KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 10 — When a friend who loves her desserts raves about a sweet treat, I pay attention. That is how I found Melvin Cheema who whips up these amazing locally driven items from his dessert shop under his Instagram handle, Man & Whisk.
Melvin's culinary journey started at Taylor's University. He went on to stage at Cumbria's L'Enclume and Denmark's Jordnaer. Both restaurants have two Michelin stars under their belts.
Later he returned to join Dewakan. After he left, he started this home-based dessert shop from July this year.
So far, it has been a delicious journey from ordering the treats at home to attending Melvin's dessert pop up at RexKL.
For Deepavali, he had a special dessert box that played tribute to his Indian heritage.
Now, it's back to delivery treats as they have opened orders for November 11 and 12 for three items. The menu includes their bingka bars, Ipoh white coffee tiramisu and a passion fruit tart.
The bingka bars (RM24 for two bars, RM42 for four bars) is a riff of the beloved kuih bingka made from tapioca. Melvin calls this a cross breed that marries the soft kuih bingka ubi (his father's favourite) and his own favourite lemon bar from Bangsar's Jaslyn Cakes.
You get soft tapioca and coconut custard that sits on top of a buttery shortbread cookie. On top, there's a dark toasted grated coconut serunding with a touch of sea salt flakes.
It's got all the elements to make you wish for more. Firstly, there's the decadence with that soft cloud-like texture of the tapioca and the buttery, flaky shortbread crust.
The sea salt flakes add a nice savoury hit when you bite into the whole ensemble. The rectangle-shaped bars are five centimetres high and 10 centimetres long with a width of four centimetres.
They offer a nice chunky bite but you will want more after tasting it.
For their Ipoh white coffee tiramisu (RM26 for two ramekins, RM48 for four), the first thing that you will savour is the chocolate ganache.
It's a silky smooth luxury that you will want more of. Underneath it, there's a coffee-flavoured mascarpone which has a dreamy voluptuousness.
As their square container which measures seven by seven centimetres is a little shallow, you can't taste much of their Ipoh white coffee soaked ladyfingers but you will be more than satisfied with that combination of the chocolate ganache and coffee mascarpone.
I've not tasted this menu's passionfruit tart (RM60 for an eight-inch tart) but I am sure it will be sublime like his other tarts. Previously he offered an asam gelugor tart which was divine with its zesty yet subtle flavour and soft jiggly centre.
Sadly as that ingredient is seasonal, he had to discontinue that for now. I've also tasted a calamansi curd tart at his dessert pop up that was excellent too.
Similarly, his kulfi tart with cardamom, pistachio and buffalo milk flavours from the Deepavali box was good. Limited quantities for the passionfruit tart will be offered so grab yours before it runs out.
If he does a dessert pop up again, do sign up straightaway as it's a fun way to explore desserts that are much more than just sweets. He also uses vegetables to create savoury desserts that will have you surprised.
You can pick up your orders from Cheras or get them delivered to you via a third party delivery company provided you bear the charges.
Man & Whisk, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur. You can WhatsApp Melvin at +6012-7917055 or message him via Instagram to order. Instagram: @manandwhisk
