SunnyHills

1st saw SunnyHills during Takashimaya Mooncake Fair but did not try its Sunny Delights, that is, pineapple cakes as I was focused only on mooncakes. Heard rave reviews of how delicious the pineapple was and decided to pop by Raffles Hotel Shopping Arcade one weekend afternoon. Located on the 3rd floor in a quiet corner, a sign at its entrance where eatery's menu would usually be placed read "Our Treat. Enjoy a cup of tea. Try our gourmet pineapple cake". Walking into the quaint little place with cement walls and floor, I noticed a big dining table carved out of a single tree right smack in the centre flanked by Atomi's Hiroshima chairs by Maruni. In the front corners just like a courtyard of someone's home were plants, bicycles and a bench with stools which could double as coffee tables. Felt at home with the warm hospitality of cheerful staff and magazines to read as I sat down with mostly Japanese customers, some of whom are tourists, and a few locals.

Brown boxes of 5s, 10s and 20s (10s, 15s and 20s during Chinese New Year) were neatly stacked on metal shelves behind a counter of timber strips at the back where staff prepared pineapple cakes and tea, took orders and processed purchases. A bright sticker was pasted on every box bound with a dark brown elastic band, and printed with the "baked" and "best by" dates. And I could see the pineapple cakes, made in Taiwan and air flown here, were indeed freshly baked with no preservatives. Inside the box, overlapping dark brown (same shade as the elastic band) jagged paper covered the individually wrapped cakes and two cards. One was a thoughtful gift card for customers who were buying it as a gift or souvenir and the other explained that the pineapples were grown naturally, organically and sun-ripened on the Ba Gua Mountain in the Nantou County of Taiwan. Other ingredients include premium New Zealand butter, Japanese gourmet flour and eggs from a Taiwanese farm.

Tearing the rice-paper-like packaging at the arrow along the red line, I could smell a nice aroma of butter that did not overwhelm in the brick-like pineapple cake with a crisp crust which crumbled with bite and melted in the mouth. Its filling was a well balance of taste and texture – just the right amount of sweetness with a tinge of tartness, chunky and fibrous. Hard to stop at one though it seemed large, each piece packed with a good 200 calories would make a tasty teatime snack to curb hunger pangs before dinner. There was a faint aroma of tea leaves in the clear golden brew of organic Oolong Tea, its limited edition of Spring Tea – light with a pleasant aftertaste, refreshing and soothing at the same time. Simply loved how everything came well together, so perfect that I bought a box (nothing more as it expires in three weeks) to savour at home and it came in a linen carrier with natural texture. Also suitable for vegetarians who take dairy and egg products, and halal certified.

Update: It has moved to Takashimaya.