Tapu Tart (KSL City Mall)

Tapu Tart is an establishment that we had stumbled upon when going around the outside of KSL City Mall during our trip to Johor Bahru not too long ago — located outside the mall near the taxi stand where the outlet of FamilyMart is also at, it might be a little bit difficult for one to locate Tapu Tart for those whom are not paying attention to the various food kiosks around the stalls retailing fresh fruits and durian in the area. Decked in a shade of turquoise/ light blue against yellow and white, we had also only paid attention to Tapu Tarts only upon seeing the lighted-up silhouette of an egg tart that is on the facade of the stall. Considering the space that the stall takes up, one can say that Tapu Tart is a stall that is intended for takeaway sales rather than for dine-in operations. Many might have raved about the egg tarts that Oriental Kopi serves up, and Tapu Tart’s core offerings would be the same style of Egg Tarts — whilst Oriental Kopi only serves them in a single flavour, Tapu Tart does serve their egg tarts in various different flavours; these would include flavours such as the Musang King Tart, Cheesy Tart and Pandan Kaya Tart. Curious on how their egg tarts would be like when compared against to that of Oriental Kopi’s, we found ourselves going for two (2) different flavours of Tapu Tart’s egg tarts — one being the Original Tapu Tart, and the other being the Yam Tart.

The Yam Tart here might sound as though it does not come with an element of egg due to its namesake; that being said, all of Tapu Tart’s offerings does come with egg curd just like what one would expect out of a normal egg tart. The Yam Tart comes with a layer of yam paste piped over the top of the egg curd; also come with cubes of yam that adorns the yam paste. As we took a bite into the Yam Tart, it was evident that the Yam Tart carried quite a noticeable hint of earthiness from the Yam in the Yam mousse as well as the cubes of Yam over the top; the cubes of yam providing a soft bite while the mousse itself carried a smooth and consistent grainy texture almost akin to that of mashed potatoes. Considering so, the flavours of the egg curd does feel slightly overwhelmed by the Yam elements — though this might have also helped to balance some of the sweetness from the egg curd. The texture of the pastry of the egg tart is light and flaky, though holds itself well without being particularly greasy — quite well made in our opinion. When it came to the Original Tapu Tart, the egg curd does seem to carry the look typical to that of a Portuguese Egg Tart; the egg curd coming with a caramelised look that carried a sweetness that was more Creme Brulee-like on top of its egginess. The egg curd was also smooth and moist, with the consistency of the pastry remaining the same as the Yam Tart and holds up the elements above it very well. With the tarts priced from RM4.50 to RM6.50 each depending on the flavour, Tapu Tarts do present themselves as a decent option for egg tarts in such a style for those visiting KSL City Mall over the weekend.