While ice cube shaped bears are not exactly new in Kuching, when we heard of this amazingly adorable dish of a bear sitting in a bathtub, we knew we 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 our sweet tooth, we decided that this isn’t something that can be missed.
That’s why we decided to visit the newly opened Dekõri Premium Café at Saradise as soon as we 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 akin to 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 us, so we could take our time ordering. It really took us quite a few minutes to do so.
Eventually, we settled on a few things and decided to sit outside as the air conditioning inside was too strong for our liking.
After ordering, you are given a buzzer which will alert you to collect your food. It didn’t take long for our first dish to be ready, so we went inside to get it.
Taro Milk and Gula Melaka Kakigori
We were excited to see that the first dish that was ready was the taro milk (RM10.90) or the signature bear in a bathtub.
What we found fun is being able to pour the milk into the bathtub and submerge the bear. You can imagine how many photos and videos we took before we actually started eating.
One thing we also had to say is we really adore 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 we’ve ever tasted. They were bouncy and chewy and had a strong yam and sweet potato taste.
Of course, we also had to order one of the kakigoris to try, especially seeing how tall it looks on other people’s tables.
We opted for the gula melaka kakigori (RM19.90) because we not only wanted something that was creamy and delicious, but also fragrant and sweet.
When we had our first taste of the gula melaka kakigori, we were very impressed. You can really savour the lovely aroma of the palm sugar, and it was just right for our 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 might have only opened about two weeks ago on 18 June 2022, but it is puzzling how this bustling café has garnered 2.5 stars out of 5 with 14 reviews as of time of writing.
It seems that extremely slow service is a main complaint of this establishment. In fact, one lady had to wait nearly two hours for her watermelon kakigori, but when it finally came, it was less than satisfactory.
There are also some issues regarding flies inside the café, with several reviews highlighting this. One reviewer even complained about the hygiene of the café about a day ago.
One lady complained that sitting outdoors has the issue of playing “horrible EDM music” and that the “speaker is not even working properly”.
It seems that several signature ingredients are also out of stock such as matcha, Thai milk tea, and blueberry. It makes ordering a hassle and a disappointment for customers.
Unfortunately, the only two good reviews only highlight how cosy the area is, and how delicious the now-out-of-stock matcha kakigori is.
While it seems that we may have had a rare, good experience at Dekõri Premium Café, we might just give them the benefit of the doubt and keep our eyes on the reviews to see if anything improves.
Opening hours: 11AM-12AM (Mon-Sun)
Address: 111, Jalan Tun Abang Haji Openg, Rikett Estate, 93000 Kuching, Sarawak (Google Maps)
Contact: Facebook | Instagram | +6016-898 3172
