Remembered how I clearly loved their choux puff when they had first launched them at The Cathay — the crisp crust and generous portion of flavoured cream within was quite the winning formula for me; one that reminded me of the cream puffs that now-defunct 52 Sandwich Shack used to churn out. That being said, the latest revamp to their choux puff line-up wasn’t quite the thing I was excited with especially having had their latest seasonal flavour — Sakura Choux Puff.

While some may find the choux puff pretty as compared to the more basic aesthetic that they used to carry before the revamp, I felt that it was a little amateur-ish; perhaps something more accustomed towards younger audiences with embellishments that was not particularly up to my taste, and with elements that seemingly distract the flavour profile of the choux puff. Case in point, the choux puff comes with a white chocolate ganache glazed over the top; the light hue of pink probably hints at some form of infusion of Sakura, though flavour-wise, I am not too sure. The sweetness of the white chocolate ganache was a little stark when compared against the thick, dense and rich cream within — personally felt that it was a little too thick and slightly stiffened, though there are probably some who likes it this way; the flavours being rather flat tasting more heavily of its milk base. Felt that they kinda lost the flair that their choux puffs have had in their choux pastry when they first started out — whilst the pastry was not as dry and limp as how it was when I had their Christmas seasonal choux puff, it was still far from the crusty pastry with a soft interior like the Kurogoma Choux Puff that I have had when they first released the choux puff line-up.

It could be the wrong flavour of choice (what is Sakura supposed to taste like anyway?), but there are other choux puffs that stayed consistently good over the course of time — take the Choux a la Crème from Pantler, and Baristart Coffee’s renditions as an example. It’s just regrettable how Matchaya’s rendition fell so short of what it used to be; felt that it started off pretty well, and that its a pity what it has become ...

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