Being awful never tasted so good

Triwik Kurniasari ,  THE JAKARTA POST ,  JAKARTA   |  Sun, 11/01/2009 11:57 AM  |  On the Town

Nestled in a corner of Plaza Indonesia shopping mall in Central Jakarta, the outlet looks much simpler compared to surrounding outlets on the same floor.

It is a small black-and-white outlet with a minimalist decor and curvaceous marble-esque pillar design.

There is a sign that reads "Awfully Chocolate" next to the pillar and two black-and-white stools in front of the counter.

People who walk by the outlet might raise their eyebrows as they see it and they may start to guess about what kind of place the outlet is.

Their eyebrows might be even raised higher when they find out that it is a cake shop, since it doesn't display any of the products.

The outlet is much different from any other cake shops, which usually offer fancier displays, brighter interiors and larger spaces.

Another unique thing about the Singapore-based chocolate cake shop is it doesn't sell slices of cake. It only offers takeaway whole cake, which you can enjoy together with your friends or family.

Their variety is deliberately limited. Once you come to the outlet, you will only see three kinds of cake listed in its "menu": all chocolate, chocolate banana and chocolate rum and cherry.

Damita Iskandar from Awfully Chocolate Indonesia said that Awfully Chocolate had a bold and tight concept.

"The shop's philosophy is simple and unique. The focus is not variety but quality. We want to share real dark chocolate cake with all chocolate lovers," she said.

Awfully Chocolate was first established in an inconspicuous building on Joo Chiat Road in Singapore in 1998.

It started out as a cake shop selling only one cake - a simple dark chocolate cake between layers of dark chocolate fudge.

It was, after all, only one type of cake and the shop decided not to display it, since it seemed to be a ridiculous notion to display 20 pieces of the same thing in a cake counter chiller.

Its original cake, called "all chocolate", is a simple, moist dark chocolate cake between layers of dark chocolate fudge.

The cake itself is not overly sweet, since it is made from dark chocolate or plain chocolate without milk as an additive. It is something that you can eat anytime without feeling disgusted with yourself afterwards.

Don't expect to find mouthfuls of mousse, cream or any other edible decorations on it.

"The additional mousse or cream will make the chocolate taste different. We want to bring the real chocolate cake one can bite into, rich in taste yet moist and light," Damita said.

Besides the original dark chocolate cake, Awfully Chocolate also offers chocolate banana, which comprises two layers of fresh banana, and chocolate rum and cherry, which is a combination of dark chocolate cake with sweet dark pitted cherries and a dash of rum.

All cakes being sold in the cake shop are based in its proprietary recipe of chocolate packed to their strict specifications of cocoa bean grade and percentage of cocoa and cocoa butter.

Awfully Chocolate's half-kilogram chocolate cake, measuring 16-centimeters in diameter, can be divided into eight to 10 slices, while the one-kilogram chocolate cake with 21-centimeter diameter can be divided into 16 to 20 pieces.

The price of the cake starts from Rp 165,000 (US$17), depending on the type and size of the cake.

Cakes for all occasions are available with pre-order. Bigger sizes (in multiples of half kilograms) and specially decorated cakes need about three days notice for them to prepare.

For children's birthday party, the shop provides birthday cakes with funny and attractive decorations made from colorful butter cream.

Even though you might have to share the cake with friends or family just because the whole cake is too much for you, the dark chocolate cake is worth a try. Whether you like it or not depends on how much you like chocolate.

Awfully chocolate

Jl. Senopati 41C, South Jakarta
Phone : +62-21-5731457
Plaza Indonesia Level LB *31
Jl. MH. Thamrin Kav. 28-30, Central Jakarta
Phone : +62-21-31990205

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