KUALA LUMPUR, May 13 — After three years of business, Kenny Hills Bakers has ventured out of Kenny Hills to Desa ParkCity. Opened a few weeks ago, this outlet is an all-day eatery, a first for the bakery that only used to serve till evenings.

Owner Au Tai Hon tells us the expansion to this area was a response to a call from their regular customers who live in Valencia and the neighbouring areas.

"We pick and choose our locations carefully,” he said. What attracted Au to this area was the potential to build a relationship with the community, thus recreating that same, welcoming vibe that exudes at their Kenny Hills spot.

Greet the team at Kenny Hills Bakers’ newly opened Desa Parkcity outlet (from left to right): Kamarul Nizam, Larry Lam, Kamil Khiudin, Hossain Awlad and Au Tai Hon.

"It’s a quaint neighbourhood with a small, compact community,” he said. It fits the bakery cum cafe, which serves organic artisan breads and pastries, made in small batches, to a targeted market rather than the masses.

Moreover, since it’s far away from Kenny Hills, there won’t be an overlapping of customers. Don’t expect this to be the beginning of an expansion plan though, as Au intends to spend time here to develop a relationship with the Desa ParkCity residents and its nearby areas.

The opportunity to open a new outlet was also two-fold, Au explained, as they found good people to join them who are just as passionate about the business. This new space took around one year to conceptualise. Time was also needed to hire other staff to train and instill their principles.

Unlike the limited space they operate out of at the Selangor Properties apartments, the space at Desa ParkCity is more extensive, allowing them to incorporate a hot kitchen. One noticeable difference with the kitchen means you will find wobbly, poached eggs in your meals!

A rarity in menus, the beef Wellington is a classic dish done well here with a 100 grams Wagyu rump steak, spinach and truffle mushroom paste in a puff pastry case.

Sourced from a small farm, the eggs hatched from free range chickens are cooked sous vide to ensure the perfect texture — soft on the outside with an oozing yolk in the middle. The eggs are served for breakfast from 8am to 3pm, or even found in a salad Nicoise.

If you’re a fan of their irresistible sourdough pizza, you will be happy to find out that here it is served every day from 5.30pm onwards. The base is made from organic flour that is slowly fermented.

Bite into a slice and you will discover that the crust has a soft, moist texture. The outer edge or what is known as cornicione in pizza circles has a nice, puffy and crackling texture.

Try out this soon to be introduced goat’s cheese and spinach pizza for dinner (left). Available the whole day, these pies are available in different fillings like chicken and portobello mushrooms or beef cheek and portobello mushrooms (right).

For a light meal, go for their version of the classic salad Nicoise made with Ortiz canned tuna, boiled potatoes, poached egg, olives, anchovy, tomatoes and greens.

Eat it on its own or with their trio of dips: pesto, hummus and anchovies. You can choose from the likes of the classic Margherita, al funghi, three cheese or beef pepperoni. So far, a popular choice is the Hawaiian.

There are plans to add on two more pizzas, one topped with fresh seafood like clams and pizza with a tomato base, and another with a mozzarella cheese base topped with spinach, goat’s cheese and fresh rocket leaves.

As Au is a firm believer that eating fine food need not be a stuffy affair where you need to dress up, his dinner menu is like a "brasserie” style. You have quality ingredients represented in the menu, served with an unfussy dining style.

For dinner, enjoy their duck confit & waffle served with a fried egg and spiced orange sauce (left). Dig into the divine chocolate hazelnut cake topped with a decadent Baileys cream (right).

In his dinner menu, their duck confit and waffle is a tribute to London’s Duck & Waffle iconic dish. Au had tasted this dish when he visited London during his daughter’s graduation. What makes the dish work is the crisp, light waffle, thanks to a yeasted batter kept overnight and the quality of their flour. Break the wobbly yolk of the fried egg and eat it with the crispy duck confit and a drizzle of the spiced orange sauce spiked with maple syrup. Delicious!

According to Au, it took many tries before they perfected the waffle. That is how he works as every single detail matters.

A favourite quote coined by Au is used here, to refer to the French revolution and its relation to bread (left). Order your birthday cake to celebrate (right).

Au’s philosophy has always been that one must work to get the basics right and the dish will fall into place. For him, a great sandwich or burger starts with the bread. It’s the same with the waffle, which won’t be the same if it’s soggy.

"It’s a lot of work and effort to get the skill levels. Our philosophy is we must do well, no shortcuts etc, or else, we won’t put it in the menu,” explained Au. On a similar level, they serve the classic beef Wellington. Here it combines their flaky pastry with wagyu to give you a tender bite.

Don’t miss out on their cakes here (around 12 varieties), as Au explains that this outlet focuses more on cakes while their first outlet is all about bread and pastries. Au works with Ann Lee, a well reputed baker who has worked with other established F&B outfits, who creates these desserts that are exclusive to this outlet.

Unlike their Kenny Hills outlet, this new place serves dinner from 6pm onwards.

Choose from an assortment of pastries, made in small batches (left). You can order an assortment of dips like hummus, pesto and anchovies to enjoy the crackling pizza crust or cornicione (right).

The showstoppers are their alcoholic series. It’s hard to choose between their Kirsch raspberry meringue or chocolate hazelnut cake with Bailey’s cream, as both are exceptional on their own.

Lee tells us a lot of work goes into making the many layers of the Kirsch-laced creation from the creme patisserie, a raspberry "marmalade” to the not overly sweet meringue with a nice light, fluffy texture.

If you love a dash of decadence, the soft chocolate cake studded with chopped hazelnuts is a perfect choice. It’s topped with a quenelle of the liquor infused cream that tips each bite of the cake to greatness.

A crowd favourite is this strawberry matcha cake with its layers of Japanese matcha cake and fresh strawberries (left). Light and fluffy Kirsch raspberry meringue is a must-eat here (right).

They have also introduced matcha desserts, using a matcha powder introduced by a Japanese chef. The 100 per cent matcha powder is brought in directly from Japan to create an intense matcha tart and their crowd favourite, matcha strawberry. Other goodies include brioche doughnuts and lemon blueberry cake.

With his bakery, Au believes that their success is dependent on the people who work for him. He adds, "It’s like a football team, you curate a team of people to give a distinct dining concept, based on a theme.”

Kenny Hills Bakers GF-06, The Waterfront Desa ParkCity 5, Persiaran Residen Kuala Lumpur Open: 8am to 10pm Tel: 03-6419 5990 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kennyhillsbakers/