STRANGERS AT 47
47, Jalan 17/45, Section 17, Petaling Jaya.
Tel: 011-1669 5707
Business hours: Mon-Fri (3pm-10pm),
weekends and public holidays (11am-10pm). Closed on Tuesdays.
New cafe in PJ’s Section 17 offers creative savoury and sweet this pancakes.
DESPITE having opened only in July this year, Strangers at 47 has already been getting rave reviews on the Internet for its savoury and sweet crepes that are not your run-of-the-mill standards.
Tucked in a corner of Section 17, Petaling Jaya, the cafe’s cosy interior, friendly service and quality food has made it the neighbourhood’s latest favourite hangout spot.
The eatery is run by young entrepreneurs Sean Ooi Yeong Shern, 24, Lee Chun Hau, 23 and Lim Sing Yi, 23.
One of the young owners of Strangers at 47, Sean Ooi.
Ooi and Lee run the kitchen while Lim manages the front counter and is the resident barista. The trio were university mates and studied hospitality and culinary arts.
“We wanted a place where people can meet and bond over food, where strangers can become friends,” said Ooi when asked about the idea behind the cafe’s concept.
Just like its name, the food is unconventional.
“When coming up with the recipes, we wanted to push boundaries but still stay within the limits of what people like and are able to accept,” said Ooi, who created most of the savoury items on the menu while the sweet recipes were done by Ooi’s mother.
“Most importantly, we serve things that we like to eat,” said Ooi.
All the crepes have fun and quirky names and the savoury selection is served with cheese.
I had the Lethal Shrooms (RM19.50), a lightly herbed crepe wrapped over portobello, shimeji and baby king oyster mushrooms, spinach and caramelised onions.
It is then topped over with tomato relish, poached egg and balsamic reduction.
From the first bite, it was a burst of fresh flavours and textures between the crunchy spinach and the soft, juicy mushrooms.
I swirled my bit of crepe in the perfectly cooked egg, which oozed golden yellow yolk when sliced.
Despite common belief that crepes are light, airy snacks, the portions here are filling and can be taken as a meal on their own.
For seafood lovers, Shore to Please (RM21.50) lives up to its punny name. The savoury crepe has sizable Cajun tiger prawns, battered squid, spinach, caramelised onions and roasted cherry tomatoes.
Seafood lovers can enjoy their Shore to Please crepe.
Adding a touch of Eastern influence is the salted egg yolk bits, which is a common pairing with seafood in Chinese cooking.
A Hen’s Crush (RM17) is another crowd favourite, with a chilli-flaked crepe and pan-seared chicken cooked with sweet capsicums, golden hash brown, and citrus, cucumber and onion salad in a house-made spicy sauce.
The chicken is well-marinated with a crisp skin and moist, tender meat, while the citrus and sauce added a tangy taste to the dish.
The sweet range of crepes did not disappoint either.
The Purple Rage and It’s Kelapa (both RM9) are locally-influenced dishes. The former had sweet potato crepe enveloping mashed Japanese sweet potato and coconut sago, drizzled over with pandan-infused gula melaka (palm sugar).
The mash had a chunky texture, with bits of the sweet potato still discernible, lending a real bite to the soft crepe. Surprisingly, despite the ingredients used, the flavours were not overpowering.
Adam’s Sin (RM11) was like an apple crumble in crepe form, with sweet crepe, cinnamon apple, wholemeal crumble, blueberries and salted caramel stuffed into the pastry, before it was topped over with a dollop of vanilla ice-cream.
Adam’s Sin crepe, putting a twist to the infamous apple crumble.
Last but not least, the Dark Side (top pic) (RM10) is a chocolate crepe with dark chocolate spread, white chocolate curls, orange caramel and vanilla ice-cream. It was my favourite sweet crepe as the sweetness was just right and the chocolate filling was rich and creamy.
For a bonus side, try the sweet potato fries (RM7), which are delightfully crispy on the outside but soft on the inside, and served with tomato sauce.
They also serve drinks such as coffee, latte, chocolate, cappuccino and matcha (green tea) latte.
Ooi said there were rarely any references for the style of crepes prepared at his café.
“The recipes that you see outside are usually for French crepes, or perhaps the ham and cheese varieties which are very normally executed. We don’t want to create something that is just a fad,” he said.
So what makes the best crepe? Ooi thinks that the secret is in the ingredients.
“Crepes are versatile, as long as everything goes well together. That’s why we put a lot of thought into creating our recipes and sourcing for ingredients,” he explained.
