Blonde Cafe at Republik Damansara Heights in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is not your typical cafe. They really explore different flavors to create a gastronomical cafe food experience. Delectable food combined with an excellent location and ambiance makes Blonde Cafe one that cannot be missed if you are in KL. A pastel ambiance mixed with some shades of brown, Blonde cafe is the perfect destination for all your aesthetic Instagram snaps. Located in the chic, modern, and up-and-coming Republik in Bukit Damansara, the place is filled with young millennials, giving off a bustling, innovative vibe.
The highlight of the meal was definitely the seaweed tacos (farthest right image). The crunch from the crispy seaweed taco shell combined with the bursting fish roe made for a unique contrasting effect in your mouth. The smoked chili and tamago salsa complimented the scallop sashimi filling without overpowering the freshness of the scallop and fish roe. It was the perfect combination of tang and "fishiness" from the seafood. This is definitely something you should try if you ever make your way to Blonde.
Next, we had the squid ink spaghetti (farthest left image) served with Hokkaido scallop, blue swimmer crab, heirloom tomato, fish roe, seaweed, and chili oil. It was undeniable that the plating was magnificent. The scallops were seared such that they melted in your mouth and the addition of the seaweed powder simply amplified their flavor. The pasta was even a perfect al dente. Although each element of the pasta was truly enticing, the chili oil overpowered the pasta, which made it difficult to taste each component when eaten together.
Finally, we had the Umami Crusted Watermelon salad, which had blue swimmer crabmeat, Kyuri cucumber, Radish, Ikura, ice leaf, avocado, and Yuzu dressing. Although it seemed like a potentially very unique flavor experience with the sweetness from the watermelon and the umami from the seaweed power, the combination unfortunately was a let down. It resulted in an extremely fishy flavor, which personally was not for me. I will however say that there was one silver lining: the ice leaf. Ice leaf (or ice plant) originates from South Africa. This plant is not one that is found everywhere. It has little bubbles on it which explode in your mouth, making for a refreshing note. However, this salad was not the best place for its debut.
Although the dishes seemed like a mixed bag, I will still say that this cafe is one that definitely deserves attention. There were by far more positives to my experience than negatives, and I've really never been to any other cafe like this. However, definitely be ready to wait, as this cafe never fails to be busy, which just supports how it is a must-go destination.