KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 12 — When a baker who churns out cakes you love tells you Nude Bakery serves the best pavlova in town, you know you have to go try it for yourself.
Apparently it’s so well prepared that she ate until “bang table”.
Hidden right inside Foodie Foodie @Kuchai, this artisanal bakery is headed by Ong Ai Li who trained in Singapore’s hospitality school, Shatec Institute.
Unlike other food courts, Foodie Foodie @Kuchai has snazzy signages and a high ceiling for a feeling of spaciousness. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
Her baking and pastry skills were polished further at Spago at Wolfgang Puck and Cut by Wolfgang Puck.
Her last posting before returning to Kuala Lumpur was at Emmanuel Stroobant’s Saint Pierre.
Together with her husband, Josh Chua who runs Twirl Pasta Bar, they have decided to open back in Malaysia.
While Foodie Foodie may be a food court set-up, its modern look with snazzy signages and high ceiling makes it look good enough to be inside a shopping mall.
Hidden inside the food court, one can find Nude Bakery side-by-side with their sister restaurant Twirl Pasta Bar. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
As the Pavlova (RM18) is sensitive to humidity, it’s prepared by batches to ensure it’s at tiptop condition.
Usually by 12.30pm to 12.45pm, the first batch of these meringue desserts will make their first appearance.
The shell is piped in a circle that breaks apart for a light airy bite.
The texture is textbook perfect — not chewy but crunchy — fluffy with a restrained sweetness.
Inside the shell, is a mound of whipped cream topped with just ripe fresh mangoes and a smidgeon of passion fruit, dotted with mint leaves and a tiny sliver of lime.
The mainstay is this mango-passionfruit flavour but depending on availability, it can be swapped with other types of fruits like berries.
With each bite of the pavlova, we can understand why someone would “bang the table” for this dessert.
Eventually we walked off with two more pavlovas to satisfy our cravings.
Tiny tiramisu packed with boozy Myers rum and layers of mascarpone and sponge makes a nice after-meal treat. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
Tiramisu (RM15) is served in tiny cups, the kind you get at parties where you get a small bite of the Italian dessert.
It’s a boozy version, redolent with a rich, dark Jamaican rum with deep caramel, spices, chocolate and fruit flavours mingling with the smokiness, making it one of the better versions found in town.
There are two types of cakes here, one is the Ondeh Ondeh Cake and the one we tried, the Carrot Cake (RM15).
Carrot cake is moist and lighter on cinnamon, making it easy to like with a generous layer of cream cheese frosting. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
The cake crumb is fine and moist with a light cinnamon flavour making it palatable to all, including those who ain’t a fan of the warm spice.
It’s generously layered with cream cheese frosting too, balancing the cake well.
Newly launched for the festive season, there are various cookies for sale like the Raspberry Butter Cookies (RM38 per box) and Matcha Sable with a chequerboard shape.
Cookies like this Raspberry Butter Cookies are available for gifting during this festive season. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
The butter cookie reminds us of those found in that famous blue Danish butter cookies tin, marked with a dot of red raspberry jam,
Believe me, it’s a taste you will find hard to resist and may keep eating until the whole box is empty.
As you wait for your desserts, there are multiple savoury choices from pan mee, claypot chicken rice or even pasta around you.
Carbonara pasta and various pasta dishes can be ordered at Twirl Pasta Bar. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
Nude Bakery
Foodie Foodie @Kuchai
Lot 4451, Jalan Kuchai Lama,
Kuchai Business Centre, Kuala Lumpur
Open: 12pm to 11pm
Instagram: @nudebakery_kl
* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
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