Opened in December last year, Yap Ming Yang hopes his café can dispel the rigid impressions people have of reptiles.
Having been a wildlife enthusiast all his life, Yap used to observe the spiders around his house, fascinated by the arachnids and their living patterns.
As he grew older, he kept a few tarantulas and reptiles as pets. With such a proclivity for them, no one in his family was surprised when he decided to pursue a degree in tropical environment biology.
“Unlike cats and dogs, people don’t get many opportunities to see reptiles, which is why you often see them crowding around the aisles of exotic pet stores,” the 20-year-old told FMT.
Such was his fascination with these creatures that he wanted to open a café where people could watch snakes and spiders from a safe distance while enjoying a drink, eating a dessert or just chatting with friends.
As his idea blossomed, Yap felt increasingly confident that it could work. As luck would have it, local dessert brand Dekori was offering a franchise opportunity to interested Malaysians.
So, Yap presented his proposal to them and to his delight, they were on board with the idea, his first step towards realising Fangs by Dekori.
The café boasts a range of exotic wildlife that Yap used to own as pets including snakes, scorpions, tarantulas and geckos, with bearded dragons being next on the agenda.
FMT paid a visit to the café recently to have a chat with Yap and enjoy the desserts.
Located in Bandar Sunway, Fangs has a variety of cold desserts such as kakigori (a Japanese shaved ice dessert flavoured with syrup), taufufa and smoothies.
The highlight of the menu is undoubtedly the kakigori section, from which Yap recommended the strawberry yoghurt flavour.
The yoghurt shaved ice came adorned with fresh strawberries and whipped cream for the illusion of a snow-capped mountain, with strawberry syrup on the side. Truly a refreshing choice that was sour, sweet and satisfying.
Do give the authentic taufu fa a try for a less icy option. Basic is sometimes best, but this choice is certainly not low effort, as the taufu fa base takes six hours to make from start to finish! Pair it with brown sugar syrup and you’ve got yourself a simple but classic dessert.
As Fangs is part of Dekori’s premium chain, it offers hot meals as well such as pasta, soup and croissants.
FMT also sampled the charcoal waffle with Ferrero Rocher. The dark coloured waffle is topped with vanilla ice cream, complete with chocolate sauce and Ferrero Rocher on the side. It’s more filling but hits that spot right after a long day.
Food aside, many people come here to gape at the reptiles. When asked if these reptiles were high maintenance, Yap replied in the negative.
“It doesn’t cost much to feed them, for example the snakes only need to be fed once every two weeks,” he said.
While some have expressed concern that the reptiles are kept in small enclosures, Yap said that they didn’t mind it as snakes in the wild also have a tendency to curl up in small holes or corners.
Overall, customers have left the café with glowing reviews, happy to have looked at and petted some of the exotic creatures, with Yap by their side, of course.
Remarking that these creatures are somewhat ‘underappreciated’, Yap added that it did feel good giving people a chance to interact with his pets, as well as engage in conversations about them.
It’s evident who the star of the café is though as when FMT asked for Yap to pose with his pet snake, keen-eyed customers excitedly huddled up around him, asking if they could hold it next.
“If people have more knowledge about these creatures, they are less likely to demonise them or cast them in a negative light.”
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Fangs by Dekori
3A-A, Nadayu 28 Dagang
Jalan PJS 11/7
Bandar Sunway
47620 Subang Jaya
Selangor
Business hours: 11.00am-1.00am daily