Review: Tokyo Pastry @ Avenue-K

Overall comment: Pretty delightful desserts! Whimsical-like cakes, crepes & more to end (or even begin!) your meal on a positive tone ;) They've just started serving main courses as well, so they're still in the process of improvement & adjustments to ensure that their entire menu gets thumbs-up.
Halal: Pork-free, alcohol-free

Tokyo Pastry is no stranger in the dessert playground. The decor of Tokyo Pastry outlets feature an European touch from the era of the Meiji Restoration, when Japan promotes the study, culture and habits of the Western society. Such style has been popularize across many bakeries in Japan. Walking into such bakeries makes me feel comfortable & "at home" although my house is certainly not decorated with such 'woody' feel! :D

Exterior of the Avenue-K outlet

There are currently 2 outlets in Klang Valley i.e. one in Kota Damansara & another in Avenue-K, Jalan Ampang. It was indeed a privilege to taste & provide feedback on the items on the menu served to us on that day at the Avenue-K outlet :) Big thank you to NomsterAd + Tokyo Pastry for the opportunity!

Here's what we tasted that day. I'm gonna start from drinks to dessert to the mains as this pastry house is certainly more recommended for their desserts than their mains ;)

Cucumber Latte (RM9.00/cup)
Surprised by what you've just read? *cucumber??* I was very surprised as well & was very curious on how this actually tasted. It was a pleasant surprise to discover that the cucumber flavor didn't over-power nor cause the simple coffee-latte to taste strange. It wasn't too 'green'; subtle, but evident - plus the latte was pretty smooth. I'm no coffee connoisseur, so I can't provide extensive, constructive criticism on this :P

Ice-Blended Matcha (RM10.00/glass)

For those who love the taste of green tea, you would probably prefer this to the cucumber latte. The ice-blended was unfortunately slightly 'thin' (I was expecting a smoothie/shake-like texture + loads of finely crushed ice) & lacks sweetness. I would prefer it to have more milk, green tea, a tad more sugar syrup & crushed ice ;) Yes, this is coming from someone who doesn't like sweet stuff!

Rose with French Vanilla Tea (RM6.00/cup)

I actually love the smell of roses, but having a strong smell & taste of roses + french vanilla in a hot cup of English tea felt over-powering & somewhat artificial. The 1st whiff reminded me of 'Lovely Lace'. As the smell grew more pungent, I was reminded of my dad's car's Ambi-pur air freshener & was trying VERY hard not to consider the same fragrance that I also remember smelling in public washrooms...ergh. I love roses, but this one felt a little too weird. Tokyo Pastry, it's certainly not your fault. Dilmah has some homework to do...hahaha...

Ice-Blended Oreo (RM10.00/glass)

Among all the 4 drinks served to us that day, this was probably the most pleasing to the palette. It's nothing very fanciful & a rather familiar taste, but at least it tasted 'right'. Just like the ice-blended matcha, this Oreo variant could do with more milk, Oreos & crushed ice as well.

Dessert: Choko Brownie (RM13.00/serving)

Brownie studded with walnuts & crowned with ice-cream & hot fudge

This was the best among the desserts served for our tasting session. We really enjoyed the warm & moist cake, hot fudge, & the chill of the vanilla ice-cream. It wasn't overly sweet & cloying :)

Dessert: Matcha Red Bean Crepe (RM13.00/serving)

This was our next favorite! I especially love the chewy mochi pieces (those pink, green & white colored cubes) accompanying the cool matcha ice-cream, soft-boiled red beans & the fragrant crepe. The crepe could be further improved as I think it could still be slightly 'thinner'. It's overall a 'fun' dessert to enjoy!

Dessert: Yamaimo (RM8.50/serving)

Personally, this was my favorite. I was really surprised at my preference as I'm not a huge fan of yam! The 1st impression I had was "ooo...so cute...like a mop!" Hahaha. The rest of the bloggers stared at me with eyes wide opened..."Like a what....?? Mop..?? Could you like give a better description?" :P

Basically, what I REALLY appreciate about this Yamaimo is that the 'strands' + cream between the layers of cake aren't "yam-flavored cream" but are ACTUAL mashed yam! I LOVE the authenticity! *thumbs up* Lovely mix of texture; the smooth mashed yam + the cool, moist white cake. Yums!

Dessert: Oreo Mille Crepe (RM10.90/slice)
The mille crepe fell short of flavor. It needed more Oreos in the cream itself instead of just having cream between the layers of crepe with crushed Oreos as a topping.

Dessert: Mini Macaron Cake - Strawberry (RM10.90/serving)

The mini macaron cake is a pretty sight, no doubt. Flavor wise, it could be improved. The macaron was slightly dry & 'wafer-y'. It didn't have a distinctive strawberry taste as well unlike macarons from say TWG (I haven't tasted many macarons to make a good comparison). The chocolate & vanilla cream was quite nice, but the overall experience of the mini macaron cake would be much nicer if the macaron is actually slightly chewy & soft on the inside.

