KEN HUNTS FOOD: Caffe Bene @ Gurney Paragon Mall, Penang.

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Caffe Bene @ Gurney Paragon Mall, Penang.

The wait is over as the famous Korean dessert specialist- Caffe Bene has finally opened its doors to the public on 29th of August in Gurney Paragon Mall Penang. Caffe Bene had fans licking their lips for anticipation everyday (since its opening), evidently seen from the relentless queue right outside the cafe. Their menu is rather straight forward, they have three signature desserts- Bingsu (Korean Shaved Ice), Waffles and Bread/ Toast; full menu can be found on their website. Though the Bingsu and Waffle were not mind-blowing, we thought they can be comforting especially on a sultry-hot day. However, I am not sure if I am willing to queue for half an hour just to have a bowl of shaved ice.

Caffe Bene is located on Ground Floor of Gurney Paragon Mall, right beside Edo Ramen and a stone's throw distance away from H&M and Lacoste.

Caffe Bene's famous Pat Bingsu (Rm 12.80- Small/ Rm 22.80- Large) which comes with some Peanut Powder, Hazelnuts, Almond Flakes, sweet Red Bean Paste and a piece of Tteok (Sweet Rice Cake or Korean Mochi). The ice was coarsely shaved, it was somewhat out of our expectation as we were expecting a smoother texture. It has a mellow Milky flavor, the shaved ice barely registered any sweetness. The dessert derives the sweetness from the Red Bean Paste and according to the waiter, diners should mix all ingredients together before enjoying the dessert. The Rice Cake, on the other hand, was hard to the bite and too chewy to our liking. Sharing is recommended if you are trying the dessert for novelty sake.

We prefer Green Tea Bingsu (Rm 12.80-Small/ Rm 22.80- Large) over the previous variant. The Green Tea flavor was more intense as compared to Pat and the extra scoop of Green Tea Ice Cream stood out. We enjoyed the generous amount of Almond flakes and Hazelnuts for the nutty flavor and texture too. Also, Green Tea and Red Bean make a better team don't them?

Tiramisu Waffle (Rm 15) shared the same quality and characteristics as the Belgium Waffle I had in Tokyo. It was soft in the middle with crispy-hard edges. The Waffle itself was not sweet but the Tiramisu Ice Cream added a sleek of sweetness to the Waffle. It was a pity that the Waffle was not served hot, the contrast in temperature would have made the flavor stood out. It was decent but I am not sure if I am paying Rm 15+ for a small piece of Waffle and Ice Cream again though.