AFTER having had uninspiring cafe food even at places inexplicably teeming with people, I’m happy to be at Analog cafe in Subang Jaya. Everything’s made from scratch, from sourdough to pasta, and even ramen! And they make good coffee too, the gourmet kind.

I took a little time to digest the menu at the order station. But with help from a friend who’s been there several times over the past five years the cafe’s been open, we zeroed in on the katsu sando and creamy pesto pasta. The ramen menu leapt out at us, and we chose beef ramen with gomatare and smoked beef brisket.

I like brioche and the katsu sando is made with this light, eggy and buttery bread. Slices of chicken katsu, or deep-fried crumbed chicken fillet, are sandwiched between the bread, spread with sriracha mayo and topped with caramelised onions.

Altogether they made a delicious sandwich – crispy fried and moist chicken fired up with sriracha mayo, with more chilli mayo on the side for extra heat. The toasted brioche matched up with the katsu too.

I must mention a mistake had been made earlier in our order. Instead of katsu sando (RM22), we had been served the Analog asagohan, a big breakfast of scrambled eggs, chicken katsu, sautéed mushrooms and salad with thin slices of sourdough pan-fried in olive oil.

When we asked about it, Analog’s chef owner and barista Afiq said asagohan was on the house and even gave us a refund on the difference in price between the katsu sando and this. We hadn’t expected this and were very touched by his gesture.

In the Analog asagohan (RM27), the scrambled eggs were done well – light, creamy and fluffy. The chicken katsu tasted crunchy outside, juicy inside. The thin, crispy slices of sourdough were so good with the scrambled eggs.

The creamy pesto pasta stood out, with the round, fragrant flavours of the pesto hugging handmade al dente fettuccine, finished with crumbed feta cheese and cherry tomatoes.

I’m told that bayam (spinach) had been added to the pesto for a mellow outcome. I liked the texture of the pasta, the chicken coated in the sauce, the tangy feta cheese and the sweet tomatoes completing this creamy pesto pasta (RM22) which was not so rich or creamy after all.

Beef ramen with gomatare and smoked beef brisket (RM22) had us guessing at the ingredients in the cloudy, rich broth.

The zingy warmth of ginger embraced my palate; we tasted miso and sesame (as in gomatare or sesame sauce) and a light sweetness in the broth which went so well with the springy ramen. It was topped with chopped spring onions, chilli oil and soft-boiled eggs with a half runny yolk. It was ramen to relish with the tender, smoky beef brisket.

Desserts are also made in-house. I took away a brioche lemon curd donut (RM8) topped with meringue and which squirted out a nicely tart and sweet lemon curd at the bite.

There’s a good carrot cake (RM11), blueberry waffle (RM7), apple pie (RM10) and walnut banana bread (RM8). Of course, you could take away a sourdough loaf at RM12. I would come back again for Luicy juicy beef burger made with brioche, bagel cream cheese, sourdough waffle, more ramen, and the coffee!

Analog is at 127 SS17/1A, Subang Jaya, Selangor, WhatsApp at 019 328 4888. It’s in a hidden gem of a cafe quiet neighbourhood where parking is not a problem. – December 12, 2020.

* Eu Hooi-Khaw has been writing about food for the longest time, covering all aspects, from restaurant reviews to cooking and recipes, as well as the healthy side of it. She has written for major newspapers and magazines, published the cookbook Fresh Ingredients, and also writes for her website hooikhawandsu.com.