The Season of Durians – Kafe Happy Meal

Durians…the notoriously odiferous famed fruit…

You either love them or hate them with gusto…

And being one of those who absolutely adores them, I’m always on look-out for new ways to satisfy my cravings and Kafe Happy Meal with its infamous durian inspired offerings has been on my radar for a while.
Problem is, I have read blog posts on how their durian puffs fly off the shelves, how long the queue is, how you must be early or it’s all sold out for the day and their opening hours plus the location at the notoriously jammed area of PUDU doesn’t make a trip after work a wise option.
The fact that they are close on Sundays didn’t help.

But hard core foodies are not easily deterred no?

So here we are, at the ungodly hour of 7am on a Saturday morning, literally perching over the counter at the shop itself, peering around at the little “cafe” & eyeing the production table.

I was smugly pleased with myself, thinking “Ahh.. so early, sure can get fresh batch of durian puffs! No way it can be sold out!” only to be disappointed with the lady boss waving us away “No no…busy today..i haven’t start making them!”

Aggkkk??!! Almost frantic, I was close to having a fit as I gasped “Aunty ahh..what time will have??”

“10am. Come back then!”
“I working! Cannotttt…”

“After work laaa..”
“*gulps* I only finish work at 1pm…”
“Can can..I keep for you..come and get it then..”

Holy mother of God..me back to Pudu at 1pm??
Traffic traffic traffic…OR…Durians durians durians????

The cafe’s products are no-frills & simple. No fancy icing (thank god, cos I find them frivolous & makes the end product pricier and eating them messier ;p ) and their cake are displayed in slabs, cut into slices selling for RM1 (butter cake) to RM1.30 (aromatic durian butter cake). Other choices includes the quintessential old favs of sugee cake, chocolate cake to the interesting combination of Poppy Seed & Peach Cake (instead of the customary Orange & Poppy Seed version). All very affordable & delicious!

The durian butter cake? Yes, yes… globs of actual durian pulp inside renders every bite of this moist buttery slice of durian creation a delight, albeit a little oily.

The Durian Tart (RM2.50) looks really promising as I split the tart into half for the photoshoot.
Thick mash of lumpy durian paste was enough to make my legs weak but the taste was definitely not what I expected.
Encased in a crumbly crust, the makeup was more custard like, & according to WC, tasted like the Malay dessert called lempok.

The Durian Swiss Roll was quite ordinary to me as the only portion that has any trace of durians was the cream, and the taste is very mild. They do a mango version as well but I didn’t try that as I was all focused on the durian ones.

Other tarts include egg for (RM1), coconut (RM1.80), almond (RM2.50), cream cheese (RM2.50), pineapple cheese (another interesting creation!) and the standard red bean & pandan lotus.
If you are a fan of variety, the mix bean which is a yin-yang fusion of red bean paste and pandan lotus is a must try!

They start baking very early in the morning and while I was there, a constant stream of customer popped by and picked up egg, tuna or chicken sandwiches & the freshly baked pastries. I watched the kitchen as they expertly mold, shape and fill the tarts with the necessary fillings before trays of them were slotted into the big ovens for baking. The aroma of piping hot pastries was enough to induce one to buy more than necessary! Do note though that the pastries are best eaten the day it was bought, especially the durians one.

The bakery is open daily except Sundays.
However, do not expect to order a drink and sit down at the premises for a meal. There is no seating & it is more of a buy & go outlet.

KAFE HAPPY MEAL
143 Jalan Tun H.S. Lee, Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2072-6080

desserts, KL, light bites