PETALING JAYA, July 17 — Bakeries are such happy places in my book. Not only do they dole out sweet treats but it’s also a hub for good food like that found in the unpretentious Cherry Cake House.
Legendary among PJ Old Town folks, this bakery was established in April 1993, all thanks to the hard work of Peter Yap and his wife, Annie Lim. According to their son Jerry, his father set up the bakery as he likes to bake even though he used to be in construction.
It is also popular in the neighbourhood as Annie was once a tuition teacher. Occasionally her old students would pop by to enjoy the food served here. Nowadays, the place is run by Rumuni binti Marjonad who has been managing the place since 1995.
What you will notice when you push open the doors is the bakery is also a popular lunch spot for the young and old. Their lunch specials change every day, drawing regulars to keep visiting throughout the week to enjoy their favourites.
Initially, all they served was fried rice, fried noodles and mee Jawa. As Rumuni tells us, they only introduced more food items like assam laksa and nasi lemak when King’s Confectionery opened nearby.
Since the new bakery didn’t serve food, the new dishes were introduced to attract more customers. That trick worked as customers from the nearby hospitals, clinics and even the neighbourhood would often drop by to get their lunch fix.
The kitchen is helmed by their cook Halimah who joined the bakery about six years ago. Originally from Jawa Timur, she has lived in Malaysia for about 30 years.
The talented woman adds her own touch to the dishes, using spices and methods she has picked up through the years. For instance, the fried rice they used to serve here was the plainer Chinese version.
Nowadays, she cooks up a tastier version that has become a crowd favourite; it is filled with chopped sausages and mixed vegetables. The draw is the not overly spicy sambal that is fragrant from the use of gula Melaka and asam keping.
Most importantly in these difficult times, the prices are also wallet friendly. Expect to fork out RM3.50 for a plate of fried rice or fried beehoon served with sambal and omelette pieces. The price for their lunch specials range from RM5.30 to RM6.
On Monday, it’s assam laksa that is more Malaccan style without any belacan, according to Halimah. They also serve tom yam fried rice. Tuesday’s mee Jawa is a lovely rendition made with chicken, dried prawns and ikan bilis. She adds steamed sweet potatoes to thicken the broth and you’ll drink up every drop. If you prefer a tangier bowl of noodles, there’s also tom yam meehoon on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Halimah cooks up a big pot of chicken curry that is utilised two ways. The thicker curry is served with pulut kuning or turmeric glutinous rice. She’ll also water down the curry and serve it as curry mee.
Regulars know it’s nasi lemak day on Thursday. It’s usually served with an aromatic chicken rendang for RM6 but if you prefer, you can change it to fried chicken for RM6.50. A plate of nasi lemak is filled to the brim with the fluffy rice steamed with coconut milk, kangkung, sambal, toasted peanuts, crunchy ikan bilis, half a piece of hard boiled egg and cucumber slices. For those who prefer something less spicy, they also serve spaghetti with tomato sauce.
Friday is meehoon soup day where you get a comforting chicken broth and an assortment of fish balls and sliced fish cake. Halimah adds her own spin to the broth making it incredibly aromatic with lots of onions, ginger, garlic, dried chillies and asam keping. Enhance the slurp worthy broth with their incredibly spicy green chillies dip with calamansi lime. On Friday and Saturday, there’s also comforting chicken mushroom porridge. Make sure you also order a bowl of Taiwan lemon jelly with your meal. The refreshing jelly is a must-eat here among their regulars.
On the bakery side, they offer a selection of cakes, buns and pastries that includes cream puffs (70 cents per piece) which remain a favourite with their regulars. When it comes to cream puffs, Cherry Cake House has nailed it. After one bite of these airy puffs generously filled with whipped cream and custard, even the fussiest young ones will be clamouring for more.
Among its greatest hits, taste the lemon cheese pie or the not too sweet tasting pandan layer cake. Other popular items include their fluffy scones and their ice cream cake with a variety of flavours like chocolate, yam, durian, vanilla chocolate and strawberry which is topped with scoops of ice cream. You will also find a number of items filled with durian. The bakery uses D24 durian paste in cream puffs, cakes, chiffon cakes, cheese cakes and there is even a durian loh poh pang. The durian paste gives a subtle taste to their baked items.
With more bakeries opening that specialise in European and Japanese breads, these old school bakeries that serve nostalgic delights are facing stiff competition. Of course, there’s also the so called “camera cuisine” where visiting the latest food fad in town means you get that perfect Instagram moment.
Here, life is simple. People who trickle into this place don’t care much about the mismatched striped table cloth that covers the long tables. Even the plates are lined with plastic so washing up is less tedious. It’s not pretty but practical, which suits their customers perfectly. Most importantly, they serve tummy satisfying food at reasonable prices that keeps everyone happy from their regulars to even first timers who try it once and are sure to return.
Cherry Cake House,
No. 58, Jalan 1/19, Petaling Jaya.
Tel: 03-77836157.
Open daily: 8.30am to 8pm.
Lunch specials are served from 11am to 3pm, Monday to Saturday.