You've seen some of the desserts available, but do you know that Tokyo Pastry now serves mains & appetizers as well? Ahah. Tokyo Pastry is coming up with a "complete" menu to offer their dessert-lovers a proper meal before indulging into the delicious desserts!

Appetizer: Hearty Mushroom Soup (RM10.00/serving)

Fresh mushrooms cooked to perfection with porcini oil. Taste the aromatic mushroom goodness in every sip.

I felt that the soup could be thicker & more creamy, but it's not too bad for a mushroom soup. The porcini oil actually elevated the simple mushroom soup's taste & fragrance to the next level.

Appetizer: Salmon Chowder (RM10.00/serving)

Satisfy your craving for the ocean with this rich creamy soup of salmon complemented with carrots and celery.

I didn't really fancy this version of the salmon chowder. Somehow a "chowder" to me should be more 'chunky' & 'rich', but this one was slightly watered down. The chefs fried the salmon first, so the soup was slightly more "fishy". There were bits of fried salmon in the soup, but I would much prefer to have flakes/chunks (cubes) of salmon flesh itself, just like how it's served at the Utara Coffee House in Armada Hotel. The cream of salmon there is really commendable although it's double the price!

Appetizer: Salmon Salad (RM15.00/serving)

Luscious graviax salmon with refreshing mango lime salsa

I must say that the mango lime salsa was quite refreshing & make this dish a good appetizer. However, because the salad is served with smoked salmon instead of fresh salmon slices, the salmon slices were on the savoury side, which caused an imbalance of flavours in the simple salad. Kinda expensive too for such a small portion...haha.

Main: Japanese Curry Chicken Burger (RM15.00/serving)

Grilled chicken in Japanese curry sauce on charcoal bun
The chicken certainly needs more flavor/marination. The simple trick = salt & pepper! The Japanese curry wasn't evident enough as well, so there's still much space for improvement for this burger ;)

Main: Pan-Seared Chicken (RM19.00/serving)

Seared chicken with truffle sauce served with herbed roasted potatoes

Much to our surprise, this simple pan-seared chicken was actually the best among all the mains served for our tasting session! The part of this dish that made this dish a champ was actually the sauce/gravy. It was a well-balanced taste of sweet & savory, plus it has the fragrance of the truffles. Well done, Tokyo Pastry!

Main: Kikkoman Salmon (RM23.00/serving)

Pan-seared salmon glazed with Kikkoman sauce

I'm rather particular when it comes to salmon. I love my pan-seared salmon to have a nice, crispy skin with juicy/moist flesh of the salmon beneath the crisp. This was somewhat overdone as the fish was dry. The Kikkoman soy sauce gravy didn't really help as it's a savory sauce that could over-power the originality of the salmon.

Main: Prawn & Baby Octopus Spaghetti (RM19.00/serving)

Fresh sauteed prawns & baby octopus in tomato-basil sauce
Hmm...I found this a tad too sweet for my liking although I really appreciated the evident presence of fresh basil in the tomato-based sauce. No complains for the prawns & baby octopus. I just feel that salt could balance up the dish more than sugar.

Main: Mushroom & Garden Spaghetti (RM15.00/serving)

Assorted mushrooms spaghetti served in miso broth
This is one vegetarian dish. As a big fan of mushrooms, I was delighted to have this dish served in our tasting menu. Having said that, I was actually quite disappointed that the pasta sauce was more 'soupy' than 'saucy' :( It felt like a boiled spaghetti in miso-mushroom soup. I certainly feel that the sauce could be thickened & the pasta could be more al dante ;) The mushrooms were still a delightful helping to have in this dish...haha...

After tasting the variety of drinks, desserts, appetizers & mains, I would still say that Tokyo Pastry is living up to its name as a pastry house. Given more time, hard-work & passion, Tokyo Pastry could be the next place for a complete & scrumptious meal - a place where the young & old would want to hang-out for good ambiance, delicious food & comforting/refreshing drinks.


Avenue K OutletM-20 & SAC-M-1, Mezzanine Level, Avenue K
Jalan Ampang
50450 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia.
Tel: (+603) 2181 7660
URL: Tokyo Pastry
FB: https://www.facebook.com/TokyoPastry/

Kota Damansara Outlet
2A-1, Jalan PJU 5/9
Dataran Sunway
Kota Damansara
47810 Petaling Jaya
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Malaysia.
Tel: (+603) 6151 2896


Ratings:
Presentation: * * * *
Price: * * *
Environment: * * * 1/2
Taste: * * *
Service: * * *

Overall:






Still thinking of the 'cute' Yamaimo,