Hattendo at The Exchange TRX
Hattendo from Japan has been whipping up delectable Japanese desserts since 1933. Those who have been to their shop will tell you that their Japanese chilled cream buns are the real deal.
They currently have over 30 stores in Japan and several outlets worldwide, including Canada and Singapore. Their new standalone stall in Malaysia, in particular, carries all five flavours of their popular halal cream buns.
As we always have a sweet spot for desserts, we visited the stall at The Exchange TRX in Kuala Lumpur to bring you this review.
Japanese cream buns filled with cold, creamy custard
The Exchange TRX is essentially a mall and a dessert hub. You can count on it for chunky chocolate cookies from England, soft soufflé French toast from Seoul, and recently – the “No.1 Japanese cream buns in Japan” by Hattendo.
Instead of calling it a shop, the term “stall” would be more suitable to describe Hattendo, tucked inside Seibu. There is no seating area, only a counter stocked with their signature chilled cream buns.
But there’s no need for a fancy dining area with Instagrammable ambience – the cream buns take centre stage.
Each palm-sized bun is priced at RM6.90 and available in five different flavours: Original Custard, Matcha, Azuki Beans, Chocolate, and Whipped Cream.
Here’s our verdict
When it comes to cream buns, you don’t ask for a complex flavour profile. It is designed to taste simple yet delicious, which Hattendo’s buns check all the boxes for.
The Original Custard Cream Bun, which we sampled first from Hattendo, was sweet and pleasantly eggy. Not to mention, the cold custard filling was so gooey and smooth that we could slurp it up from the soft bread.
Matcha is an integral part of Japanese fare, so we weren’t surprised to find their Matcha Cream Bun carrying a strong tea taste.
Yet, the cha-bitterness was righteous – it wasn’t too aggressive to make us frown. We finished the entire piece in two bites.
Last but not least: the Azuki Bean Cream Bun. Instead of pure cream, the filling was mixed with unmashed chunks of azuki beans. We found the overall flavour of this cream bun to be a tad sweet – we wished the nutty bean taste could stand out more too.
Halal Japanese cream buns by Hattendo in Malaysia
Pull the bun apart and cream satisfyingly comes oozing out – that was the experience we had at Hattendo with their cream buns. They are quick bites you want to come home to after spending a long day outside.
So while we aren’t fans of cold pizza or bread, the appeal of cold cream buns is irresistible – we figured that out after a visit to Hattendo.
Address: Level Concourse, Seibu, The Exchange TRX, Persiaran TRX, Imbi, 55188 Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur
Opening hours: 10am-10pm, Daily
Contact: Hattendo’s Instagram
Also watch our video feature here:
Photography by: Dennis Kong
Cover image adapted from: The Smart Local Malaysia