Soooka Cafe — Restaurant in Petaling Jaya

A Heartwarming & Delicious Lunch at Soooka Cafe! 🏡🍜🍲

My first visit to Soooka Cafe was a truly delightful surprise! The moment I stepped inside, I felt an incredibly homey and welcoming vibe. The comfortable seating and quiet atmosphere instantly made me feel at ease, like I was visiting a dear friend's home.

The old gentleman who greeted us was so incredibly friendly. His soft-spoken recommendations for must-try dishes were spot on and added to the overall charm of the place. I suspect he might be the owner, and his gentle demeanor truly enhanced the welcoming ambiance.

We started with the special laksa, which was served generously with plump prawns and flavourful fishcakes, topped with a delightful crunch from the fatty bean sprouts. The aroma was enticing, and the laksa itself was very nice. My only minor suggestion would be a touch more salt to bring out even more savory notes.

The fish fillet pepper soup was an unexpected highlight! I could definitely taste that familiar and comforting hint of dried grouper fish powder, reminiscent of Singaporean fish head noodle soup. The huge, generous cuts of fish fillets, paired with the simple sweetness of white cabbage in the peppery broth, were fantastic. I wholeheartedly recommend this dish – the soup is truly something special. The braised duck noodles were also very good. While I personally would have preferred the broth to be slightly less sweet, I still couldn't resist finishing every last drop. The delightful surprise of a side of Teochew fried crispy rice cake was a wonderful nostalgic treat, instantly bringing back childhood memories.

My friend thoroughly enjoyed their soy chicken drumstick rice, which came with a perfectly braised egg and a refreshing clear acar. It looked and tasted equally delicious. To wash it all down, the asam drink was wonderfully refreshing and provided a lovely tangy counterpoint to the rich flavours of the meal.

Soooka Cafe is definitely a fantastic spot for gatherings, whether with friends or family. The presence of a round table and a long table easily accommodating larger groups of 6 to 8 people makes it ideal for sharing a meal together.

I also had a peek at their special dinner menu, designed more for groups, and the interesting array of dishes has already convinced me that a return visit for dinner is a must! Soooka Cafe offers more than just a meal; it offers a warm, welcoming, and genuinely delicious experience. Highly...

I’ve ate about 10 times here within a span of two weeks 😂

Here are my recommendations:

1️⃣ For Starters:

Go for Fusion Cakoi, the scrambled eggs is so creamy, pair with honey drizzle and cream cheese…. It’s the perfect combo with Cakoi (10/10)

2️⃣For Sides : Definitely visit early for the Radish Cake, they only make limited batches of it. It’s definitely better than the ones I've tried in dim sum restaurants

Sengkuang Salad was a surprise. I usually dislike salad but this is just so good with the peanuts and fried anchovies. The sauce is a hint of spicy and sour taste (similar to papaya salad) and it just goes so well.

3️⃣For Mains: Shredded Braised Beef noodles is just so good. Everything is well marinated. The noodles has a good texture.

Soy Chicken is similarly very well marinated.

Duck Kway Teow is amazing. The soup is delectable and I can drink it all as it isn’t overly strong. Just nice. Also, super hard to find duck kway teow in Msia.

Laksa smells absolutely fragrant and taste exceptionally well. It’s very similar to Katong Laksa in Singapore and yet it taste better than the few popular Katong Laksa stores in SG that I’ve personally tried.

4️⃣Desserts: Taro Coconut Milk with Sago has a generous amount of taro and it’s not jelak because they added a hint of orange peel. Perfect balance

Yam Roll is fried to perfection and when you bite inside it has like a Pandan custard. Really good. The ice cream was specially added by the owner which I thought pairs really well with the yam roll

5️⃣For Dinner Mains (different menu) Tumeric chicken will blow your mind. The flavours on this is too good. 11/10

Deep fried prawns was something that was provided for free by the friendly owner. It has a Smokey taste and you can actually eat the whole thing including the head! It’s like soft shell prawns 😂

To end if off, the owners here (Francis & Heng) are...

Weather has not been forgiving recently. El Nino phenomenon has caused the temperature to be hot and dining decisions were made mainly based on weather the places were air-conditioned or not.

Soooka opened its door to the endearing public sometime in August last year (if I'm not wrong). Pronounced "suka" means like in English, I really suka this the whole vibe as I entered the cafe. Service was always with a smile, and I assumed that it was the founder's dad who attended to us - talk about family harmony.

◾Garlic Cakoi with Half Boiled Eggs - Cakoi or 'yau char koay' in Cantonese is a prominent fixture in the menu alongside various rice and noodle dishes. It had the fragrant from the garlic and I just dipped into the egg and walloped. ◾Soy chicken porridge was a comfort food for the youngest member in the family. The gravy mixed well with the porridge and addition of cakoi felt so right. ◾Nasi Lemak + curry chicken - love the nice presentation and bonus points for the fried sar kok which was a rarity in the market. Curry chicken was thick and aromatic enough to mix with the rice. ◾Braised duck flat white noodles had lovely herbal taste with generous ingredients but that elderly who had it commented that the broth lacked flavour and oomph. ◾Laksa - Nyonya style with profound santan flavour yet didn't give the jelak-ness. ◾Drinks - kopi had the power, smooth enough and two pieces of crackers to dip.

The counter is positioned somewhere in the middle of the cafe, and surrounding it are the wooden tables and chairs which some of them looked...