Nippori @ Empire Damansara PJ: Japanese Home Cook Cafe

Nippori Japanese Cafe at Empire Damansara PJ (Beside Haraju Cube Dessert Cafe) is expected to bring up a new wave to Japanese dining style in Malaysia, serving healthy Japanese home-cooked food that celebrates plenty of colours and flavours.

Interior is homey and welcoming. Ample of wooden elements on floorings, furnishing, decorations; further complemented with magazines in Japanese language, beautiful dining wares, miniatures and cheerful cushion seats (spot the watermelon cushion, so adorable). Diners can choose to sit at Japanese traditional tatami-inspired dining area, where you can rest your legs in the cavity under the low tables. There are only 4 of these, so be early. Else, there are few more tables on normal heights in Nippori, and outdoor seating which can cater more customers. Just, quite hot during afternoon.

Nippori Cafe is still in soft launch period, but already having a steady stream of crowd for lunch and dinner. We were quite happy that two of the Japanese traditional seats were still vacant when we reached at 12.30PM last Sunday, despite not the one nearest to the window with best natural lighting hehe.

Seafood Mix Fried RM35

Menu on Nippori Cafe covers only Teishoku and Donburi in the meantime, price at RM35 for the former, RM25 for the later. Noodles and other selections will be added into Nippori menu by the end of August, everything prepared with love by Japanese chef. For Teishoku, choose from Crispy Chicken Karaage, Grilled Chicken with Oroshi Ponzu Sauce, Deep Fried Fish with Homemade Tartar Sauce, Seafood Mixed Fried, Minced Chicken with Lotus, Juicy Chicken Katsu with Miso Sauce, Fluggy Sanma Shio Yaki, Grilled Salmon Shio Yaki and Saba Shio Yaki with Yasai Oroshi.

Summerkid ordered Seafood Mix Fried. Main highlights is the hearty portion of crunchy deep fried breaded prawns, scallop, fish, capsicum, halved eggs sided with shredded cabbage vegetables. Complete with miso soup, Japanese rice, Japanese pickles, salad pasta and a bowl of fruits. What we love most is their soup and fruits. Instead of throwing in just cubed soft tofu and seaweed, Nippori Cafe replaces with thinly sliced vegetables and enoki mushroom.

While for fruits, they put set meals in many Japanese restaurants in shame. Two slices of watermelon? No, we are getting apples, grapefruit, orange, guava and dragonfruit as dessert! All Summergirl’s favourite. So kind of them!

Tofu with Minced Chicken Donburi RM25

Out of the 5 selections on Nippori Healthy Donburi list, 4 of them are Natto Donburi – The Classic Natto Donburi, Creamy Cheease Natto Donburi, Natto Todu & Aonari Donburi, Ume Natto with Okura Donburi, Summergirl thoughts for a while whether to order their Natto Donburi. But when she thought of the slimmy, acquired taste of it, she decided to go safe on Tofu Minced Chicken Donburi. Hahaha. Should have been more adventurous with the love-it-or-hate-it-natto.

A satisfying rice bowl, layering Japanese rice as base, hamburg-looking patty and raw egg yolk on top. Sprinkled with chopped green scallions to boost up the overall flavours. Mix the yolk with rice for moist and creaminess, then begin to dig in with minced chicken pieces laced with savoury-sweet sauce. Flavoursome comfort food. Highly recommended.

You can add on RM3 for extra rice, miso soup, corn soup; RM5 for pasta salad and Japanese pickles. For drinks menu, chilled mugi cha, ice green tea, hot green tea, osmanthus sencha, iced leamon tea, beer, soft drinks are available. Enjoy homemade Uji matcha ice cream dessert at RM10 if you wish to.

Overall review: By far one of the best Japanese cafes to visit in Klang Valley. No regret at all. High quality and fresh ingredients, delicious flavours that reminds us about our Japan trip. Service is friendly, affordable price. Total bill came to ~RM64 including GST. We will give high marks of 9.5/10 for Nippori!!! The only downside will probably be the beautiful presentation, so lovely that we couldn’t help but to take few more pictures of it for our Instagram, Facebook and blogpost. Ended up food becoming warm instead of pipping hot. Hahaha. We blame ourselves on this, definitely our fault. We will visit again when Nippori new full-fledge menu is out!

Photographer: Summerkid
Write-up: Summergirl

Address:
Nippori Japanese Cafe ( Beside Haruju Cube Dessert Cafe )
F-02(102), Heritage Lane,
Empire Damansara, Jalan pju8/8,
Damansara Perdana,
47820 Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.

Opening Hours:
Tue – Thu & Sunday: 12PM – 2.30PM; 6.00PM – 10.00PM
Fri – Sat: 12PM – 2.30PM; 6PM – 10.30PM

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Nippori102/