Kohi-Koji - Nice Cakes

Closed

Emporium Shokuhin: an assemble of various dining concepts, it would not be complete without a cafe for patrons to chill out after meals, right? Enter Kohi-Koji, an open-concept cafe that specializes in coffee, cakes and sandwiches.

The place looks more like a mini square in Emporium Shokuhin, located between two escalators. A little counter displaying pretty cakes and delicious looking, and sometimes unique, sandwiches, and some light beige furniture, and there you have it, a small, quaint cafe. I do feel that this is more for a quick bite, rather than a place for long tea break.

The dessert, Mixed Berries Strawberry Champagne Verrine, it looks very pretty. But does it taste as good as it looks? The answer is yes, if there is an appreciation for the amalgam of different flavours. Since this dessert is created with real strawberries, from the sauce to the custard, it is bursting with the goodness, meaning the aroma … and tart taste, of fresh strawberries.

When I first saw the sauce lacing the top of the pink custard, I did feel a slight bit of apprehension because for one, I dislike the smell and taste of preserved fruits, and most sauces have the smell and taste of preserved fruits. Also, I did wonder if the sauce was made with artificial strawberry flavour, which I hate. But all my worries were dispelled the moment I tucked into it. The sauce simply smells and tastes like fresh strawberries. The cute dollop of cream perched on the top is very fragrant, so much that when I took off the lid, I immediately caught a whiff of the aroma of vanilla cream. Eat the cream with the custard, the combination of sweetness and sourness worked so well that it is hard to stop at few mouthfuls. And they taste great with the fruits also. The champagne sauce is placed at the bottom of the verrine, and a swig of this adds a touch of indulgence and dimension to the taste of the cream and custard. So try to scoop up the dessert from the bottom to get to the champagne. The best part is this dessert is only $4.80. Kind of unbelievable though I am totally digging it.

The cakes are also good, no doubt about it. The cream used is light yet substantial enough to impart that blissful tummy-filling feeling, which is just what I need to complete a meal. The sponge is moist, soft and fluffy. What I like most about the rainbow cake is the lemon flavour infused into the cream, making it a more exciting cake than most of the other rainbow cakes. With the extra zest, the cream tastes a bit like lighter version of cream cheese, with the aroma of lemon. What is more, there is generous amount of cream added into the cake due to six layers of cake sponges. And I love the bright pastel colours.

And here is another good news for cake lovers: since the cafe closes at 8:30pm, the cakes are sold at 30% discount after 8:30pm. There is no reason not to grab them after dinner at Marina Square. I am doing just that already.

My Thoughts: Nice!

This cafe is currently not in operation.