Vburg - From veg(etari)an bakery to cafe

It’s been three years in the making for three brothers and their team who are applying their talents and experience to provide plant-based food that not only looks good but also tastes good.

Facade of the Vburg Patisserie with the adjacent
Vbug Boulangerie Cafe (hidden by their delivery truck)

Each equipped with their own set of skills, the Tan brothers – Ian, Sean and Chee Seng – put their heads (and hearts!) together and committed themselves to creating something special to meet the taste of diners in search of vegetarian or vegan food here.

Ian tells me that it all started with Vburg Patisserie, opened in their family’s property located within an early phase of Taman Ungku Tun Aminah.

This bakery is living up to its tagline, “Baking Without Borders” and earning a reputation as a bake shop for a good range of vegan and vegetarian breads and pastries.

Customers in the Vburg Patisserie or bakery

To provide their team members with meals, they assembled a well-balanced breakfast platter and stumbled upon the idea to open a café to serve just that!

So they opened Vburg Boulangerie Café next door, to serve an All-Day Breakfast menu and started with a lean team of three – a baker, a barista and his brother Sean.

Fast-forward to the present where I’m seated in the cosy confines of the café with Ian, surrounded by the comforting sounds and smells of a busy café-bakery…

From its name, Vburg, where “V” stands for vegan and vegetarian while “Burg” is the short-form for burger, a type of bread, I can figure out its business identity.

A section of diners in the Vburg Boulangerie Cafe

The business is now operating with a 32-strong team and I’m ready for a tasting experience of their menu of food, breads, pastries and beverages.

Aware that more and more people are reducing their meat consumption and seeking vegetarian and vegan alternatives, the Tan brothers decided to embark of a culinary journey, beginning with baking a range of vegetarian and vegan-friendly bread and pastries.

Their range of breads include interesting recipes for loaves like Walnut Raisin Loaf and Sweetened Black Bean, Pumpkin Seed with Sesame Loaf.

A hearty seven-item breakfast platter!

Among the specialty buns available from the Patisserie or bakery, there are Purple Yam Taro Bun – made with purple sweet potato, also known as PSP, its short-form – Charcoal Apply Bagel and Seaweed Cream Cheese Charcoal Croissant.

I’m delighted to see that a classic croissant is served among the seven items assembled in a hearty breakfast platter, presented from their All-Day Breakfast (ADB) menu.

Diners are invited to customize their breakfast platter with their own picks from a range of food ingredients (that fill an entire page of the menu!) in choices of four, five, six or seven items per order.

I’m looking closely at this seven-item platter and can see (clockwise) a crispy croissant, sautéed new potato halves, fluffy scrambled (antibiotic-free) eggs, roasted tomato wedges, fresh lettuce, fried slices of tempe or preserved soya-beans, with Black-pepper Duo-Pulled Mushrooms (two types of mushrooms!) in the centre.

Irresistible Fried Lion's Mane Mushrooms

Fans of mushrooms will be happy that a selection of mushrooms are featured in a number of items in this menu.

Under Appetizers, there are Fried Lion’s Mane Mushrooms to savour with a side of tasty artisan Vegan Curry Mayo dip sauce.

The texture of these ‘meaty’ deep-fried mushrooms are a hit with diners who enjoy breaking down the fiber with a good chew.

In keeping with the current Korean food trend, there is also Yangnyeom Duo Mushroom – King Oyster and Button mushrooms – smothered in Korean-style seasoning, to enjoy.

A choice of soups: Corn Soup [Left]
and Signature Shroom Soup [Right]

The soup choices here must certainly include the ubiquitous Mushroom Soup and to savour, there are bread options like slices of Baguette, Chia Seed Baguette or Sourdough Rye Bread.

When I gently slurp a spoonful of this Signature Shroom Soup, I’m happy with its rich and tasty flavour and that it’s also filled with bits of real mushroom.

Among the other popular soup choices are Cauliflower Potato Chowder, Golden Pumpkin Soup and even a Boring Corn Soup!

No, there’s nothing boring about this Corn Soup but as expected, it tastes sweet from the sweet corn used to make this soup.

Ian Tan presents the PSP Burger!

As for burgers, diners are also invited to assemble their own from a choice of breads ranging from Sesame Bun, Charcoal Sesame Bun, Wholemeal Bun, Bagel Bun, Purple Bagel, Ciabatta and Croissant Bun, with the option to add-on toppings and side items.

But if you prefer to order from the menu, Ian’s recommended burger is the PSP Burger.

This is made with a Purple Sweet Potato Burger slathered with Beetroot Ketchup and Pickled Red Cabbage with the option to add a Bull’s Eye Egg and slice of Cheese.

This serving includes a side of Lettuce Salad and everyone’s favourite, Sweet Potato Fries.

For fans of pizza, the Margherita Sourdough Pizza comes highly recommended and it is of course, freshly made.

Staying true to its traditions, this pizza comes topped with Marinara sauce, tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and basil to represent the national colours of Italy, complete with a miniature flag of Italy!

While there are many more items on the menu, we must save some space for dessert and drinks – fragrant hot coffee brewed from freshly roasted coffee beans by AlleyLab Coffee Roastery – to enjoy with a choice of cream cakes from the Vburg Patisserie.

Can you spot the miniature flag of Italy on this
Margherita Sourdough Pizza?

Some of the recommended cake choices are The Royal, a rich chocolate mousse cake, Granny’s Carrot Cake and Mango Mille Feulli.

Besides hot beverages, Vburg also has a menu with a Bar section for chilled cocktail-like Non-Alcoholic drinks, some made with coffee as an essential ingredient.

The talented barista-mixologist has a few tricks up his sleeve and was ready to impress us with a showcase of cocktails like Horizon, a layered drink that contains coffee, Pink Lady, good old Irish Coffee, and Spicy Tango, a drink that packs quite a strong zing!

Freshly brewed coffee to enjoy with cream cakes

Besides the bakery and café here, Vburg has expanded its services to supply its quality products on consignment to convenient outlets in various neighbourhoods as well as provide a Delivery Service for supply of bulk orders through their Future Food brand.

Deliveries at a minimum worth of RM30, may be arranged within 25 to 30km radius from JB with a token delivery charge of between RM5 to RM15 per delivery.

To allow sufficient time for preparation, orders for items like sourdough breads, cold pressed juices and mixed muesli jars, should be made three [3] days in advance.

Vburg Boulangerie Café is at N0. 72, Jalan Laksamana 2, Taman Ungku Tun Aminah, 81300 Skudai, Johor. Tel: +607 – 288 7118.

While the Café is open daily from 10am to 8pm, it opens from 9am on Friday, Saturday and Sunday to meet the breakfast needs of loyal customers.

The Bakery is open daily from 8am to 8pm. For more info, visit website: www.vburg.my