominated the internet. I was also pleasantly surprised with the music selection. From Strawberry Guy to Clairo, it was almost as if they personally went to my Spotify account and played an Indie Pop mix curated especially for me. The outlook of this cafe fits squarely within the aesthetic of restaurants you see in Gen Z coming-of-age films. This cafe is definitely a perfect spot to lounge and get some work done while enjoying good food!

Speaking of which, we’ll start with the beverages. We were served with four drinks. The first was Strawberry Matcha which personally, I was not a fan of either ingredients. However, I honestly enjoyed this drink. The strawberry gel managed to cut out the ‘grassyness’ of the matcha, creating a pleasant taste which was not too bland and not too sweet. As a person who generally dislikes matcha due to the empowering ‘grass’ element in the drink, this was a perfect drink to start off our experience at Anything Cafe! 

The weekend was the next drink- consisting of earl grey tea, lemon, mango, and kombucha- that created a tropical rapture in my mouth. This was a  quintessential beach drink that fulfilled my longing of hopping on a plane to a tropical island. If you would prefer something that is slightly sour with a floral aftertaste, this might be the perfect drink for you. Throw in a shot of tequila and you best bet that you’ll see me passed out by the beach. 

Now for the espresso-themed drinks, we had Einspanner and the Panna Cotta Latte. The Einspanner, something that you don’t normally see on a menu in Malaysia, is the traditional drink of Viennese coach drivers. It doesn’t deviate too far from your regular cup of coffee, it consists of a shot of espresso in milk topped with sweet cream and an earl grey infused syrup. The sweet cream was absolutely delicious and it compliments the espresso extremely well. The earl grey syrup offered a nice reinvention of a typical cup of coffee. This was definitely a personal favourite! 

The Panna Cotta Latte came in a close second. The panna cotta placed at the bottom of the glass was sweet and fulfilling while the latte on the top half of the glass offered a nice balance between sweet and bitter. The panna cotta was silky and smooth which allowed it to seamlessly blend into the latte when consumed with a straw. The combination of a popular dessert with your everyday cup of coffee definitely striked as the most interesting drink on the menu and we were absolutely glad to be able to taste it. Overall, the drinks served were a delightful counterpart to the mains. 

Those who object to the union of donburi rice bowls and southeast asian condiments, speak now and I’ll eat your lunch for you! Grandma’s Belacan Don exposes the intentionality of Anything Cafe at amalgamating these two cuisines because the belacan worked extremely well in a Japanese backdrop. The rice was fluffy, the sunny side up egg was runny and seasoned well, the grilled chicken was tender, there’s honestly nothing bad that can be said about this dish. The belacan was definitely the highlight of this dish as it was not too potent- as traditional belacans are- but still offers that burst of spice and flavour that you normally look for in Malaysian dishes. 

The next stellar dish was their Apple Katsu Curry Toastie. The golden brown fried chicken sandwiched between granny smith apple slices and their in-house curry sauce emerged as our most favourite dish by far on a unanimous vote. The pairing of the sweet apple slices with the savoury chicken tender was surprisingly well done. The umaminess of the chicken tender was countered by the sweetness of the apple which made the sandwich more ‘lighter’. You’re not left with an overwhelming feeling of discomfort after eating too much. 

The last main that we had was the Creamy Tomato Meatball Pasta which we felt was slightly underwhelming. This pasta, unfortunately did not exist on the same culinary standard as the rest of the items we’ve had so far. The pasta itself was perfectly al dente but the creamy tomato sauce was nothing too great and we thought that it was just okay. The chicken meatballs were also quite hard and did not live up to the expectations that we’ve held after sampling the previous two mains. Overall, it was just a fine mediocre dish. 

The classically modest presentation of the desserts was definitely compensated by the inviting taste that satisfies the sweetness that your palate is looking for after enjoying the mains. The Caramel Croffle, although simple and perhaps predictable, was certainly a pleasant dish. This croissant and waffle hybrid was warm and flaky which was paired well with the vanilla ice cream served on top of it. What stood out to me was, surprisingly, the caramel sauce. Instead of the usual profuse sweetness typically associated with caramel, this sauce was more bitter than sweet. The bitterness of the caramel was hoisted by the sweet vanilla ice cream, making this dish one of our favourites! 

Last but not least, we had the Happy Waffle, topped with berries, bananas, crushed oreos, vanilla ice cream, and a chocolate sauce. Similar to the croffle, we enjoyed this dish as well! The fruits were perfectly fresh and offered both sweet and sour sensations as you bite into the waffle. The vanilla ice cream was creamy, flavourful, and thankfully not icy. The one critique that I am able to offer concerns the presentation of the waffle. It felt slightly impassive and it did not feel as if the presentation of this waffle was constructed intentionally. The fruits cluttered the surface of the waffle in a childlike pattern which makes it seem that the intended consumers were children. 

If you’re planning on stopping by for lunch or dinner, I’d say skip the Creamy Tomato Meatball Pasta and go for their Apple Katsu Curry Toastie or the Grandma’s Belacan Don if you’d prefer something heavier. Located right in front of the Glenmarie MRT station, the accessibility of this cafe is definitely a plus point! As a whole, it was a pleasant experience dining at Anything Cafe and we would undoubtedly be coming back for more

Atmosphere: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 

Food: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

Drinks ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐️

Decorations/interior: ⭐⭐️⭐️⭐️

Appearance on the outside vs inside: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Service: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐️

Article by Yashven

Photos by Austin