Koko Café & Patisserie is a Japanese-themed café offering a range of Japanese pastries, cakes, and specialty drinks, priced from $4.
The highlight of Koko is its pastries, which are all handmade daily by a pâtissier from Japan. The choux puffs come with fillings like the standard custard cream ($4), dark chocolate ($5), and matcha custard ($5), and are all freshly piped to order. There’s also the ‘choux puff of the day’ with a surprise filling – simply ask the staff for that day’s special.
While most of the doughnuts are sweet, those after something savoury can get the curry doughnut ($5) – a Japanese version of a curry puff, if you will. This is the only savoury item on the menu, featuring Japanese chicken curry and a special pumpkin dough that’s breaded and then deep-fried. It doesn’t contain cheese like the viral curry buns from Giraffa, but it’s equally tasty nonetheless.
There’s also a selection of premium desserts on the menu which come at a slightly higher price. The Okinawan Rum Chocolate Sand ($8) and apricot almond mousse ($9) are delicately presented and make for pretty photographs, but don’t stand out particularly in terms of taste. The strawberry shortcake ($10), though simple and delicious, is also on the pricey end.
The Yam Mont Blanc ($7), however, is a pleasant surprise, featuring a towering swirl of yam paste balanced atop a crispy meringue base. Those familiar with the Teochew dessert orh nee might find some similarities here, though a big difference is that this one contains mixed berry purée in the middle for a burst of zest that cuts through the richness.
The beverage menu at Koko is impressively wide, with a total of 17 types of coffee and coffee-infused drinks (from $5), seven types of tea (from $6), and five non-caffeinated options (from $6.50). For something colourful and out of the ordinary, try the rose matcha ($8.50) or the blue pea caramel latte ($7). The former is topped with a rose foam that has a subtle, delicate flavour, and is meant to be sipped directly from the cup like a macchiato.