tokidoki X Kumoya: Feast On Insta-Worthy Character Dishes At This Pop-Up Cafe In Bugis Till End June

If cutesy characters are your thing, then you need to hurry over to the tokidoki-themed cafe by Kumoya. Kumoya has previously brought in other beloved characters like the Care Bears too!

“Tokidoki” means “sometimes” in Japanese, but you may be surprised to realise that the creator of these colourful characters isn’t Japanese, but is actually an Italian artist. If you’ve been to one of Kumoya’s previous themed cafe experiences, you’ll know that you can expect cute culinary creations!

Located along Jalan Klapa near Bugis, the tokidoki Cafe will definitely make your heart go doki-doki (hehe). And no wonder, because stepping into the cafe was like being transported to a different world altogether.

There were plushies everywhere when I entered: on seats, at the counter, and even hanging from the ceiling!

My favourites had to be the Unicornos; I even grabbed one of them to be my cuddly companion for the meal.

We started with the Japanese Crispy Chicken With Beancurd ($12.90), which came with a mini Kumoya flag. The crispy thin beancurd skin added more umami flavour to the tender chicken. I especially liked the sweet shoyu glaze that came with the dish.

The glaze wasn’t too thick, and went well with the succulent chicken pieces, so dip away!

We also tried the Golden Sweet Potato Fries ($10.90). Crispy on the outside and mushy on the inside, these fries were super addictive. The perfect side dish for sharing!

I really liked that the fries had a dusting of powdered sugar too, which added a sweeter flavour.

If you’re after something more filling, the tokidoki Cafe offers mains too. We tried the A Lot-of-Things LAH! Merlion Seafood Ramen ($28.90), which comes with fried lotus root chips, edamame beans and a small side salad.

Chock-full of ingredients, such as colourful kamaboko (Japanese fish cake), scallops and crayfish, this dish was a feast for the eyes.

However, I’d say that it was more pretty than it was delicious. While the broth was actually rather light, the noodles tasted a little too starchy for me. The scallops and crayfish were also a tad on the dry side.

The second main dish we tried was more promising. The SANDy and Polpettina Full-of-Life Chicken Katsu Burger ($23.90) has green buns which are stamped with a cute picture of SANDy, one of the tokidoki characters.

I liked that the chicken katsu was tender and juicy, and tasted slightly sweet from the sauce. The cheese also went quite well with the burger.

In case you feel the urge to eat some greens, the dish also comes with a small side salad. I was more excited by the thick-cut fries, which had just the right ratio of crispiness to starchy potato.

The dish also comes with a pink salted egg yolk custard bun, which is stamped with Polpettina, one of the pink Cactus Friends. The salted egg yolk custard actually flowed out quite well, and the bun was pretty fluffy too.

After these savoury dishes, it was definitely time for something sweet. We ordered two of the available drinks: the Unicorno Cotton Candy ($17.90), and the Donutella Sweet Treat Caramel Popcorn Frappe ($17.90).

The Unicorno Cotton Candy ($17.90) came with an absolutely enormous cloud of pink and blue cotton candy. Yes, it was even bigger than my head!

It’s the perfect drink for a photo opportunity, but you’ll have to snap those photos quickly. The cotton candy cloud started to “shed” after awhile, because of the humidity in the air. Either way, it was a pretty but messy experience!

The drink itself had a lovely gradient of pink and purple. I enjoyed the tangy yet sweet taste of the drink, which was a mix of passion fruit, strawberry Calpis and butterfly pea tea.

The Donutella Sweet Treat Caramel Popcorn Frappe ($17.90) was a sweeter and richer drink. This definitely tasted like popcorn in beverage form. Even though it was also topped with buttery sweet popcorn, this drink wasn’t overly sweet.

It even comes with a limited edition Donutella float that you can bring home! Which I guess explains the price. And of course, we couldn’t leave without trying the desserts.

Unicorn lovers will squeal at the sight of the Dolce Pretty-in-Pink Berries Sponge Cake ($18.90), which is bound to put a smile on your face.

This pretty pink dessert is a strawberry sponge cake that comes with fresh cream, marshmallow hearts and wafer sticks. There’s even a tuft of fluffy cotton candy!

This was one of the most Instagram-worthy desserts, especially with the lovely unicorn design complete with a cream mane. Surprisingly light for such a sweet-looking dessert dish, the sponge cake also went well with the generous amount of cream.

For a darker dessert amidst all the cuteness, we tried the Adios and Ciao Ciao’s Farewell Fantasy Charcoal Waffles ($22.90), which was a decadent chocolate dish.

I particularly loved the rich brownie cubes that came with the waffles. The charcoal waffles were fluffy and buttery, and went really well with the Hokkaido berries soft serve.

If all that rich chocolate is too much, the dish also comes with strawberry chocolate coated cereal which added a bit of crunch and a tangy flavour.

Don’t forget to end your visit with a few photos! Grab a couple of plushies and pose with friends, or snap a few photos of the colourful cafe interior.

Hurry down, because the tokidoki Cafe is only here until the end of June 2018!

Expected damage: $30 – $50 per pax