They say live like every day is a Sunday,  and at Rimba Rusa every day is a cheat day.

The name rimba (forest in Malay) surely does tell something about the ambience  here. Stepping into Rimba & Rusa somehow does make you feel closer to nature and judging from the countless pots of green plants at almost every corner, this Instagram-worthy cafe is definitely living up to its name.

Although Rimba & Rusa is of the same parent as Wondermilk Cafe in Damansara Uptown, Publika, IOI City Mall and Citta Mall—which is more cupcake and milk oriented, the concept is completely different from its other siblings. Rimba & Rusa seems to be trying to walk away from the shadow of Wondermilk to become a more well-rounded restaurant that places all-day dining into priority.

Since the opening of its door at Sunway Nexis, Rimba & Rusa has been an attention-grabber due to its thoughtfully designed dining space, making it catnip for the Klang Valley’s cafe paparazzi. Photographers, Instagramers, cafe hoppers will enjoy their impressive design—the sunlight-filled space with accents of blue, white and grey makes it one of the most beautiful cafes to open thus far this year.

Instead of cupcakes, Rimba & Rusa highlights a wide variety of selections ideal from brunch until dinner, or even merely a teatime visit. The menu consists of mostly Western, with a twist of modern fusion by incorporating Mediterranean, Portugese, Vietnamese, Italian and local favourites to call for some gimmick, drawing the attention of food enthusiasts to drop by at Rimba & Rusa for a try.

Since it was already lunch time, we decided to straight away jump into indulging ourselves with the selections from Pasta, Main Suspects, and Asian Favourites (available from 12 noon). Not sure which dishes to choose, we asked for recommendations from the friendly staff there who were kind enough to explain to us about the menu.

We checked out the Salted Egg Prawn pasta with much hope, which put together tiger prawns in salted egg cream sauce spaghetti with cili padi and curry leaves. With all the hype about salted egg dishes, the pasta certainly did not disappoint us.

Rimba & Rusa’s meal of the day Laksa Rimba With Soft Shell Crab really lives up to its hype for its classic nyonya laksa with spaghetti, along with cucumber, tofu puffs, hard boiled egg, and fish cake in rich coconut gravy. A perfect blend with a little twist in using the spaghetti instead of the usual yellow mee, the real scene-stealer here is actually the soft shell crab with its fluffy texture on the inside and slightly crispy on the outside.

Everyone has been suggesting the Ultimate Beef Burger, so we decided to try it out. Boasting tender and juicy 180g homemade Australian beef patty, the burger is perfectly combined with cheddar, onion and raisin chutney, pickle and sriracha sauce served on a signature plate with crispy golden fries at the side.

Crème Brulée & Sago with Coconut Pudding and Ice Cream (RM17.60 each).

In the attempt to satisfy our sweet tooth, we ordered the signature Crème Brulée and Sago with Coconut Pudding and Ice Cream from the Sweet Dreams Are Made Of These selections. The Crème Brulée definitely lived up to its reputation with its smooth, rich and creamy custard topped with caramalized sugar—definitely the favourite of many.

The Sago with Coconut Pudding and Ice Cream was not a disappointment either. The sweet creamy local sago delight was served with coconut pudding topped with lychee, longan and vanilla ice cream, bringing your day to a sweet conclusion.

Rimba & Rusa has a good list of beverage menu, from whoppingly expensive blended milkshakes, freshly squeezed fruit juice, well-loved espresso based-coffee, latte, cappuccino, chocolate and more. Sadly, the once famous Haagen Dazs Ice Cream Milkshake is no longer available. Still on the mood for the milkshake, we decided to try out their Kitty Kat Nutella milkshake. It was the combination that we like and it wasn’t too sweet either.

The staff also recommended us to try their Summer Sparklers so we ordered the Berry Lemonade. Priced at RM17.50, this sparkler doesn’t disappoint and definitely a thirst-quencher—a good choice to cleanse your throat after the whole dining experience.

Verdict: Overall, Rimba & Rusa gets a 9/10—thanks to its Instagram-worthy environment. Food-wise, some of the mains are worth one-time try but the desserts are the bomb. Worth visiting with friends and family.

Rimba & Rusa by Wondermilk

D-GF-01 Block D, Ground Floor Sunway Nexis,
Kota Damansara, 47810 Petaling Jaya.

Tel No: 03 6151 4022

Business hours:
Monday – Thursday 12pm – 10pm
Saturday – Sunday 9am – 10pm
Closed on Friday

More eateries here.