After seeing some foodie friends of mine posting about this place, we decided to come and try it for ourselves. Located on the 2nd floor within a single row of shop lots, Playground Cake Bar is surrounded by the quiet neighbourhood of SS22. It’s certainly not a bustling, happening place like SS2, so it was pretty deserted when we entered just after their Sunday opening time at 1 pm.
To enter, just look for the bright yellow-orange doors to the left of 99 Speedmart. Climb up to the 2nd storey and you’ll see the glass panel overlooking their kitchen area.
The first thing you’ll have to do is to take off your shoes before entering through the sliding doors. The interior is simple and cosy. There are around 4 tables for groups of 2-3 and 1 bigger table that probably seats up to 8 people. We sat at the far corner with bean bags and a low table that can fit around 6 people. We liked that the overall ambience was chill and welcoming. The seats were cosy, but the downside is that it might be too close for comfort with strangers.
Their menu is simple. There are drinks, Croyaki, their signature pound cakes, and a small selection of cakes. Out of the three categories of drinks they serve, Einspänner looked most interesting as it comes with a fluffy whipped cream topping. For those who are lactose-intolerant, switching to Oatside Oatmilk for RM3 is an option. Their cakes, drinks, and croyaki range from RM8 - RM19 each.
We ordered an Iced Houjicha and tried the Einspänner versions of Iced Chocolate, Houjicha and Genmaicha. The flavour was just strong enough, and it wasn’t too sweet. The cream topping on the Einspänner versions made the drink a tad fuller, and did I mention that it's handmade?! It might seem a little hard to digest with so much dairy in one meal, but there are always non-Einspänner drinks available. I usually consume drinks really slowly and have a hard time finishing them, but I actually hit the bottom much earlier than expected!
After “shooting the breeze” for a while, our Coffee Peanut Pound Cake, Houjicha Cornflake Pound Cake, and Wakatake Matcha Adzuki Croyaki were served. Unfortunately, we couldn’t try the Lemon Poppy Pound Cake as they were out of it.
Food? So good! Everyone loved the moist and flavourful pound cakes. Having it warm also wins the approval of the “Asian granny”, who believes that food shouldn't be cold. While we girls loved the Houjicha, Jason preferred the Coffee Peanut. Admittedly, we were slightly biased as we initially thought it was chocolate-flavoured, not coffee!
The Wakatake Matcha Adzuki Croyaki was heavenly! It came with a croissant + taiyaki fish-shaped pastry with matcha cream, red beans and a layer of mochi/injeolmi. The croyaki was crispy, and the amount of cream was just lovely. It was so, so good that we ordered another croyaki, Salted Caramel Banana, which was really good too. But it couldn’t beat that combination of matcha, red beans, and gooey goodness!
I attempted to tapau their signature pound cakes, which came in a cute paper cup and transparent plastic cover. To recreate the warm pound cakes served, they recommend heating it to 170 degrees for a few minutes via oven or popping it into the microwave for a bit. The staff patiently explained that it must be refrigerated and gave reheating tips and instructions. Kudos on telling me this before I asked!
It’s a place I’ll definitely want to return to for dessert. It’s a pity it only opens in the afternoon and is not located near public transport. It’s also in a quiet area where you wouldn’t want to walk 1km from Taman Paramount LRT, the nearest station.
What’s the verdict?
Will we go there again? Yes, definitely!
Is it worth the hype? Oh yes! It’s a simple, no-frills kind of place, but their desserts are *chefs kiss*!
Ambience 🌕🌕🌕🌖
Food 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌖
Drink 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗
Location 🌕🌕🌗
Service 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕
Playground Cake Bar
•12 pm - 7 pm (weekdays)
•1 pm - 7 pm (weekends)
•Closed on Tuesdays
20A, 1st floor,
Jalan 22/49, Seksyen 22,
46300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
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