Pet Cafes are oh-so-popular nowadays and not only limited to Japan anymore. Cat and Dog Cafes have been mushrooming in the Klang Valley and S Garden Cafe is one of them riding on the trend of having the company of pets while you eat.
This very first pet-friendly cafe in Cheras opened in August 2015 and is located in Pandan Indah with a resident Pug, Shih Tzu and Husky.
Like any other pet cafe, do not bring along pets that don't mix well with humans and dogs alike, clean up after your pets, don't feed other dogs besides your own and be a responsible pet owner.
Despite having rules, they're not always easy to implement especially if you have 2 floors and the staff are.on the ground floor most of the time. There were moments where other patrons' dogs were scent-marking all over the floor but the owners were oblivious to their antics.
Rules, nice to have, difficult to implement.
Food and drinks took a long time to be ready even though there were only 4 tables occupied in which only our table had 5 occupants. The rest had 2 occupants or less.
S Garden Cafe has a rather small menu of western food and a small selection for dogs. Updates to their menu are available on their Facebook page. They have recently added more food items (not mentioned in their website) for humans and their doggy companions so keep yourself updated by visiting their Facebook page.
There were 2 drinks at our table while the others ordered water.
The Mango bubble drink had positive feedback although it was made of cordial. The mango flavored liquid filled bubbles were a fun addition to the drink.
The Mocha tasted like it came from a 3-in-1 packet - not much coffee with cheap tasting chocolate.
Jaslyn ordered a spaghetti bolognese because a large portion was served at another table .It turned out to be a small unsatisfying portion which took forever to be served. We had later dropped by a mamak for some roti after the small portions we had here.
My Fish & Chips had fried fish that was exceptionally brown. Though it didn't taste burn, I'm not sure if the color was meant to be like that. Also, the fish tasted like frozen dory, not worth the RM16 (if I recall correctly) that was being paid. Portion-wise, I got more chips than fish so this should be renamed as 'Chips and Fish' not 'Fish and Chips'!
S Garden Cafe's big breakfast wasn't very big. A bratwurst, a slice of ham, some scrambled eggs, coleslaw, two cherry tomatoes and a tiny portion of baked beans is hardly a big breakfast and definitely not worth the RM20 (again if I recall correctly). You do not charge 'hipster cafe prices' for a dish with 50% processed food and a mediocre amount of fresh ingredients.
As for the resident dogs, they were more interested in bothering other dogs than paying attention to you so don't expect to be able to pat them as they will scurry away even before your hands can reach down towards them.
The Pug is rather inquisitive and therefore barks at anyone who comes through the door so be prepared for a not so peaceful meal.
The Husky sat on a counter (the whole time we were there) near where food and drinks were prepared. This made me a little worried about their hygiene standards but nobody at our table complained of a stomach upset after the meal.
My first visit to a dog cafe turned out to be quite unpleasant with mediocre overpriced food served by seemingly inexperienced staff. S Garden Cafe may be gaining popularity with the Cheras folk and receiving endorsements from local radio celebrities but my bad experience here may have been at the time of teething problems. Pay them a visit with or without your doggy companions to see if they're worth the hype and make your own conclusions.