PETALING JAYA: The quaint shop humbly displays the words “All Things Honey” in its window. Step inside and you are greeted with a cosy ambience and friendly faces.

This is Jungle House’s latest outlet in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur – its first incorporating a café serving a variety of delicious honey-inspired food and drinks such as cakes, overnight oats, juices, coffees and teas.

Like its other branches located in the Klang Valley and one in Penang, this store includes a retail section with a range of raw-honey products, infused spreads, attractive gift sets, soaps, and merchandise such as face masks.

According to co-founder Paul Poh, Jungle House aims to bring raw, unadulterated honey “from hive to home”, working with indigenous communities primarily from the wild jungles of Indonesia and some from Thailand and Malaysia.

“Our passion is to make the enjoyment of raw honey easily accessible and affordable to all Malaysians,” he said during a press event on Thursday.

His wife, co-founder Ashley Lam, added: “Paul and I were touched by the kind and generous bee hunters – seeing their challenges, difficulties, and dangers of the job – who earn so little and yet are committed to their craft.

“We want to help these hardworking bee hunters make a proper living while harvesting honey responsibly.”

Sweet benefits

During the event, consultant dietician Indra Balaratnam shared about the nutrition and benefits of honey, calling it a “powerhouse of minerals, vitamins, antioxidants and enzyme compounds”. These, she said, safeguard one’s health by increasing immunity.

“Honey also has properties that make it antibacterial and antimicrobial, which means it can soothe coughs and sore throats, which makes it useful when it comes to Covid symptoms.”

Speaking to FMT, she also explained how one might easily incorporate honey as part of one’s diet.

“The easiest way is to drink it. Oftentimes, when you want something with flavour, you tend to go for a soft drink or sweet beverage. You don’t need to – just add a tablespoon of honey to your water,” she said, adding that it doesn’t have to be too sweet.

Honey can also be spread on toast, added into cereal or oatmeal, and used for marinades or sauces.

Indra also demonstrated two easy honey recipes during the event: Jungle House’s overnight oats, and quinoa chicken salad with balsamic vinaigrette, using the brand’s Royal Black honey harvested from mahoni tree nectar.

These and much more are available only at Jungle House’s branch on Jalan Telawi.

Tasting notes

For something sweet and savoury, the freshly baked honey croffle – a mix between a croissant and waffle – topped with chicken ham and cheese certainly hits the spot.

The croffle is soft on the inside and crispy on the outside, augmented by the sweet taste of honey evident in every bite. Chicken ham and cheese add a nice salty touch to the dish.

Other savoury croffle varieties on the menu are chives and cream cheese, as well as salmon. For those who like it sweet: cinnamon ice cream, and Nutella with Oreos.

Speaking of sweet, the Russian honey cake is a must-try. Four different varieties are available – original, chocolate, pandan, and berries.

The original variety is delightful. Layers of soft cake are punctuated with cream cheese in each layer, while crumbly honey biscuits on top add a nice crunch.

Surprisingly enough, this lovely dessert is not overwhelmingly sweet.

On a hot day, the variety of honey juices here would be the perfect way to quench your thirst. The Jungle’s Heart juice – a mixture of water and honey harvested from strawberry flower nectar – is a lovely, refreshing drink with a pleasant strawberry taste.

Ten varieties of juice are available, including the Jungle’s Eye (longan flower nectar), Citrus Bloom (citrus flower nectar), and Yellow Love (linden flower nectar).