KREME

The definition of the saying "less is more". Eclairs are often good because there's enough cream for the puff. Here they Frankenstein-ed it. The cream was so much that every bite squeezed out a mess. I was jelak halfway through.

Double Scoops ($8.50) - Matcha Kit Kat ($1) + Yuzu Sorbet ($1) decided to visit the new cafe + bakery on srn north. I just wanted to try ice cream instead of taking baked goodies + cakes. I felt that matcha kit kat ice cream got "ice" texture and slightly sweet, bitter and nutty aftertaste. I felt that yuzu sorbet got a bit of clump texture but still having sour taste.

Was tipped off about this new cafe that had recently just sprouted up at Blk 154 Serangoon North Avenue 1; named Kreme Cafe, the cafe had seemingly taken over the former premises of Chang Wang Cake Shop — an old school bakery / confectionary that should be pretty recognisable to those who reside in the area. Dedicating half of the space that it occupies for its display shelves, counter and open-air food preparation area, Kreme Cafe looks deceptively like some neighbourhood bakeries when one approaches the shop from a specific angle. That being said, those who see the establishment from another part of the HDB block would likely be able to notice the dine-in seating area — the establishment does have both an outdoor dine-in area as well as an indoor dine-in area; the former being located just outside of shop space occupying the corridor right across the walkway, while the indoor dine-in space features a minimalist design decor with an industrial touch with its use of black plastic chairs and tables with metallic surfaces alongside concrete-esque walls and floors and fittings with marble accents.

Serving up quite a variety of bakes and cakes, we did notice that the offerings at Kreme Cafe was particularly nostalgic; think the likes of Kaya Cake, Egg Tart, Chocolate Ball, Donuts etc. being displayed in the display shelf. This is so for a good reason — Kreme Cafe is being run by the son of the owners of Chang Wang Cake Shop that had previously occupied the space. Other notable offerings include a small variety of French viennoiserie, loaves of bread (think the likes of Baguette and Multigrain loaf), as well as a whole range of gelato that comes in either a cup or cone, or can be paired up with a waffle / Pandan waffle. Kreme Cafe also serves up a small variety of beverages to compliment their bakes — this includes a variety of coffee beverages (think Black, White or Mocha) as well as non-coffee beverages such as Chai and Chocolate.

There is something about cream puffs that had always gotten to us — this would be irregardless of it being choux puffs (i.e. the style that Baristart Coffee serves up), the many variations coming out from Beard Papa, or the type that neighbourhood bakeries would dish out. With such a strong focus in serving up nostalgic bakes, we found ourselves gravitating to giving their Custard Puff a go. On first look, their custard puffs do look pretty near with quite a consistent look across all that was on display. Sinking our teeth into it pretty much sealed the deal for us here; the pastry itself was aptly spongy — the exterior holding up to create a good bite while the interior was airy and light. What we really enjoyed here was how they were simply so generous with the amount of custard cream that is being piped into the pastry — a single bite would get all of that custard cream oozing out of the puff all around the sides; a messy affair that was most certainly welcome here. Usually we are not too into pastry cream that are overly sweet — that being said, we would think that the pastry cream for cream puffs coming out of a local bakery would have to be slightly on the sweeter side to gel well with the puff pastry. The pastry cream here was sweet to the right degree here; all that whilst being velvety smooth and sufficiently dense without being jelat.

Kreme Cafe does somewhat remind us of the story of Kizuna at Potong Pasir — Kizuna is a cafe run by the third generation owners behind the now-defunct Shangri-La Confectionary and Delicatessen that was situated at where Kizuna is currently at; the folks of Kizuna also transforming Shangri-La Confectionery into a modern cafe with nostalgic roots. The same can be said about the relationship that Kreme Cafe shares with Chang Wang Cake Shop — that being said, the transformation of the space can be said as a more modern execution than what Kizuna has achieved. That being said, whilst Kizuna felt more like a progressive establishment with the food menu straying away from its roots, Kreme Cafe does seem to integrate the nostalgia into its menu rather well — the items being served are definitely closer to their roots as compared against Kizuna, and we could definitely see how regular customers of Kreme Cafe could draw that similarity between Kreme Cafe and Chang Wang Cake Shop that would spark off a conversation about their origins. Prices at Kreme Cafe are also considered pretty affordable and would suit the neighbourhood audience well with. Oat falling under $5. It remains interesting to see what sort of audience would Kreme Cafe attract in the long run — though it would be interesting to see if this will spark off a whole wave of traditional bakeries transitioning into dine-in cafes with a nostalgic touch; something which we would certainly not mind!