Dekori Premium Cafe Review: A bear in a bathtub?!
While ice cube shaped bears are not exactly new in Kuching, when I heard of this amazingly adorable dish of a bear sitting in a bathtub, I had to go and check it out.
Not only is there a bear in a bathtub, but the café is also known for its tall stacks of shaved ice, which are as delicious as they appear.
Not wanting to miss our opportunity to satisfy my sweet tooth, I decided that this isn’t something that can be missed.
That’s why I decided to visit the newly opened Dekõri Premium Café at Saradise as soon as I could.
Signature Kakigori Menu + More
This café is known for their kakigori menu, which is a Japanese shaved ice dessert flavoured with syrup and sweetener such as condensed milk.
It sounds much like our shaved ice or ais kacang, but with a lot more variety and flavour. Not only are there chocolate caramel kakigori, but also matcha, yogurt-based, and even fruity ones.
The menu also held the coveted bear in a bathtub, which is simply called taro milk, and tau fu fa, toast, and waffles.
It was lucky that there was a bunch of people in front of me, so I could take my time ordering. It really took me quite a few minutes to decide!
Eventually, I settled on a few things and decided to sit outside as the air conditioning inside was too strong for my liking.
After ordering, you are given a buzzer which will alert you to collect your food. It didn’t take long for my first dish to be ready, so I went inside to get it.
Taro Milk and Gula Melaka Kakigori
I was excited to see that the first dish that was ready was the taro milk (RM15.90) or the signature bear in a bathtub.
What is fun is that you can pour the milk into the bathtub and submerge the bear, which makes for a great photo and video taking session.
One thing I have to say is I really like the shape of the spoons – the fact that they were designed to look like shovels really emphasized the phrase of “digging in”!
The ice cube bear was made entirely out of milk, giving a mild creamy and sweet taste to it as it slowly melted in the surrounding milk bath.
The taro balls and pearls were some of the most flavourful I’ve ever tasted. They were bouncy and chewy and had a strong yam and sweet potato taste.
Of course, I also had to order one of the kakigoris to try, especially seeing how tall it looks on other people’s tables.
I opted for the gula melaka kakigori (RM27.90). Reason why is because I wanted something that was creamy, fragrant, and sweet.
When I had my first taste of the gula melaka kakigori, I was very impressed. You can really savour the lovely aroma of the palm sugar, and it was just right for my sweetness level.
The coconut cream on top was also quite light yet creamy and delicious. It was mildly sweet, which provided a short respite from the richness of the shaved ice.
What online reviews say
Dekõri Premium Café opened its first branch on 18 June 2022 at Saradise but has since launched another branch nearby at Gala City. Surprisingly, the two branches have different ratings on Google Maps.
The main Saradise branch has 3.1 stars out of 5 with 72 reviews as of time of writing, while the Gala City branch has 4.1 stars out of 5 with 33 reviews.
It seems that quite a few customers are not happy with the product quality and taste at both stores, but the Saradise branch also has a lot of service related complaints.
For example, one reviewer requested to remove something from the dish and was told it was okay. Yet when the dish was ready, the item was not removed as it was the store’s signature dish.
In another review, one customer was shocked to see that a different table that ordered after him went and claimed his dish. This caused him to have to settle for theirs — and the two dishes weren’t even the same!
It also seems that the prices have increased steeply since opening, because one reviewer says that a Mango Yoghurt Kakigori will set you back RM27.90!
While it seems that I may have had a rare, good experience at Dekõri Premium Café, I’m unsure if I would keep going based on these reviews. What about you?
Opening hours: 11AM-12AM (Mon-Sun, Saradise) | 10:30AM-10:30PM (Mon-Sun, Gala City)
Address: Yu Hei Tan, Sublot 36, Grand Floor Saradise, 93350 Kuching, Sarawak (Google Maps) | Gala City, Sublot 83, Ground Floor, Jalan Tun Jugah, Gala City, 93350 Kuching, Sarawak (Google Maps)
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