First Look: Kiki Dessert Supplies Ultimo With Delicate, Dainty and “Not Too Sweet” Cakes

Australia is known for its cafe culture: smashed avo, flat whites, Bill Granger. But many of our cafes are purpose-built – designed for you to get in, get out, and close at 3pm. In Korea, cafes and dessert shops stay open late, true third spaces to hang without the pressure of turning over tables. So, in 2019, when Jenna Choo moved to Australia from her native Korea, she found herself missing those exact cafes she used to frequent, where lingering was encouraged and sweet treats were abundant.

“I always had a dream of opening a small dessert cafe, because that’s where I love to go,” Choo says. “It feels like you’re stepping into somebody’s kitchen. I love Australian coffee culture and having brunch, but I miss the dessert cafes in Korea and Japan.”

Choo built what she longed for with Kiki Dessert, which she opened in a small arcade near Central Station just before Christmas. And she’s gradually earning fans for her “not too sweet” treats and Studio Ghibli-inspired interior.

Kiki is a big pivot for Choo. “I trained to be an actor for a long time, but I was obsessed with dessert. When I left Korea, I was, like, ‘Oh you know what, I’m just going to make dessert’.” She did a course in Canberra then worked in kitchens across NSW and ACT, including Black Star Pastry.

On her little menu are cakes, cakes and more cakes. Layered cream cakes studded with gems of fruit, Russian-inspired honey cakes, classic cheesecakes, ultra-light genoise chocolate sponges – all available by the slice or to take away whole. She’s also selling holiday specials. Her Christmas number was an almost-too-cute-to-eat tree-shaped fruit cream cake, and she’s working on a Valentine’s Day cake for two.

There are canelés with rich custardy centres, delicate buttery financiers and extra-zingy lemon madeleines, best enjoyed in-venue, on one of the dainty cake plates in Kiki’s mishmash collection.

Choo’s also serving the Dubai chewy chocolate – kataifi mixed with pistachio paste and white chocolate, then coated in marshmallow and cocoa powder – which has gone viral in Korea. She says they’re so popular in Korea that stores have enforced limits on how many you can purchase.

The drinks list includes matcha clouds – your choice of coconut or strawberry – and matcha lattes, plus house-made colas and strawberry-ades.

The venue’s name (and vibe) is a nod to the Studio Ghibli film Kiki’s Delivery Service. 

“The movie is about her struggle to become independent as an immigrant and a woman. I sometimes have felt very lonely [in Australia] and when I watched that movie, I related to it and got comfort from it. I wanted to give that same comfort to people who come in and have dessert.” 

Kiki Dessert
12/849 George Street, Ultimo

Hours:
Tue to Sat 8am–6pm

kikidessert.com.au
@kikidessert.syd