PETALING JAYA, April 14 — The commercial block of shops surrounding Atria Shopping Gallery in Damansara Jaya has always been teeming with options for one to eat at, with plenty of new cafés and restaurants appearing in the nine years since the mall reopened.
Calling itself a “cakery” and café, Nichole’s opened in late 2021, bringing pastries, cakes and handmade pasta from scratch in a cosy family-friendly space to the neighbourhood.
For those familiar with the area, the family-run café was formerly known as Cinta Ria.
Now I’ll be the first to admit I don’t go in for cakes all that much.
Nine out of 10 times, I’m mostly indifferent to the idea of a “cakery”. But pastries? Those sweet, soft, buttery, flaky bad boys can get it any time, any place, especially when made from scratch.
This is how I found myself in Nichole’s one afternoon, struggling to choose a savoury main, with my eyes instead keenly fixed on a cinnamon roll that beckoned to me.
“That’s for later”, I decided, and eventually settled on the Handmade Pasta with Pesto (RM29), a deep, intense green pile of soft and slightly chewy pasta.
The toothsome quality of the pasta allows one to fully appreciate the verdant, almost aggressive flavour of fresh basil. A treat for lovers of the herb, like me.
On another visit, I tried the Quarter Roast Chicken (RM29), which came with a truly excellent pommes puree.
Soft, silky and very buttery, this pool of potatoes was a great complement to the chicken.
The chicken skin was mostly crisp, while the inside was succulent and tasted strongly of rosemary and thyme.
The Steak and Mushroom Pie (RM29) also impressed, with buttery and flaky pastry giving way to hearty chunks of beef and mushroom in a rich and savoury gravy.
Potatoes — roasted this time — stole the spotlight once again, or maybe I’m just particular to some good roasties.
Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside and perfectly seasoned all over — what’s not to like?
Finally, we arrived at the main event.
The Cinnamon Roll (RM8) I had earlier spied, ogled and downright gawked at through a display case was finally in front of me.
There was an option to get it with cream cheese frosting, but I decided that it could do without the decidedly suggestive glaze.
My intentions were carnal enough. The rolls of soft, pliable and slightly chewy dough pulled apart at will, almost welcoming our devouring.
Notes of sweet, spicy cinnamon are punctuated by the occasional raisin and honestly — you can continue reading this or you can do yourself a favour by coming here and getting yourself one.
Nichole’s Cakery | Cafe
78, Jalan SS 22/25, Damansara Jaya, Petaling Jaya.
Open daily, 9am-9pm. Closed on Tuesday.
Tel: 012-306 1183
Facebook: @MYnicholes
Instagram: @mynicholescakery
*This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
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