Could pandan be the next big thing in the US?
Some New Yorkers tried it for the first time by chowing down on some pandan chiffon cake — even pairing it with kaya — and were blown away by its flavour.
Their reactions were captured in a video posted to TikTok on Wednesday (Sept 9) by Singapore Social, a New York restaurant which serves Singaporean fare alongside dishes from Malaysia and Indonesia.
In an effort to promote the restaurant, its employees went around Washington Park with trays of pandan chiffon cake and kaya for people to sample, describing it to be “like Southeast Asian vanilla”.
They also encouraged people to dip the chiffon cake in the kaya during the taste test.
One New Yorker shown in the 1.5-minute clip was extremely excited upon seeing the dessert, saying: “I went to Singapore last year. It was so good, I had this exact thing.”
As they tasted the pandan chiffon cake on its own and with the kaya, these park goers had varying reactions.
The consensus was clear, however: they thoroughly enjoyed it.
One man in the clip said: “It’s insane, it tastes so good. Super soft and fluffy.”
“This is so my jam,” another woman featured in the video said — adding that while the pandan chiffon cake tasted like a regular sponge cake, the kaya was “really nutty”.
One woman even gave the combo the ultimate Asian compliment. “It’s not too sweet,” she said while nodding in satisfaction.
Her friend added that the coconut flavour from the kaya was really strong, which she seemed to enjoy.
Most of the New Yorkers in the video rated the Singaporean classic between a nine to 10 out of 10.
The clip ended with one of the Singapore Social employees saying: “We’re running out of cake, everyone wants cake, it’s crazy.”
@singaporesocial_nyc Last week, we went to Washington Park to share our classic Singaporean snack – PANDAN CAKE AND KAYA! Often nicknamed as “Vanilla of the East”, pandan leaves give a sweet floral aroma in many Southeast Asian desserts. We make our Pandan chiffon cake freshly in-house, along with our homemade Kaya, a coconut jam that we love to eat with bread 🥰 🇸🇬 It was so amazing to see you guys love it so much! Come try it out at our restaurant ❤️ Walk in or reserve via Resy, link in our bio 🍽️ 📍 15 Avenue A, New York 10009 #singaporesocialnyc #singapore #newyork #eastavenue #pandancake
♬ original sound – Singapore Social NYC – Singapore Social NYC
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bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com
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