Social media has been pretty hot about the news of Cafe Kitsune which has been reported to be opening at Capitol Singapore some time back. For those who are unfamiliar with Cafe Kitsune, the cafe was originated from Paris, France; it is also a brand that was being brought by Maison Kitsune, and is first established in 2002. With its expansion to several locations in Asia, their very first outlet in Singapore is slated to officially launch in December 2022, but has since had its soft opening in late November 2022. Taking over the former premises of the now-defunct Flor Patisserie outlet in Capitol, Cafe Kitsune takes up a shop space on the ground floor which is situated around the same area where Wu Pao Chun Bakery, So Good Char Chaan Tentg and Dyson are located within the complex. Decked in a wooden facade, the interior of shop space carried a minimalistic design language that features quite a bit of natural elements — think wooden furniture and fittings alongside concrete pillars, flanked with chairs with rattan accents and plenty of greenery for a look that is close to nature. In order to entice patrons passing by Cafe Kitsune, the display case storing the various cakes and pastries are strategically positioned to face the shopping aisle despite the ordering counter being located within the cafe facing the dine-in area. For those looking for savoury items, Cafe Kitsune does serve up a limited variety of quiches and sandos; the menu at Cafe Kitsune does have a stronger emphasis on breads, pastries and tarts however. For beverages, Cafe Kitsune serves up a espresso-based coffees, as well as an entire range of hot and cold drinks that includes Matcha / Houjicha, Sesame / Chai Latte and Earl Grey Dark Chocolate — just to name a few.

One of the items that really piqued our interest whilst glancing through the menu at Cafe Kitsune would be their Chili Chocolate Tart — whilst this combination of elements is not unheard of, the said combination is still a rather rare find around these days. The tart looks pretty much like any small, circular tart that one would come across at pastry / dessert shops these days with a chocolate filling and dried chilli flakes being sprinkled over the top. Slicing the tart using a knife, the tart breaks off rather neatly without the base shattering into a crumbly mess; the tart base is suitably firm and holds up the chocolate filling pretty well — the chocolate filling being more of a ganache that is smooth and bittersweet whilst being spiked with dried chilli flakes over the top and in between as well. The addition of the dried chilli flakes adds that hint of spiciness that tickles the tastebuds given how the initially chocolatey flavours slowly gets towards a light fiery kick that gradually intensifies as one gets on further with the Chilli Chocolate Tart. The only qualm we have had with the Chilli Chocolate Tart is how the combination of the chocolate and the spiciness does seem to cause a little bit of dryness to the throat after a while — definitely best to have a drink on the side to accompany the tart.

Given all the social media hype around Cafe Kitsune and its opening in Singapore, Cafe Kitsune does seem to live to all the hype pretty well considering the quality of the items that they have — the Egg Sando being an item that does really well as a savoury item on its own; Instagram-worthy with its Hanjuku Tamago that features a molten egg yolk which sits in the middle of the Sando, while the Melon Pan that we have had carries an interesting floral note that gave it an interesting dimension of flavours that we would not have usually found in the Melon Pan of other establishments. The beverages were also well-executed; the Flat White which we have had was smooth & creamy — carries a fruity body and works well as a mid-day perk me up to be paired with the bakes and pastries here. Prices of the Sando are pretty reasonable at $13 to $15 depending on the item ordered, though the more intricate cakes and pastries are priced at $11 to $13 which can be a little pricey to some. Still, we do think that Cafe Kitsune is a spot that is worthy of checking out at least once — they do execute their bakes pretty well and we have had a generally pleasant experience during our visit; the staff being polite and also actively gathering feedback from their patrons when they can. We may likely drop by again to check out the other bakes that they have to offer if we are in the area.