Review and photography by Phuong Do.
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I have never tasted any dessert quite like the chocolate tiramisù at Satura Cakes. It took me by complete surprise. Anything that looks so chocolaty must be very sweet, I thought, recalling the blueberry cake I could not finish (even with coffee) at Starbucks – or should I say the giant blueberry sugar lump. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth. A bite of the choco tiramisù was an explosion to my taste buds.
The unsweetened cacao powder on top of the tiramisù ($4.50) is the chief source of the powerful flavor. Magic is created when it is combined with the creamy middle layer and the coffee-soaked sponge cake at the bottom. A serving is quite enough for one.
Cakes originated in medieval Europe, and Japan picked it up from Portugal in the 1500s. During the Japanese economic boom several decades ago, a large number of chefs went to France and Italy to study baking techniques. Later on, they altered the formula to the Japanese taste. A new distinct type of cakes emerged. In 2002, Japan won the Coupe de Monde (baking world cup) in Paris.
Satura Cakes serves Japanese-style pastries less saccharine than your typical tooth-rotting snacks. They pledge to bake their cakes from scratch daily, using high-quality ingredients like real butter and milk fat, rather than artificially hydrogenated oil.
The coconut an-nin ($4.50) combines almond coconut gelatin and local fruits to create a refreshingly mild and sweet taste.
The "Salty Chocolate Cookies" ($3.95 for five) are hardly as salty or sweet like the name may suggest. Baked with Hawaiian salt, macadamia nuts, and chocolate, they are dry and crumbly, like British biscuits. These cookies have a pleasantly strong, nutty cacao smell.
The cream puffs ($2.75) come in the usual vanilla cream flavor and an innovative caramel crunch. It has a crispy texture, topped with Bavarian cream. You could ask the staff for a sample.
Corones ($2.75) are similar to cream puffs and come in green tea and chocolate-banana flavors. The pastries are thinner, and the cream is lighter. Be nice and you could ask for another sample.
Satura’s unsweetened pastries such as sandwiches, croissants, and briôche are not as spectacular in flavor and appearance, but they are quite palatable and organically healthy.
Their coffee doesn’t have a burnt taste like Starbucks or Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. My hands were still twitchy three hours after a small cup. Espresso is made on order. They use fair-trade organic coffee and real tea leaves.
So when you want to indulge your taste buds with fine desserts, head over to Satura Cakes. Free wireless is available at every store. Don’t forget to charge your laptop.
Satura Cake Locations:
Ward Centers (across Borders)
1200 Ala Moana Blvd. Bldg. 6, Suite 601, Honolulu, HI 96814
Tel: (808) 537-1206
Sun-Thu: 9 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Fri-Sat: 9 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Parking: free Ward Centers customer parking
Harbor Court Business Tower Lobby
55 Merchant St., Suite #110, Honolulu, HI 96813
Tel: (808) 537-1206
Mon-Fri: 7 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Sat: 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Parking: Harbor Court garage, entrance on Bethel Street. Partial validation.
Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center
2233 Kalakaua Ave. B106A, Honolulu, HI 96815
Tel: (808) 537-1206 Fax: (808) 537-1208
Mon-Sun: 8 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Parking: the Shopping Center's garage. Partial validation.
www.saturacakes.com
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