I decided that I didn't want to wait until my family finished up our Korean meal before checking out my sweet treats at the Flakes & Layers pop-up. So, once I finished my kimchi fried rice, I thought I’d better get on my horse. Good thing I did cuz “Chef” Amanda Strang’s Ooonuts were going fast!
A few months ago, model turned pastry chef Amanda Strang launched her new concept, Flakes & Layers and the brand's signature vanilla and chocolate Ooonuts ($50 each) via the social media. After successful pop-ups at Lane Crawford IFC and Teakha (茶。家), they are bringing their Ooonuts across the harbor to K11 Musea Muse Edition for a month-long pop-up.
Described as a crossover between a traditional doughnut and mille feuille (the three zeros in a mille-feuille = 1,000 layer pastry), Ooonuts promise to be crisp and crunchy on the outside, while soft and pillowy on the inside, with a silky smooth pastry cream filling. During this limited time, they are offering a new pistachio flavor ($60) made exclusively for the K11 Musea pop-up.
After spending some time looking for Flakes & Layers' gorgeous pink food truck, I finally spotted it at the end of the K11 Musea Muse Edition (near Off-White) and I got more than I bargained for. Chef Amanda was in the house!
Not known as the most friendliest celebrities in the city’s show biz, I was a little surprised that I was able to catch her smiling at my camera a couple of times. Perhaps pastry making is really making her happy!
The lineup wasn’t considered long (about 20 people ahead of me) but since they had to put the silky pastry cream on at the last minute, the wait ended up taking more than half an hour.
No problem for me though, as it just gave me more time for my photoshoot!
This looks pretty delicious, a little like a well-decorated Paris-Brest but texture-wise, I bet it’s a totally different animal.
Just when I was sitting second-in-line to these gorgeous Ooonuts, Chef Amanda came out and announced that there were around 15 pieces left only. To add insult to injury, only the pistachio flavor was available. Now I felt like a genius for leaving our Korean lunch early.
This really looks amazing. After finding a spot by the harbour, I took a few more photos much to the chagrin of my little nugget (since he’s been waiting to get a bite out of these for a while).
The top was nicely decorated with crushed nuts and gold leaf.
This wasn’t bad. But I thought it tasted more or less like a typical Paris Brest. The choux pastry was nicely done but it didn’t have the flakiness of a typical mille feuille.
Instead, it was a little chewy (but in a good way) so you have to really get a good bite in to get the right proportion of dough and cream at the same time.
Just when we finished tasting these Ooonuts, the “Oops, we were all sold out” sign was already out on the Flakes & Layers' pink food truck.
It was nice to finally get this one out of the way after striking out at Teakha (茶。家) last month. The only blemish was perhaps not being able to try the original chocolate and vanilla flavors. I guess we’ll probably have to wait until their next pop-up.
Price: $$$$
Address: Muse Edition, K11 Musea, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 6655-1612
