Review: Marulilu Cafe
RS, Anna, myself, and the bf went for breakfast one weekend morning. Anna had suggested that we try this small cafe on Broadway (right in front of the Canada Line Station) called Marulilu Cafe. The cafe serves Japanese-style breakfast, which I found very interesting because it was the first time I'd heard about Japanese-style breakfast. Little that we know, we pass by that cafe many many times, as it's located within walking distance from our house. And we've eaten at restaurants beside Marulilu Cafe, not even realizing there's even a cafe there. LOL. Forgive my ignorance.
We read the reviews from urbanspoon.com and it's got a 93% rating so we couldn't wait to try it.
The cafe itself is very laid back and low-profile, nothing outstanding from the outside (no big, colourful signs, etc.). They probably have 6 tables inside; we were lucky the cafe wasn't full when we got there. The servers were very friendly and helpful, typical of Japanese hospitality. Deep down inside I also appreciate that the servers and owners are Japanese, which adds to the feeling of authenticity. Afterall, we came here because we wanted to see what a traditional Japanese breakfast is like.
I decided to try the traditional breakfast, which consists of plain omelet , grilled salmon, tofu, rice, and miso soup. (they do give you a choice of tofu or natto...I'm not a big fan of fermented food, so I settled with good-old-tofu).
It was interesting. I honestly didn't know what to expect from a Japanese breakfast. The food itself feels very light (not greasy whatsoever) and clean. The omelet was plain omelet; tofu was also plain and served room-temperature. Grilled salmon was unseasoned and I found mine to be a little bit on the dry side. Thankfully they gave us some soy sauce. LOL. My taste buds are accustomed to traditional Indonesian dishes, in which a lot of spices are used, so I'm not used to eating a meal this bland. If you're looking to try a traditional Japanese breakfast, Marulilu cafe is probably your best bet. This would also be a great option for those looking for healthier breakfast, this would also be a great option (keep in mind that miso soup is miso soup...it's salty. so if your description of "healthy" is low-in-salt, then don't drink the miso soup).
The bf settled for a ni-katsu sandwich, which has katsu cutlet, eggs, and onions between panini bread.
It's interesting how they make this into a sandwich instead of the usual rice (I'm sure a lot of you have tried katsu don, right?). While it does seem like a more appropriate portion for breakfast, I found the bread soaking most of the sauce and oil and ended up a bit soggy when biting through the last bites.
I would want to go back to try their okonomiyaki! I've read many reviews about the okonomiyaki, and since it's close by, I hope to stop by the cafe for a snack one day :)
We read the reviews from urbanspoon.com and it's got a 93% rating so we couldn't wait to try it.
The cafe itself is very laid back and low-profile, nothing outstanding from the outside (no big, colourful signs, etc.). They probably have 6 tables inside; we were lucky the cafe wasn't full when we got there. The servers were very friendly and helpful, typical of Japanese hospitality. Deep down inside I also appreciate that the servers and owners are Japanese, which adds to the feeling of authenticity. Afterall, we came here because we wanted to see what a traditional Japanese breakfast is like.
I decided to try the traditional breakfast, which consists of plain omelet , grilled salmon, tofu, rice, and miso soup. (they do give you a choice of tofu or natto...I'm not a big fan of fermented food, so I settled with good-old-tofu).
It was interesting. I honestly didn't know what to expect from a Japanese breakfast. The food itself feels very light (not greasy whatsoever) and clean. The omelet was plain omelet; tofu was also plain and served room-temperature. Grilled salmon was unseasoned and I found mine to be a little bit on the dry side. Thankfully they gave us some soy sauce. LOL. My taste buds are accustomed to traditional Indonesian dishes, in which a lot of spices are used, so I'm not used to eating a meal this bland. If you're looking to try a traditional Japanese breakfast, Marulilu cafe is probably your best bet. This would also be a great option for those looking for healthier breakfast, this would also be a great option (keep in mind that miso soup is miso soup...it's salty. so if your description of "healthy" is low-in-salt, then don't drink the miso soup).
The bf settled for a ni-katsu sandwich, which has katsu cutlet, eggs, and onions between panini bread.
It's interesting how they make this into a sandwich instead of the usual rice (I'm sure a lot of you have tried katsu don, right?). While it does seem like a more appropriate portion for breakfast, I found the bread soaking most of the sauce and oil and ended up a bit soggy when biting through the last bites.
I would want to go back to try their okonomiyaki! I've read many reviews about the okonomiyaki, and since it's close by, I hope to stop by the cafe for a snack one day :)
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