Ultra violet trend in desserts - Caffe Bene Purple Sweet Potato Review

Annyeong kawans! How are ya'll doing? I noticed that I've been writing a lot on food lately (but that's what it means to be a foodie right?). While I do have more food posts in my drafts, rest assured I have some beauty related ones coming up as well!

Today's post is for my hype hunt/cafe hoppers obsessed foodies as I'll be reviewing Caffe Bene's seasonal Ultra-Violet purple sweet potato menu! If you are out of ideas on what's the next insta-worthy desserts to feast on, keep on reading because you're in for a treat!

So March is almost ending and I'm sure by now ya'll already know that the Pantone colour of 2018 is Ultra violet! Knowing this, many of us have been slowly incorporating violet-purple tones into our style. This is especially obvious in the increase of violet heads popping up during Chinese New Year. I was low-key mad because I too wanted to hop onto the ultra-violet trend but my stylist(Danny) told me they ran out of purple and only had enough for 1/4 of my hair. Since I went all the way there I did not want to make another trip so I took whatever that's left and told Danny to colour the rest of my ends in ash blue + brown haha. Go see how my hair turned out here!

But here's the thing guys, if you think fashion is the only category that's hopping onto the ultra violet trend, you're wrong. F&B has always been a competitive industry, and nowadays even food and desserts are hopping onto trends and getting more creative with their flavours and looks.

Sometimes food also want to be instagram models ok??

So enough with the small talk and let's get down to business! Speaking about trends, Caffe Bene is definitely not losing out on the ultra violet wave and has launched a seasonal Ultra-Violet themed menu available only until the 15th of April 2018. Unlike most purple desserts where the flavour is usually yam, Caffe Bene's ultra violet menu is a purple sweet potato flavour instead. In which I'm glad that they made this choice because I never fancied yam desserts hahaha.

Specially for this ultra-violet 'collection', Caffe Bene and The Butterfly Project collaborated to host an ultra violet themed party for fellow butterfly bloggers to try out the entire menu.

*Photo above is their 1 Utama branch*

The ultra violet party was held at Caffe Bene 1 Utama and personally I'm no newbie to this branch because I've probably visited this branch more than 10x to do my assignments previously!! The 1 Utama branch has two floors and features a modern minimalist concept. Best part of this branch is the amount of WORKING electrical plug points available. If you're a student/freelancer like me that is always on the hunt for a nice cafe to do your work at, you could consider Caffe Bene 1 Utama (especially on weekdays because there's lesser crowd). But if you plan to stay for many hours, get more than 1 drink la haha.

Before entering our ultra violet zone I wanted to share my go-to order at Caffe Bene. This one is their iced caffe latte and it's on their all time espresso menu. Wanted to recommend this to my strong coffee lovers because if I'm in need of a good cup of strong coffee to rush my work this is one of the options I'll go for.

Over here they have a shelf selling some of their coffee and merchandise.

Since the 1 Utama branch has two floors, our ultra violet party was held upstairs.

And since it's an ultra violet party, no doubt the dress code is violet. Here's what I wore and I pretty much tried my best to convince everyone that my top from Monki(bought literally 2 days before the event) is indeed a violet shade just much lighter >< It was funny to see how a number of us were struggling to find purple clothing so last minute hahaha

Here are the menu items available in their purple sweet potato series! In this series we have their Bingsu, latte (hot/iced), waffle, and Frappeno! Without any further ado, let's get into the review session!

First up is none other than Caffe Bene's Ultra Violet Sweet Potato Bingsu Double size (RM29.90)! Ever since K-drama blew up in Malaysia, this tower of ice commonly known as Bingsu has been a famous korean dessert Malaysians would sought for when craving something iced cold. To cut it short, this is basically the Korean version of our local 'Ais Kacang'!

If you're unfamiliar, Bingsu comes in all sorts of flavours and is often paired with matching toppings. For this huge bowl of double size Purple Sweet Potato Bingsu that can be shared among 3-4 people, expect a mountain of shaved ice blended with purple sweet potato milk base, crunchy granola, bouncy agar jelly, purple sweet potato paste, and a little bit of whipped cream topped with Caffe Bene's Seasonal Homemade Purple Sweet Potato Gelato. If you're not into Bingsus but still craving for some ice cream, you can opt to order their Gelato on it's own.

HOW TO EAT BINGSU???

" Bingsu cheat my feelings la, after eating the top everything below is just ice! :( "

Have you ever made that remark or felt that way when eating Bingsu? I know I have HAHA. That's why no one has ever seen me jio (call) people for bingsu. But did you know that there's actually a proper way to eat Bingsu and I had no idea about it until two weeks ago??? Like, WHY??

It was such an easy step and the results were game changing but all this time no one taught me the right way! My love for Bingsu actually went from a 2/10 to a solid 8/10 after learning this simple trick.

Here's a step-by-step gif compilation on the 'proper way to eat bingsu' that I never knew about until that day.

First, you'll need to press the ice cream down.

Then just mix it all up.

Lastly, get your friend to join in the fun. The more the merrier right? 

Simple as that! Just follow these simple steps and every bite of your Bingsu would taste great. So stop eating your Bingsu layer by layer guys, start mixing. Just remember to snap all your insta-worthy photos before you ruin it haha!

Caffe Bene's Ultra Violet Sweet Potato Waffle (RM18.90) available in plain/walnut is one of my favourites from this seasonal menu! Personally I really enjoy eating desserts that has a hot and cold combination to it so this plate of waffles really satisfied that factor. 

What I love about their waffles is that Caffe Bene serves their waffles warm, slightly crunchy but not stiff at all. For the purple sweet potato series, the waffle is served along with their homemade purple sweet potato gelato, crunchy granola that adds a touch of texture to it paired with some purple sweet potato paste + whipped cream. 

