This Cute JB Cafe In A “House” Has The Viral Watermelon Cake

Morihana Pastry has pretty cakes and desserts in JB

While dessert cafes are aplenty in Johor Bahru, few craft treats are as gorgeous as those at Morihana Pastry. You’ll find it tucked away in Eco Spring Labs, the retail park in JB known for its colourful shophouses and exciting eats.

Morihana occupies a cute little shophouse with a curiously minimal exterior—it looks as if someone sketched it from memory.

Its interiors, meanwhile, sport simple wooden furnishing and a clean-cut aesthetic. It’s not the most stylish cafe around, but the [pretty treats more than make up for this.

Appearance-wise, the Azure (RM24+) is arguably the standout dessert here. This cake is shaped like a pastel blue sphere, with a crown of flowers balancing on it. Unfortunately, we found this dessert to be prettier than it tasted. While caramel apple and lime apple mousse were the core ingredients in this cake, we found that all the disparate flavours did not mesh together effectively. Nevertheless, this is surely one for the ‘gram!

The Rose Watermelon Cake (RM20+), inspired by the famous Black Star Pastry in Australia, is also visually stunning. It’s a delicate cube of layered almond cake, cream, lychee, and strawberry, with a striking wedge of watermelon at its centre. Similar to the previous dessert, however, we found that the different flavours did not come together cohesively.

FYI, the original watermelon cake from Black Star Pastry was touted as the world’s most Instagrammed cake by The New York Times in 2019!

As for drinks, the Yuzu Hachimitsu Oolong (RM14+) is a great drink to beat the heat—we found that its sour yuzu notes paired well with the earthy oolong tea flavour. We also liked the Watermelon Punch (RM14+), which was just as refreshing as it was pretty to look at.

For a JB cafe with Bali beachside vibes and $10 mains, read our Hidden Garden By The Sea coverage. For one with viral pork floss buns with crab roe and more, read our Jire Handmade coverage.

Address: Lot B, Jalan Ekoflora Utama, Taman Ekoflora, 81100 Johor Bahru, Johor Darul Ta’zim, Malaysia
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 12pm to 7pm
Tel: +60 16-766 5613
Website
Morihana Pastry is not a halal-certified eatery but uses no pork or lard.

Photos taken by Paula Formantes.
This was an independent visit by Eatbook.sg.