Tummy Prosperity: Eight Wheels Coffee & Eatery

I went to Times Square last week, which was apparently just around 10-min car ride from my place. No no no, don’t get surprised first fellas as I wasn’t moving to Manhattan (though I’d love to if I could LOL); it’s the Times Square shophouse located at Gading Serpong. Yes, you could continue reading the post now as going to Eight Wheels wouldn’t require you more than 20 hours flight.

I was almost trapped and got lost at first, but luckily I noticed the coffee shop was actually occupying the second floor of the building. Yeah, to state it precisely, the first level was Alfamart and using this as your signpost, it would be too easy to find.

Opening the door, I was initially confused why the interior looked so different to the one I spotted on Instagram. This looked more like a complementary cafe in a gym studio and yes, there’s indeed a yoga studio right behind. Looked like reading my disappointment, the waitress immediately reached out to me, greet me and asked me if I was looking for Eight Wheels. For sure I nodded right away and that led me to the upper level of the venue.

Oh WOW! I was finally exposed to the “real” cafe and yeah, you got me beyond-impressed buddy! It’s such a lovely place, that somehow gave the ‘princessy’ feeling with the classic wall decoration like mini tea cups, small windows, white bench by the garden; exactly like everything you would find in fairytale books or Disney movies.

Having my adrenaline high, I directly jumped to the higher storey to find out what’s served there to amuse me even more. Despite they didn’t have any sofa there, it didn’t mean that it’s less comfortable compared to the lower one. It had its own way to get my jaw broken, which I guessed was the wallpaper particularly, giving the moody ambience and making perfect photo spots.

Now that I’d strolled around the venue, I finally got what Eight Wheels meant; they’re the eight giant wheels located all around the world, namely London Eye, Singapore Flyer, Niagara Sky Wheels, and many more (PS. You could find the complete name in one of the pictures as they did display them on the staircases). Some corners did show the picture of these giant wheels, aligning with the resto’s name itself.

Popcorn Chicken (IDR 35k)

Desiring a mix of flavors for my light breakie, I started with their appetizer. I went for one of the most favorite, Popcorn Chicken. Well yeah, I wouldn’t deny that it’s indeed an extremely mainstream one, but I believed you would surely agree with me that these simple fried light bites were such addiction! Yeah 99% for sure because it had that ‘fried surname’, which was like 99% people in the world loved or ever loved, and I guessed 0.99% was because it would surely be batter-coated and this ‘special blanket’ doubtlessly contained tons of seasonings.

Eight Wheels version wasn’t bad at all regardless it wasn’t something far superior than the common one as well. Good thing it wasn’t overly greasy and the chunks precisely suited my kind of bite-size. If I had to call out the extra effort put by the house on the dish, I would say it’s the honey butter sauce which was an awesome companion and absolutely contributed a lot in enriching the overall dish taste, adding sweetness to the savory protein.

Choco Lava Croissant (IDR 35k)

Bluntly speaking, if you were myself, standing in front of the Croissant showcase when you’re firstly stepped into the cafe, I bet you would think the way I did - the croissants looked not appealing in presentation; pale color and seemed dry. Fortunately it would definitely be reheated when ordered so I did wish the pastry would turn out flakier and the filling would melt and burst out once the croissant’s cut.

Still having my curiosity tickled by the offer given by the waitress as well as the tempting promotion saying that the croissants were most guests’ favorites, I ended up still order this pastry. My imagination regarding how the croissant would appear upon being reheated faded away when mine landed on the table. It was a dark-brown-colored one, not looking that crispy, and once cut the filling wasn’t dripped out at all. It’s a fight of disappointment and excitement in my heart as actually I could spot the chocolate cream inside was abundantly served, like full-stuffed croissant was more than ready to be enjoyed.

Trying to be positive, I gave it a try. First bite and voila!! It’s extremely good regardless I did wish the skin to be crunchier, but yeah it might be compensated this time with this overflown filling. Not only the quantity, the quality did deliver me more than satisfaction being not overly sweet, having bold chocolate flavor, and simply scrumptious! If only it wasn’t as pricey as IDR 35k++, I bet none would doubt to have it as daily breakie!

Freeze Latte (IDR 35k)

When many people kept mentioning what’s a morning without a cup of coffee, I couldn’t agree more with them and for me the statement should never be underestimated as it’s beyond true. You might say it’s addiction, but I would call it daily doze of happiness. Being in the mood for both hot and cold, I started with this refreshing one, the signature creation from the house, named as Freeze Latte, which was basically a cup of frozen espresso cubes, served with warm steamed milk. As you might have guessed correctly, you needed to pour the milk into the cubes cup to let it melt then you finally could enjoy it.

It started nice and I loved the bold coffee taste, but then the more I had it, the more the sour taste flourished. Nonetheless, it’s recommended to try, especially for those who loved strong kick in the cup. Just ensure you put the whole milk into the espresso to make it ended less acidic.

Hot Cappuccino (IDR 28k)

Thumbs up for this second round of caffeine as it’s the one got me hitched at the first sip, and still the one I would come back for till the last drop. The body level served was in between medium to strong, and the acidity was lusciously low. A nice one to end the short breakie, and a great one to kickstart the whole day!

Thanks to Eight Wheels for spoiling me early in the morning with cozy and Instagenic place, which had become awesome companion to my indulging cup. Hopefully I could give you another hello real soon!