KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 20 — When is a goldfish not a goldfish?
And when is sushi a sweet treat?
If you visit Floccusfloccus, a new café along Jalan Sultan, in the heart of KL’s Chinatown, then the answer might be: When it is actually a... kuih.
The Sushi Angku features a filling of mashed mung beans and coconut sweetened with gula Melaka, whilst the goldfish shaped Kingu Chai Kuih contains bang kuang char or fried jícama (also known as sengkuang).
The café and the artfully crafted artisanal kuih business is the passion project of Yeoh Hooi Hoon, 24. Fondly known as HH by friends, she was studying interior design when the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
Yeoh recalls, “I started this business at home during MCO, around the time of the last semester of my course. I was planning to sell some one of a kind dessert.”
Given many other homebound food entrepreneurs had the same idea, it would have been a challenge to stand out had she also tried her hand at baking cakes or sourdough bread. So how did she decide on the sort of dessert she would make?
“I personally love kuih,” Yeoh says. “A lot of youngsters, like those of my generation, aren’t really in touch with our local kuih-muih.”
Given the wide variety of kuih, Yeoh opted to begin with her favourite — the tortoise shell shaped angku kuih.
She shares, “Angku kuih is my favourite among all types of kuih-muih. I still remember how my Mum would prepare them when I was small: she fried overnight angku kuih so that created some memories for me.”
How to make something so traditional noteworthy, however? To stand out from the crowd, Yeoh decided the appearance of her products had to be truly different and trendy.
“When I chose to sell the first viral product, it was in the form of a sushi kuih,” she says.
Indeed, her Sushi Angku was an instant hit, confounding expectations as to whether it was a savoury or sweet bite. A blend of Japanese aesthetics and Peranakan culinary arts.
Yeoh shares, “Our signature products are our Sushi Angku and Kingu Chai Kuih. They are really cute but we still allowed their traditional flavours to remain and speak for themselves.”
Other delightful contemporary kuih-muih include her adorable Teddie Siew Bao and yam-filled Seal Mochi. There are less obvious treats such as a Penang influenced sī-kūe-thng (literally "four fruit soup”) bingsu and a full moon gift set (which includes gold red eggs, traditional angku kuih, yellow wine chicken and even Taiwanese sticky rice).
With her quirky menu in place, Yeoh finally launched Floccusfloccus in July 2021. Its name has an ethereal feel to it, and not without merit.
She explains, “The name ‘Floccusfloccus’ actually comes from my Chinese name 云 (Yún), which translates as ‘cloud’. Floccus is actually a cloud type named for its tuft-like, wooly appearance.”
This theme carries over to her Chinatown café, which is located above the neighborhood stalwart, Fung Wong Biscuit (famed for their popular wedding biscuits).
A lovely juxtaposition of the old ways and the new; the traditional sharing space with the contemporary. The latter emerges in little details such as repurposed kopitiam tables and chairs, as well as a discreet angku-shaped doorknob.
With regards to her café design, Yeoh shares, “The concept is to reintroduce and preserve the tradition of Malaysia to the younger generation.”
Such strong heritage forward beliefs aren’t without challenges. She recalls, “We grew our business in a few stages, from starting at home to a central kitchen and now our new café. It was tiring but we enjoyed it as we met a lot of people who offered to help us.”
At the end of the day, it’s all a labour of love for Yeoh. She shares, “I learned some of the recipes from my Mum and Grandma. We all love baking and cooking so it’s quite enjoyable while I was learning.”
Or, to take a leaf from the name of her platter of assorted kuih-muih (with additions such as Rainbow Mini Angku and Pulut Tai-Tai with Duck Egg Kaya), it’s a Kuih Fiesta!
Floccusfloccus 福粿
85-1, Jalan Sultan, KL
IG: https://www.instagram.com/floccusfloccus/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/p/Floccusfloccus-??-100024801558706/
