Milky Praline Got to know about the new Nakey that is located at Trengganu Street in Chinatown โ it is a little surprising to know that there is an uprising of cafes within the area within the vicinity of Chinatown MRT Station near Lucky Chinatown considering how this is probably one of the most tourist-y areas in the Chinatown area. Turns out, Nakey is a concept by the same folks behind Sawasdee Thai Restaurant; Nakey is also located just right beside Sawasdee Thai Restaurant, making it an establishment that is quite difficult to miss. Giving the space a total revamp, the interior of Nakey has a rather retro yet modern look โ the entire space being decked in wooden carpentry for a rather rustic look with brown cushioned seating that evokes a look that is reminiscent of the 1970s. In fact, we did find the ambience of Nakey being almost reminiscent to that of B for Bagelโs location in Tanglin Mall given the vast use of wood-accented fittings around the space. While Nakeyโs location tag on Google does suggest that there are brunch-y dishes that are being served up here eventually, we visited Nakey during its soft launch phase. This meant that Nakey was only serving up a small variety of bakes alongside beverages during our the day of our visit โ the bakes available for the day are displayed prominently at the counter, which comprises of a selection of Bombolone-style donuts, bagels, sourdough slices, cookies and banana breads. Beverages available at Nakey includes a variety of espresso-based specialty coffee options, flavoured lattes and a category named โrefreshments, teas and sodasโ.
Wanting to give one of their Bombolone-style donuts a try, we decided to go for the Milky Praline as there were only two different flavours of donuts available from the display cabinet during our visit made to Nakey; the other flavour being the Custard Bastard. The Milky Praline donut came with a sugar-coated exterior; the donut being was supposedly filled with a โmilky pralineโ custard whilst the donut is being topped off a with an almond on the top for some aesthetic appeal. Taking a bite into the Milky Praline donut, we felt that the donut was decent though the flavours of the donut wasnโt quite to what we expected from the namesake of the donut. The sugar-crusted exterior provided a crisp texture to crunch on that complimented the soft and fluffy bread; the bread of the donut also carrying a bit of a tension for a good bite as one chews the donut apart. That being said, the Milky Praline filling itself was a bit off from what we had thought โ whilst we were expecting a smooth and luscious pastry cream that carried a chocolatey-esque, nutty note (perhaps more Hazelnut Praline perhaps?), the Milky Praline felt more like a custard filling that was a little bit on the denser side almost akin to that of Japanese custard; the flavours also being a bit eggy and sweet for something that was supposed to replicate that of praline unless one takes a bigger bite with more filling in each bite. The almond on the top does seem to โput the nuttiness back into the pralineโ here, though it was still a bit of weak link for us here.
Apart from giving their Milky Praline a go, we had also given the selection of bagels at Nakey a try during our visit as well. It was a little disappointing to know that three out of four of their spreads listed on the display cabinet containing the bagels were unavailable when we made our visit to Nakey for breakfast before noon โ this also made us go for the Plain Bagel despite them carrying other interesting bagel flavours such as that of the Charcoal Bagel and Matcha Bagel since the only available spread was the Bechamel. The Plain Bagel with Bechamel will work well for those who prefer to have something almost akin to a cream sauce to be served with their bagel; the Plain Bagel was served warm and crisp on their exterior with a good chewy texture, while the Bechamel provided a rich note that somewhat complimented the bagel despite sounding like an odd combination. One thing we did feel about Nakey is how it does feel like an establishment that is trying a little bit too hard to replicate the vibes of a independently-run specialty coffee house; there was a bit of mismatch for the vibes that they intend to go for with the items that they are serving โ the Milky Praline donut feels a little less artisanal than what we had expected in terms of the custard filling it came with. Meanwhile, the coffee mugs are pretty Starbucks-esque and the straws used for the iced drinks are a little bit of a misfit to the vibes here. Prices of the bakes they they have to offer ranges from $3 for a sourdough slice, to $6 for their donuts โ spreads that accompanies the bagel and sourdough slice comes at a top-up of $2 each. It would be interesting to see what Nakey has to offer as it goes into full launch, though Nakey is probably an establishment that is good to hide away from the intense heat these days with an iced beverage if one isnโt too picky on what they have to serve up.
