dotty's pastries & coffee, ttdi

it felt like i opened the french doors to a cafe in london.


the pastries on display behind the glass window on the marble counter top flirted with me with its buttery flaky layers. i divided my attention between the whole breads on the shelves, with its name and price handwritten on brown tags to the detailing of the different spanish tiles on the kitchen wall that eventually phased into white ones. i stared quizzically at the bare cake stand that was labeled with "salted egg yolk cronut" - dotty's best seller and signature invention. 

streams of the morning light streamed through the large glass panes into the petite cafe with french inspired monochromatic floors filled with high table and chairs. a few tables were aligned against the brightly colored, cushioned bench that spanned against the royal blue walls.



we were seated at one of the tiny high table for two very close to the open kitchen at a spot away from main dining space. it almost felt we were sent for detention. i didn't understand dotty's preference for the high tables and without bag hooks, it meant bags had to go on the ground since there was just no space to spare on my petite high chair.



the open kitchen is where the cronut baking magic happens. bakers were hard at work carving out donut shaped pieces from thick sheets of pastries while another was frying them in hot oil.

"when will the cronuts be ready?" i queried the waitstaff.
"it should be ready at about 11am" 

that meant an hour and a half wait.

"we bake more than a hundred pieces so you don't have to worry about it running out. we will send one to you once it's ready" the waitstaff smiled when asked if i could reserve a coveted one when it got out of the kitchen.



and i thought in the meantime, why not coffee and other pastries before the main event? i opened the leather bound menu for brunch and sandwich options only to pick out coffee and to share two of the tempting pastries that probably had our names on them as soon as we stepped foot into the cafe.



specialty drinks :: mocha (rm 11)


a huge mug of mocha with dotty's emblazoned upon the coffee art made it to the table. the chocolate tipped the scales in its favor vs the faint coffee bitter notes with a strong milky finish. a decent cup of mocha but would have preferred a stronger chocolate-coffee combo against the milk.

off the shelf :: salmon & zucchini quiche (rm 12)



zucchini ribbons swirled in the golden egg custard, speckled with pieces of smoked salmon that filled out the lightly browned but slightly dense tart shell. the egg custard was soft but begged for some seasoning in bites where the smoked salmon was missing in action. an addition of a fresh herb could have brought that something special.

off the shelf :: butter croissant (rm 5)


breaking into the golden crispy crescent shaped revealed flaky layers but not without leaving a buttery trail on my fingers. the shell flaked into crumbs as i picked up my half and admired the honeycomb insides but with a slight chewiness. however, it felt like the butteriness piled with every bite that it got too greasy/rich. it came with a side of softened butter but tasted like margarine - firstly, don't need it; secondly, margarine is a no-no with croissants.

off the shelf :: salted egg yolk cronut (rm 11)


cronut.
the genius invention dominique ansel that makes doughnut - croissant fans rejoice in glee.
this hybrid pastry wears layers like a croissant but is fried like a doughnut.

this was my first. and i was excited.


wearing a crown of golden glaze jeweled with sprinkles of salt, the doughnut shaped pastry had distinct layers as it would a croissant; it glistened slightly from the grease on layers. as i cut into the cronut, the golden lava oozed out generously. the thick custard was buttery rich with a more prominent sweet profile over salty but was disappointed by the weak flavors of the salted yolk richness. combine the two and there you have it: a richness overload that pushed my tastebuds to wave a white flag.


the greasiness from all the pastries finally caught up to me, prompting me to stop after my second bite. it was odd that it was so rich that i was craving for good ol' chinese food after that.

while that was my observation, i also have friends who loved the richness and the concepts it believes in - salted egg yolk. in fact, while we were there, a group of six diners grabbed one cronut each while my dining companion and i managed only half.

perhaps it is still best to try this coveted pastry for yourself to see which camp you belong to.

tldr // dotty's pastries & coffee is a european inspired petite cafe that churns out rich, buttery classics and a few interesting creations such as salted egg yolk cronuts that you may either love or hate but you'd have to try it out yourself. coffee was more milky than it was coffee strong.