Chabashira Tea Roastery — Restaurant in Petaling Jaya

A place to savour quality japanese tea and matcha.

Loved my visit here! I arrived at about 3ish on a Sunday. From the road and if you're driving past, the shop front is a little inconspicuous as it is actually half a shoplot and doesn't have a big signboard, but you can find it with their dark blue banner strung across the front of the shop and is right next to Citylink.

Inside, the ID is really nice and thoughtful. Japanese style, which is minimal with a lot of simple wood textures. There's a little garden at the far end of the lot (nice place for photos!) that can be seen from the inside through a large round window, and there's a small skylight on the other wall to let more light in. So even though the shop is small and narrow, there's ample lighting, making it feel bigger than it really is. Seating wise, some of the tables are pretty low (knee height) and had stools/backless chairs instead of normal chairs, so it might be a problem if you're thinking of staying for very long.

Even though most of the tables were occupied at the time we arrived, we got a seat right away. There was no queue. Although I do highly recommend you come in pairs instead of a large group of people as they only have one table that accommodates large groups, which might increase your waiting time.

This place showcases different types of matcha from Kyoto so almost all their menu items have matcha. If you're new or know very little about it, their menu item description has enough information to help you make a decision. But you can also ask any of the staff and they're happy to answer your questions. They are very knowledgeable about their product and friendly as well.

I ordered one of their ceremonial matcha, accompanied by a dessert which I upgraded to azuki red bean mochi. The pairing is amazing, and the matcha itself really has a strong umami flavour with a hint of sweetness. Definitely different from any kind of matcha you will normally come across. The meal came with a little laminated card that details that particular matcha's traits, which was a nice touch. I like how they don't add sugar to their matcha so you get the full unadulterated experience of quality matcha, which is usually on the bitter side. However if you like your matcha sweet, please do ask any of the staff for recommendations, I believe they can accommodate and for certain menu items they can adjust the sweetness level.

My friend had a houjicha parfait and a matcha latte which she said was good as well.

Note that the menu is seasonal which is an incentive to come back often, or you can follow their Facebook page for updates. This time the new item on the menu was their matcha gelato. Hopefully next time I'll be able to try that as well.

For newcomers, do note that the portion might be small with a higher price point. But I believe that they focus on quality vs quantity, so do adjust your expectations. It's the kind of place you take time to savour every sip or bite, not wolf it down or to fill an empty tummy. I do believe that you get the value back even at that price point. For full experience, do come either with one other person or even alone, and do try their ceremonial matcha or teas without sugar or milk. Or ask a staff member to make recommendations based on your preference.

Overall, we had a positive experience here! Would recommend and...

Matcha Specialist

“Bro, I am doing a collaboration with Chabashira to pair their drink + dessert with our honey” - when a good friend who’s the distributor of Comvita honey in Malaysia (as well as other ASEAN countries) informed me on this, I knew that I had to go and try.

Chabashira is in my list for the longest time - I tried to go twice on weekends but ended up turning back after seeing the queue outside. This time I went straight to the outlet not long after their opening time at 11am (weekends) - twice alone and once with the family - and rewarded with an awesome experience.

Specialising in everything that has got to do with matcha, it felt like entering an oasis of calm - a stark difference between the outside and inside can be felt as you enter the premise. Taking just half lot of a shop with limited tables inside, it’s easier to find table for a party of 2-4 pax than higher group.

Ordering is made simple - simply scan the car code on the table and take your pick; pay and then they will serve your order.

Special Collaboration with Comvita Honey - they provide 3 different honeys - clover, rewarewa and manuka blend - in 3 separate containers for you to taste with the difference when paired with the drinks or desserts. ▪️chabashira hot yuzu lemon - oh my god! I simply love this. Please order this to go with the honeys. It was like a match made in heaven - take a small spoon of the honey, put into the mouth and then take a sip of the yuzu lemon. ▪️cold brew houjicha kaori fumi - order this bud you’re feeling hot under the weather. But I’d stick to the yuzu lemon because the citrusy drink brought out the best in the honeys. ▪️houjicha coconut waffle ice cream waffle - perfect if you are looking at desserts. ▪️houjicha coconut latte - my least favourite of the lot but doesn’t mean that it’s not good. It’s just that I couldn’t taste the different profile of the honey with this drink.

Others: ▪️Shiawase Salmon Chazuke - using award winning Shiawase-Cha and other ingredients such as uji matcha, superior Karigane tea, genmai tea & Hokkaido Rishiri Kelp enabled them to compose this hearty, tummy-warming yet light-feeling meal. ▪️Chabashira Matcha Waffle - their own signature Belgian waffle made using matcha, topped with matcha ice cream, cream and fresh strawberries. ▪️RYO matcha latte - a well balanced latte between sweet and bitter taste. ▪️REI matcha latte - perfect for those who love stronger bitterness and astringency that balanced well with the milk. ▪️Ceremonial matcha - if you’re torn in which to order, tell them your preference and they will make appropriate recommendations. All served with cake of the day to neutralise the bitterness.

These guys are serious with their matcha - and I really felt like in Japan when inside the premise.

My verdict - this has got to be one of the best (if not the best) matcha...

As a non regular matcha and houjicha drinker, what we ordered served our palate more than we expected. The Yu matcha latte has that nice bitter and umami flavour and the houjicha latte has just the right roast flavours to complement. The ice cream waffle is also no less wonderful with the right combination of red beans and whipped cream and strawberries. For this quality, of course, it will come at a slightly higher price than other tea houses, but to me it would have been worth it…..

IF….. I had been treated with a better service. I left the cafe with a disappointing attitude. Initially we were welcomed with a warm gesture, but it all turned cold when we placed an order through the online system that they had. In our phone, the order had been successfully paid through iPay88 via GrabPay Later, but, it didn’t receive through their internal terminal. This is when the staff checked with us to verify. But man, they treated us like we’re criminals despite us showing all the proofs of payments and kept on blaming us (read: gaslighting) for using the grab pay later despite it being a function in the Ipay88 terminal. The staff kept on insisting that we should be the one contacting Grab to request refund and we’d have to make the payment again. It went back and fourth for more than 15mins, and by then I had no appetite to even continue dining in and too frustrated look at any of the staff. The situation got a bit tensed, and apologies on my side as well for maybe coming off as offensive, but that was because the tone of the staff that was speaking to us sounded aggressive and the fact that they kept blaming us. It turned out to be a technical error internally and they were able to solve it, as it also happened to another customer which had used a different payment method. The staffs did eventually apologise, and we still finished our drinks and the waffle.

It could have been more enjoyable with the cafe ambience that made it feel like you’re in Japan, even the air quality inside it feels and smells like Japan despite it being a very cramped narrow shoplot.

For others, this is a must visit place, and hopefully they don’t get the same payment error like us, we were just unlucky I guess. But feedback to the team since it was also their first time that this happened is; learn better customer service...