Kiku is the city’s new Japanese-inspired intimate cafe and bar, a jazzy sanctuary with the Gerry Mulligan Quartet playing on the speakers for soothing mornings.
Officially open 9am to 6:30pm, Monday to Saturday, Kiku blends a contemporary kissaten’s sleek charm with timeless vinyl vibes, tucked on the third floor of Chow Kit’s Yap Ah Shak House.
Kiku’s selection spans shokupan toasts to sandos, donburi to ramen, all at reasonable prices. Munch on marvellously runny sunny-side-up pasture-raised eggs on fluffy buttered milk bread (RM12) and hamburg donburi of fresh-ground grilled beef patty with onsen egg and shoestring fries, soulfully hearty with koshihikari short-grain rice and miso soup (RM26).
Drinks range from Kyoto-origin hojicha lattes to potent potions like Takeshi’s Cooler, crisp with a rice cracker and nori cone atop sensuously mixed Gekkeikan sake with umeboshi syrup and yuzu bitters.
Service shimmers with warmth and attentive dedication, complementing the thoughtfully executed fare.
