Ipoh white espresso, cham & bandung-flavoured candy treats

In the midst of town of Puchong sits Cham Dessert Cafe, a peaceful and cosy cafe with brick partitions and a neon signal. You may not discover this cafe until you’re actively searching for it; the minimalist exterior blends in with the retailers beside it. 

Cham Dessert Cafe began off as a humble meals truck that will make appearances at native occasions and bazaars, and so they primarily offered bottled drinks like sirap bandung and Ipoh white espresso. Even again then, crowds would flock to their truck for a sip of some wealthy and comforting espresso.

In Jan 2023, Cham levelled up and opened its first bodily retailer. Now, they promote extra than simply pre-packaged drinks. This cafe specialises in desserts infused with native flavours like Ipoh white espresso, cham, Hainan milk tea, sirap bandung, and Sarawakian gula apong. When I arrived on a weekday evening, the store was empty other than a pair of buddies within the nook. The ambiance was relaxed, as a restaurant ought to be.

What I attempted at Cham Dessert Cafe

The first merchandise that caught my eye was the Southeast Rose Cordial Kakigori (RM13). In native phrases, sirap bandung shaved ice. This dessert was piled excessive in a metal cocktail bowl, drenched in fragrant rose cordial, and topped with a fluffy rose-flavoured cream. They additionally added small cubes of toast on the sides and sprinkled the icy dessert with almond flakes and small items of dried rose. On the facet, there was one other small cup of bandung so that you can pour over. 

By the time I used to be achieved taking footage and movies, the kakigori had already began melting and dripping down the edges of the bowl, so be fast!

Shaved iced desserts are inclined to have bald spots— by that I imply some areas of ice don’t get sufficient of the syrup that provides the deal with its flavour. This kakigori, nevertheless, was completely balanced. Every mouthful was aromatic, crammed with candy rose cordial. The cream added a easy creaminess to every chew with out being too heavy or wealthy as a result of its ethereal texture.

To be sincere, though visually interesting, the toast items didn’t do a lot. They simply soaked up the melted ice and turned partially soggy. It wasn’t dangerous by any means, however the dessert might do with out it. 

With the facet of bandung and cream on prime, you would possibly assume that this is able to be too candy, nevertheless it wasn’t. Even after a lot of the ice had melted, it nonetheless had the right quantity of sweetness. 

As I reached the underside, I realised that the occasion didn’t cease there. Surprise! The base of the bowl was lined with tapioca balls. I’m unsure if it was as a result of the dessert was so chilly, or if the boba wasn’t ready accurately, however they have been extraordinarily powerful. If that they had been tender and chewy, this little shock would’ve elevated the dessert much more.

The Ipoh White Coffee Gridsticks (RM17) is without doubt one of the cafe’s specialties. According to Cham Dessert Cafe, they’re the primary cafe in Malaysia to supply waffle sticks as a substitute of standard waffles. This dish got here with 5 items of the waffle sticks, Ipoh white espresso tender serve ice-cream, and recent whipped cream.

Firstly, the waffle sticks have been scrumptious— crunchy on the skin and tender on the edges, and so they remained that approach even after being out for some time. Picking these sticks up along with your fingers is certainly quite a bit simpler than sawing via a complete waffle with a knife. That being mentioned, choosing up the ice-cream with the waffle sticks was tough, and I ended up scooping up the tender serve with a spoon. 

The Ipoh white espresso tender serve was the whole lot I might’ve requested for and extra. The espresso flavour was sturdy, it had an excellent quantity of sweetness, and it was wealthy and creamy. What shocked me essentially the most was that it really tasted just like the beloved native drink after I was anticipating it to style like common espresso ice-cream.

The whipped cream was just like the one used within the kakigori: gentle, easy, and an incredible contact to the candy deal with. 

A heat cup of their Coffee Cham (RM5) was the right sign-off. Just like the remainder of their desserts, this drink packed a punch. The cham was thick, easy, and never too candy— everyone knows that “not too sweet” is the best type of praise somebody may give. You know a cafe actually cares about native espresso once they provide 2 forms of cham: espresso cham and tea cham. The former is made with 70% espresso and 30% tea, whereas the latter flips these percentages round. This implies that curious non-coffee drinkers can nonetheless get pleasure from their tea cham.

Final ideas

All in all, the whole lot I attempted was stellar. Cham Dessert Cafe has achieved a terrific job at reimagining native flavours by fusing Malaysia’s consolation drinks with Japanese and Western desserts. One factor that shocked me was the costs of their drinks. Other locations are inclined to mark up their costs, however Cham’s drinks are priced comparatively low in comparison with its cafe counterparts.

I also needs to add that I got here right here with 2 individuals who don’t actually like desserts. After we completed these treats, the each of them positioned particular person orders for two different desserts. I feel that’s sufficient to attest to how good this place is.

If I needed to summarise my emotions in a single sentence: I can’t wait to return to this cafe.

Expected harm: RM13 – RM20 per pax

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