Keong Saik Bakery

The only other place I’ve tried Burnt Cheesecake is at the kins’, but based on my experiences there, the version at Keong Saik Bakery seemed underwhelming. KSB’s version lacked the gooeyness I’d learnt to associate with this trending dessert, and while the middle was slightly softer than the edges, it still wasn’t anywhere near melty texture. Maybe it’s just much harder to be consistent between batches, as I realised that the two separate times I had burnt cheesecake at the kins’ were quite different experiences too.

Pandan is a creative flavour, but didn’t hit it off so well with most of my colleagues. I think that the classic cheesecake flavour would have been better received, but they come out in batches and this was the only one available early in the morning.

I didn’t really get what the fuss was all about initially now i think i do. My first ever taste of the much-talked-about burnt cheesecake, Keong Saik Bakery’s rendition really set the bar. With a firm yet creamy texture, the Original Burnt Cheesecake ($7.50) came with the iconic caramelised burnt top and a somewhat lemony-citrus note. Made with 4 types of cheese, it does get a little jelat towards the end but the zing I detected was a really nice touch and helped to cut the heaviness for me. The cheese flavour was prominent yet well-balanced, and texture wise it was not overly dense too.

Prepared with pandan leaves and coconut cream, their Pandan Burnt Cheesecake ($8) was such a hit. Love that my slice was a little more oozy in the center so it had that nice textural contrast. The flavour of the pandan was pretty strong and the cake was surprisingly savoury. The saltiness was matched harmoniously with the heady fragrance of the leaves. The addition of the coconut cream to the cheeses used also amped up the richness; making it both decadent and satisfying for a coconut lover like myself!

Really worth the money, the cheesecake's texture is so smooth, providing the moistness and "creaminess" of a cheesecake yet remaining light on the palette. Pandan is a smart choice for contributing to the "light-ness", yet giving it aroma. In fact, this is probably the first time i tasted such a texture on any cheesecake. Definitely worth the hype, and their other pastries are very unique too.

Burnt cheesecake cruffin, croissant shaped like a muffin, was overwhelming even as we shared among 3 of us. I enjoyed the flaky pastry exterior, but the oozy cheese filling was too jelak, and what we would have appreciated was to have it warm up since they took it away from us for a good 15 minutes.

Seems like the current hype remains all over basque cheesecake, or better known as burnt cheesecake. As we thought we could get our hands on just a slice at @keongsaikbakery, they proved us wrong at 12pm on a Saturday afternoon and were told that the next batch would be out at 2pm.

By 1.50pm, a long queue was already formed in the packed cafe which originally had minimal walking space. Within half an hour, even with the restriction of 2 slices per flavour per customer, everything was sold out. We finally got a precious slice of the Pandan burnt cheesecake, amidst some unhappiness that was happening. Well, crowd control should really be improved. Supply wise, we do understand that they are really working hard on it.

Unlike the oozy original burnt cheesecake, the Pandan-flavoured cheesecake exudes a floral, grassy aroma of the Pandan leaves while having a thicker consistency, additional creaminess from the coconut cream. Fans of coconut cream, this would be perfect for you, with a hint of sweet nuttiness. Curious to find out what the 4 types of cheese that were used, only to have “secret” as an answer by the staff. Oh well. I would have liked to try the Two-Face, two-in-one with original and matcha, but wasn’t available till later part of the day.