Review: Jac's On The 8th at Ara Damansara

No Longer in Operation.

A friendly, no-fuss venue for casual, leisurely lunches, Jac’s On The 8th took over recently from Ara Damansara’s Good Friends Cafe (which has moved to SS15 Subang). It’s easy to spend a happy afternoon here, kicking back with your buddies and enjoying tasty, wholesome fare.

Breakfast and Lunch

The menu ranges from ideal-for-lunch comfort food like this egg-and-eggplant sandwich with sesame mayo sauce (RM12.90) …

… to perfect-for-breakfast treats such as buckwheat-and-cashew-nut granola with cold milk (RM6.90).

Food-to-go

Jac’s also provides for takeaway orders, so we were pleased to bring home this free-range chicken, tenderly stewed with pumpkin and carrots, served with rice and steamed broccoli and cauliflowers (RM14.90). Honest fare prepared with heaps of heart.

Pasta

Pastas are a pleasure here too, particularly the seafood ones: Our spaghetti brimmed with more Chilean blue mussels than we could count, cooked with olives and tomatoes in a lightly briny broth (RM24.90). Ask for an optional splash of rum to add a zing to this recipe. There’s also a prawn pasta with tamarind sauce and ginger flower that sounds tempting.

Sweets

Fans of cranberries can have a field day here, thanks to stacks of cranberry-walnut pancakes showered with honey (RM8.90) …

… to cranberry-filled English scones paired with passion fruit jam & butter (RM3.50 per scone), cranberry carrot cakes (RM10 per slice) and rum-and-raisin cheesecakes (raisins are relatives of cranberries, right?), all personally baked by owner Jaclyn Ting, the latest Malaysian to pursue her dream of running a cafe.