Koi Kei Bakery

I keep on forgetting that Singapore’s part of Unilocal lol, all those restaurants, shopping, etc. from 2 trips in 2013 & 2014… imagine all those lost reviews haha
Been eating this brand for years! It’s the signature leader, kinda like McDonald’s making french fries, but I digress.
Perfect light crunch, and what’s impressive to me, is they specifically import the almonds from the great USA! you can taste it, wrapped in gorgeous little bags with amazing detailed writing, in Chinese characters of course. Look at the back of the tray that holds these goodies, even has an imprint of their famous name… Koi Kei, of course ;)
Does taste dry (supposed to be that way), but that’s what Coke’s for lol. Goes down very sweet.
Available at T&T Supermarket back in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

I first heard about Koi Keu Bakery in Macau. The Almond Cookies are awesome! Crispy/​Crunchy yet crumbles to a perfect consistency, making you salivate. The whole almonds are not quite whole but really large chunks. The last cookie I had was a bit burnt on the bottom (Photo) large disappointment but still more than happy to eat it!

The well-​liked Koi Kei Bakery from Macau is finally making its presence in Singapore. Its first outlet is located at Chinatown, Temple Street. It’s not easy to spot the unit, as they are kinda blocked by the temporary street stalls selling New Year delicacies. I didn’t recognise the outlet until one of my friend stopped to pry. He was elated and his eyes start to beam in high note! I’m slow in catching his expression because I least expected any surprises on the old-​charming street.
Oh Koi Kei! I smiled. I remembered we were trying to locate them at Wan Chai –HK earlier Jan this year, in fact, there are a few there. We didn’t get anything from the stores in Macau (though I did some gratifying sampling rounds) but from my fave Choi Heong Yuen there. There’s a significant difference in the almond aroma if you are familiar with the two. Both are famous for their Almond cookies but I recalled Choi’s being more popular in the early 2000s and it seems Koi Kei could give them a run for their money now. Koi Kei has a deeper almond flavour while Choi is more even and soothing, if you prefer to call it mild yet noticeable. I didn’t like anything too prominent and almond is one acquired taste that may not be widely accepted, not the whole nuts that many bite into but when it’s re-​engineered into pastries/​desserts, be it in paste or cream form. In the end, I grabbed some Key Cookies (Mung Beans), aka «chess cookies» given the bite-​size which tasted close to almond cookie texture but a more beanie flavour. A good alternative! Then we gotten a few packs of Ginger candy for our friends.
Here, in Singapore, the store layout mirror those in Hong Kong and Macau. But I can see that it has a lesser varieties compared to the stores in Macau. The one in Macau was huge, of course, that was its flagship. But still, you are able to buy the classic almond cookies (Black Sesame/​Ginger and some other flavours), Key cookies, Ginger candy, Pineapple cakes, Portuguese cookie, Wife biscuits but forget about getting the Pork floss variants as they are not allowed to be imported. Hence, I often grab a few Pork Jerky egg rolls and Pork floss almond cakes from Choi whenever I visit Macau — its never available at home but I liked them much. The price for the Almond cookies range from $ 12.90 onwards. There’s handmade one in boxed but going for a hefty $ 30+ which I think I will never pay to get a bite. Sampling is also available at the store.
So, the next time you crave for Koi Kei almond cakes, make your way to Temple Street, Chinatown! Enjoy!