The Kuihmaker

Came across the social media profiles of The Kuihmaker whilst scrolling on the phone the other day — it seems like the stall has been around for quite some time actually, considering how the social media pages were set up some time back in early 2021, and that there were posts on the stall’s soft opening promotion posted back in February 2022. Located at Blk 447 Bukit Batok West Avenue 9, The Kuihmaker is not a spot that is particularly easy to get to — the takeaway stall is reachable via a single bus route away from Jurong East Bus Interchange. Being a takeaway-only establishment, The Kuihmaker does retail their Kuih either in boxes or by individual pieces; the latter allowing patrons to mix and match their desired Kuihs together as a platter that works especially well for those who do not want to commit to an entire box of a single variety. The regular menu at The Kuihmaker comprises of the usual malay-style Kuih that one would typically find elsewhere — think items like the Putri Salat, Lapis Nyonya, Pulut Serunding etc., while there is a section dedicated to Specials such as the Lompang, Talam Suji as well as savoury puffs. Weekends would see The Kuihmaker offering a wider variety of Kuihs — think the Wajid Gula Melaka / Durian, as well as the Koleh-Koleh and Talam Ubi. The Kuihmaker also carries quite a wide variety of bottled brews sourced from 47Beverages — this includes bottled brews such as that of Mocha, Thai Green Tea and Viet Coffee amongst others.

It is noted that the Kuihs at The Kuihmaker are made freshly in-house; a reason as to why we made the trek down to Bukit Batok West just to give it a go. We were quite spoilt for choice upon looking at the wide variety of Kuih that is still available when we made our visit on a late weekend morning; we eventually went for four items; the Kosui, the Puteri Salat, the Puteri Salat Durian and the Lapis Nyonya. Between the Kuihs that we had opted to go for, our favourites would be the Puteri Salats and the Kosui. The folks at The Kuihmaker were pretty conscious about how their Kosui is being served; they have included a packed of desiccated coconut that one can sprinkle onto the Kosui rather than serving it with the desiccated coconut being already on top. The Kosui was all springy and bouncy; it does come with a bit of density but we liked how it features the deep earthiness of Gula Melaka without being particularly sweet; the Kuih also does not stick to the teeth as well – a pretty enjoyable day. The two Puteri Salats that we have had came with pretty different aesthetics — the original Puteri Salat comes with a green pandan -infused mousse on top of the layer of glutinous rice which has been coloured blue, while the Puteri Salat Durian comes with a yellow-coloured durian-infused mousse with white glutinous rice beneath. Both the glutinous rice layers of the Puteri Salat and Puteri Salat Durian came reasonably sticky with a slight savouriness that cuts through the flavours of the mousse atop; both also did not stick to the teeth as well and was pretty easy to have. The pandan-infused mousse of the original Puteri Salat was more akin to have a layer of rich Nyonya kaya spread across the glutinous rice layer; one that whiffs heavily of Pandan fragrance without being overly sweet, while the Puteri Salat Durian’s durian-infused mousse carried a pungent hint of durian akin to that of durian paste — something that may appeal to some durian lovers out there.

In this day and age when commercially-made Kuih are easily obtainable from coffeeshops and market stalls, it is pretty commendable to see establishments such as The Kuihmaker still in existence; one that is dedicated to making their Kuihs from scratch using traditional methods — a craft that not many is willing to take up. The location of which The Kuihmaker is situated does also make business a little tricky for them as well — the location being a little far flung and out of the way for most given the lack of public transport options, with the exception of the residents whom are staying around Bukit Batok West; they were also seemingly the only shop that is open in the cluster when we made our visit to the neighbourhood. Having tried some of their Kuih offerings, we do feel that The Kuihmaker does put out some pretty decent Kuih offerings; most of which we felt were not too sweet and with a great consistency without that nasty aftertaste that some commercially-made Kuih would carry — definitely something which we would not mind having a bit more regularly if we were to reside around the area. The offering of bottled brews from 47Beverages is also a good move, considering how these can be easily sold without preparation unlike hot / cold Kopi and Teh which might be an issue considering how it seems to be a one-man show here. With all of the items priced below $5 (even for the bottled brews) when retailed in an entire takeaway box, The Kuihmaker probably does serve the community around it well being that affordable establishment even with all that labour and dedication going into their offerings — an establishment that is worth supporting if one is around this part of the West side of the island somehow!