Munchi Pancakes Review: Chunky Charcoal And Matcha Min Jiang Kueh From $1.60

Munchi Pancakes has loaded min jiang kueh

If you’re an Instagram foodie, Munchi Pancakes’ colourful and chunky min jiang kueh should have crossed your feed at some point. Despite being a Northie myself, I never visited the store, which was growing in popularity, especially on social media. Thus, I decided to make my way down to see whether these snacks were worth the hype.

A hearty chunk of fragrant peanut min jiang kueh means a comforting breakfast to me. Munchi Pancakes’ is home to min jiang kueh in three crust flavours, namely Original, Charcoal, and Matcha. You can also pick between Peanut, Coconut, and Red Bean fillings to go with your pancake. Being an ardent fan of the kueh, I had to try all three flavours and fillings.

Food At Munchi Pancakes

Our min jiang kueh, priced at $1.60 each, came rather chunky—good for that colourful IG-worthy shot when stacked up.

I went for the most eye-catching Charcoal Min Jiang Kueh paired with Coconut filling, which sported an intense orange hue for a visually dramatic treat. The dense crust offered some bite as I chomped on it, and I was delighted to find that the kueh was moist and fluffy. Min jiang kueh, when done wrong, tends to be rubbery, yet Munchi Pancakes’ version offered just the right amount of chewiness.

Wedged liberally between the min jiang kueh, the flaky coconut filling gave a punch of sweetness and an extra crunch. The combination of crisp, sugared coconut and soft crust resembled the flavours and textures of tutu kueh.

Going for yet another unique flavour, I went for the Green Tea Min Jiang Kueh with some Red Bean filling. Boasting the same soft, chewy texture as its charcoal counterpart, the matcha min jiang kueh had an additional kick of rich, fragrant earthiness from the matcha.

This went especially well with the red bean filling, which pandered on the sweeter side. While it was slightly sugary for my liking, the red bean was a smooth paste free of mushiness. The pairing of these flavours reminded me of matcha azuki desserts offered in Japanese eateries.

No discussion about min jiang kueh is complete without mentioning the peanut classic. The marriage of sweet and salty notes from the Peanut filling, along with the chewy Original Min Jiang Kueh and crunchy peanut, gave a delightful party of flavours and textures. All in all, this was a hearty peanut min jiang kueh.

Apart from min jiang kueh, Munchi Pancakes is also home to Western-inspired pancakes that come in an array of fillings. Typically, you can pick between Charcoal, Matcha, and Original flavours for your Munchi Pancake (from $1.80) as well. Unfortunately, the charcoal and matcha pancakes were unavailable during our visit, and we had to make do with the original ones.

I tore the palm-sized Thai Milk Tea Munchi Pancake ($2.20) apart to find its liquidy, dark orange filling flow out. Encased in the fluffy, pillowy soft pancake was a Thai milk tea filling which we found slightly cloying.

Similarly, the Matcha Munchi Pancake ($2.20) came with a filling which was also a tad too sweet. If you are a fan of Thai green milk tea and like your desserts really sugary, this pancake flavour might just be your thing.

Straying away from tea flavours, I decided to also give the Strawberry Cheese Munchi Pancake ($2.20) a go as well. The strawberry cheese filling was much firmer than the moltenmatcha and Thai milk tea ones. Hints of tanginess from the cheese underlay the dominant sugariness of artificial strawberry flavour.

Ambience at Munchi Pancakes

Munchi Pancakes is situated at the spacious Yishun Park Hawker Centre, well protected from the heat to allow for a comfortable meal. However, being a 10-minute bus ride away from Yishun MRT Station, it is rather inconvenient.

Do note that the Yishun stall is currently closed for renovations, but you can visit the brand’s other outlets, including Our Tampines Hub, Senja Hawker Centre, Anchorvale Village Hawker Centre and more. Check out their full list of locations!

The verdict

Munchi Pancakes does get their min jiang kueh right, and for just $1.20, it is considerably generous in size. Unfortunately, their Munchi pancakes were quite the miss, their cloying fillings making them difficult to finish. If you’re looking to visit, go just for the min jiang kueh, and get their Munchi pancakes only if you have a really sweet tooth.

If matcha sweets entice you, check out our guide to the best matcha desserts in Singapore. Otherwise, we also have a ranked guide to the best matcha powder to buy!

Address: 51 Yishun Avenue 11, #01-43, Yishun Park Hawker Centre, Singapore 768867
Opening hours: Daily 8am to 8:30pm (closed till 27 October 2024)
Website
Munchi Pancakes is a halal-certified eatery.

Photos taken by Hay Thi.
This is an independent review by Eatbook.sg.