Café Chiffon is as good as it gets

Cheesecake is adored and fawned over, but I seldom find myself gravitating towards or ordering the dessert — much to the shock and horror of many. Too often it’s too dense, too rich, too sweet and, I dare say, over-hyped — except for Japanese cheesecakes: a most glorious creation, light, fluffy and less sweet than its Western counterpart.

And there are few places to find a better Japanese cheesecake in South Africa than Café Chiffon. The hole-in-the-wall cake-and-coffee shop within the vibrant and eccentric De Waterkant neighbourhood is an Instagrammers dream. Not only are the cakes and macaroons absolutely “gram-worthy” but so too is the shop’s interior. From its stylish tables and chairs to the part-exposed brick, part-plastered back wall (with a series of arched and organically shaped niches displaying a host of vases and trinkets) and the wooden-slatted dessert bar, everything about Café Chiffon is a visual delight.

That includes the view to the open plan and very pink workshop where owner and baker Christine Hu can often be seen icing cakes, surrounded by a menagerie of piping bags, cake toppings, confectionery and decorative flowers.

The chef churns out the most magnificent of cakes — her specialities being Japanese cheesecake and chiffon cake (one of my very favourite cakes). The menu changes monthly, so there’s always something new to try. But fear not; the signatures remain.

Hu creates an assortment of classic and creative flavour combinations of cake, along with a range of out there Korean-style macaroons — at Cafe Chiffon they are clamshell-shaped and filled with American buttercream and the likes of marshmallows, chocolate, Oreos and pretzels. All gorgeously light, fluffy and utterly indulgent.

The Japanese cheesecake, meanwhile, is undeniably one of the best I’ve tasted — a must-have. Layers of soft, souffle-style cheesecake coated with layers of whipped cream and garnished with a strawberry is stunning.