Satura Cakes

Taking a hint from Reid's post on Ono Kine Grindz, I stopped by Satura Cakes for some afternoon treats with my mom the other day. The patisserie opened their Ward Center location a few months ago, but alas, I had to wait till I came back from college for a visit :)

The interior is spacious and designed in a make-you-feel-so-happy way with colors everywhere and big table in the middle filled with baked glories. I perused through the table decked with financiers in flavors running from coffee to almond and even mango madelines, in mini and normal sizes. The bakery case held fried brioche balls that looked like mini malassadas, mango brioche, croissants both sweet like the chocolate-almond, and savory like the melted cheese and ham. The local Japanese boys behind the counter were very sweet and able to answer my million questions regarding the selection of pastries. I would move my bed in and live here if I could! Free wifi too!

My mom had a cup of coffee which she loved dearly, though mostly for the big huggable mug which she said made her feel very "relaxed." And that made me feel good, cause she hardly ever finds the time to relax!

My Kona Coffee Blancmange ($3.75) was a memorable concoction light and more luscious in texture than the most wobbly rich, hot egg custard tart I've ever had. At the bottom rested a cool pudding like custard that held its own texture but positively melted at the touch of your spoon. The rich, velvety Kona coffee flavor was doubled up with a half-dozen little cubes of clear coffee jelly. A twirl of barely sweetened soft whipped cream on top was a aesthetically pleasing, but otherwise unnecessary addition, the pudding and jelly was already perfect alone.

Well after I finished the Blancmange, my eyes started wandering back to the table bearing mounds of baked treats. There was so much to look at, but my eyes eventually settled on a pack of Salty Chocolate Cookies ($3.75). I'm a sucker for desserts, but am too frequently disappointed by sweets that are too sweet. This probably explains my fondness for Asian sweets, which often border the line of savory. Satura's little nuggets are made from Valhrona cocoa powder, chopped almonds and just enough Himalayan salt to add that special touch. You bite and it's all chocolatey goodness, but not too rich...then, the flavor of the salt slowly sets in, and if you didn't know it was salt before then, you'd go, "hmm what was that..." with a smile on your face, while your mind wanders and slowly drifts into a soft chocolatey nutty heaven.

Satura Cakes
Ward Center
1200 Ala Moana Blvd.
Building 6, Suite 601
Honolulu, Hi 96814
(8080 537-1206

Also located at:
Harbor Court
55 Merchant St. #110
Honolulu, HI 96813