Eat Drink KL: Catcher In The Rye, Petaling Jaya

Friday, October 26, 2018

Catcher In The Rye, Petaling Jaya

J.D. Salinger's classic novel of teenage angst and alienation might seem an improbable inspiration for a cafe that exudes grace and geniality - but it shouldn't be a surprise that the founders of Taman Desa's Wild Sheep Chase, named partly for a Haruki Murakami masterwork, have summoned up another literary influence for their second venue (bonus connection: Murakami translated Salinger's book into Japanese in the 2000s). Unfurling this month in a decades-old shop-house in PJ's Section 17, Catcher In The Rye is a charmer, basking in a sun-bathed, white-washed space speckled with wood and leaves.

Come for comfort carbs coupled with pleasurable protein: Crisply deep-fried mac-and-cheese makes for a you-deserve-it indulgence with sunny-side-up eggs, punched up with pomodoro sauce and plum salsa, both buoyantly uplifting (RM20), while rosti prepared with sweet potatoes provides for a scrumptious twist to the typical Swiss fritter, rounded out with crunchy-tender chicken thigh, creamy-tasty guacamole and garlic baby kailan (RM24).

Wild Sheep Chase is perhaps best known for its souffles, but Catcher In The Rye adds another element to its desserts - house-made ice cream in gentle flavours like chrysanthemum (as well existing sorbets, such as grapefruit or honeydew), to complement the flagship Earl Grey souffle (RM18). The Chase-Catcher team can consistently be counted on for coffee too; alternatively, sip on hot milk with spoonfuls of longan fruit to be found in each cup. The Salinger-suitable soundtrack here swings from Billie Holiday to The Beatles, capturing the mood of the fifties and sixties.

Catcher In The Rye Cafe
605, Jalan 17/12, Seksyen 17, 46400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
Currently in soft-launch stage, with limited hours, 11am-7pm, Friday-Sunday. Will open on other days eventually.




This feature first appeared on eatdrinkkl.com

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