Totally unrelated but my current goal is to capture photos like Eros senpai

Next we have here is their Ultra Violet Sweet Potato latte (RM14.90) available in hot or iced. This is probably the most interesting cup of latte I've ever tasted. As I took my first sip, my brain instantly went "huh???" While I braced myself for something in between the taste of sweet potato + bitter coffee, I got none of it. It took me a while because the taste was a very familiar one and then I realized that this cup of latte reminds me of the Nestum drink but with a tiny hint of sweet potato!

If you're up for an interesting latte for your palate, you have to try this especially if you like Nestum! Everyone's tastes buds are different so if you're feeling adventurous, try this out and let me know what you think it tastes like hahaha

I'm more of an iced latte person, so naturally I would want to try their Iced Ultra Violet Sweet Potato Latte (RM14.90) as well. Taste wise was very similar to the hot version but surprisingly I was able to taste the sweet potato right on the first sip! 

The combination of flavours was pretty interesting indeed but I feel that this iced latte needed to be a little more chilled? With this said, I recommend setting this aside for 5-10 minutes. By then the ice would've fully chilled the latte and even after the ice melted slightly, it still tastes pretty good. 

Lastly from the Ultra Violet series we have this Ultra Violet Sweet Potato Frappeno (RM16.90). This one is a purple sweet potato milk based ice blended with some sweet potato paste in it topped with whipped cream. 

I'm not a fan of frappes but this one in particular was pretty good! The sweetness was well balanced and it wasn't too sweet or too bland. Unlike the hot latte, this one didn't really taste like Nestum but instead it really did taste like sweet potato. I think perhaps this is because the sweet potato paste in it wasn't mixed and diluted into the drink so it is concentrated enough to kick in the flavour.

That wraps up my thoughts on each individual menu item from Caffe Bene's Seasonal Ultra Violet series. Once again this series of yummy goodness is only available until the 15th of April so please try it before it's gone. 

Their best sellers from this series would be their Bingsu and latte, but my personal favourites would be the waffle and frappeno!

Overall I think this is a fun and interesting menu to try. The looks of these menu items are super grammable for 2018, and purple sweet potato flavour is also pretty nice for a change. (because again, I love the colour purple but I really don't like yam desserts hahaha!) One thing I felt when eating these desserts and sipping on these drinks is that "this feels very healthy" but it was a good kind of healthy because it tastes good haha. 

Caffe Bene's always had interesting seasonal menus popping up throughout the year and I remember really liking the honey dew series they had previously! I wonder what seasonal menu would they surprise us on the next change hmm? 

During the event we also received a goodie bag from a few sponsors so I would like to thank Caffe Bene for hosting this food tasting party and gifting us their 3 in 1 coffee and vouchers.(tried and really liked their 'original caffe latte 3 in 1' boyfie liked it too!) Thank you Butterfly Project for the invitation! Also thank you Maison de gigi Malaysia, Juicy fresh juice bar & Photobook Worldwide Malaysia for the goodies as well.

Some vouchers I got. Gonna be planning another visit to Caffe Bene soon!

This Barbeque Poppin' flavour popcorn tastes AMAZING.  If you ever pass by a Maison de gigi store, please get one for yourself to try. 

Last but not least, good things are meant to be shared so here's a heads up to those who wants to try Caffe Bene but also want to save some money at the same time. Every Wednesday is Bene Day and throughout different timing of the day you get to enjoy 30% off on selected items.

From 10AM until 2PM enjoy 30% off on their espresso menu, from 2PM until 6PM enjoy 30% off on their Frappeno, and from 6PM until 10PM get a 30% off on double size Bingsus!

Besides of Caffe Bene, Wednesdays are also Juicy day. So if you're craving from some juice, drop by Juicy fresh juice bar as they're having buy 1 free 1 promo on Wednesdays ;)

That is all for today! There are many Caffe Bene stores around so head to your nearest Caffe Bene to try out their ultra violet menu today! By the way, Caffe Bene has also recently opened a new branch at Mid Valley Megamall so if you're around the area you could check it out! 

Thanks for reading, until next time!!

Caffe Bene 1 Utama (next to Bershka/facing open air carpark)

G129A, 1, Lebuh Bandar Utama,

Bandar Utama, 47800,

Petaling Jaya,

Selangor

Tel: 03-7688 4338

Business hours: 10:00a.m. to 10:00p.m.

List of other outlets:

Sunway Pyramid Shopping Mall, Selangor
Business Hours: 10am to 10.30pm

Solaris Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur
Business Hours: 11.00am to 12.00am (midnight)

Terminal Pahlawan (next to Hatten Hotel), Malacca
Business Hours: 10.00am to 10.30pm

IOI Mall Puchong (New Wing, Main Entrance), Selangor
Business Hours: 10am to 10.30pm

Lot 10 Shopping Centre
Business Hours: 10am - 10pm

1 Utama Shopping Centre (Old Wing, facing open air carpark)
Business Hours: 10am to 10pm

Mid Valley Megamall (Third Floor, near GSC Cinemas)
Business Hours: 10am - 10pm

Sunway Velocity Mall 
Business Hours: 10am - 10pm

Kuantan City Mall 
Business Hours: 10am - 10pm

Johor Bahru City Square Mall 
Business Hours: 10am - 10pm

Imago Shopping Mall (Kota Kinabalu), Sabah
Business Hours: 10am to 10.30pm

Vivacity Megamall, Kuching
Business Hours: 10am - 10pm

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*This is an invited food tasting session however all opinions stated are 100% mine*