The new bakery, which was officially opened on a Sunday, the 27th of April 2014, welcomed their customers to visit the newly renovated place (formerly Maxim's) and to sample their bread and pastries on the opening day.
There is much reason for Chipmonky to be proud with their products; which hailed all the way from Portugal as the owners are excited to introduce their specialities in bread, cakes, pastries from the country. It would definitely be a first; as the closest we have probably gotten to with Portuguese pastries were the famous egg tarts, and with a whole bakery dedicated to making all these specialties from Portugal, it is something Penangites can look forward to.
While I was not there on the opening day, I dropped by on the following Sunday in the evening and it was fortunate I did, as I had the opportunity to meet up with one of the friendly owner; Luis, and his wife, Fatima.
Started by Luis and his Malaysian friend as a joint venture, Chipmonky strives to deliver the best cakes and pastries with most of their ingredients being imported from Portugal, and their products are guaranteed to be fresh every day; a promise that they made to keep up the reputation of this trendy new bakery.
It was his passion for baking which led Luis to take the step to move towards owning this bakery, following his stay in Malaysia for the past two years. As they were deciding on the location for their first outlet, Luis knew that he would want it to be in Penang, an island which stole his heart during his stay here since he moved from Portugal and it would be the perfect location, close to home.
There would be further plans to expand their business, of course, and the owners are definitely pumped with energy and enthusiasm to make Chipmonky a success.
The shop was still undergoing minor renovations; all proudly done by Luis and his team while simultaneously keeping the shop up with the daily operations since its opening. Minor touch ups and re-design can be seen in the shop, which was formerly a Maxim's bakery, to inject a fresh image and an identity which is truly Chipmonky's very own.
It is interesting to note that there were many cakes, pastries and even bread available in the outlet; many of which are unique and branded as Chipmonky's very own creations.
Chipmonky had even started to take orders for their cakes, and Luis was busy delivering and making cakes for his customers; which is definitely a promising start to the bakery which was only opened a week ago.
I was there in the evening on a Sunday, and many of their items were already sold out by the time I was there. Luis took his time to share with me his story, and also introduced the famous items from his country.
The famous Portuguese Egg Tarts were one of their recommended items; priced at MYR2.80 each
Portuguese Chocolate Muffins (MYR6.80)
Portuguese Homemade Rice Cakes
Started by Luis and his Malaysian friend as a joint venture, Chipmonky strives to deliver the best cakes and pastries with most of their ingredients being imported from Portugal, and their products are guaranteed to be fresh every day; a promise that they made to keep up the reputation of this trendy new bakery.
It was his passion for baking which led Luis to take the step to move towards owning this bakery, following his stay in Malaysia for the past two years. As they were deciding on the location for their first outlet, Luis knew that he would want it to be in Penang, an island which stole his heart during his stay here since he moved from Portugal and it would be the perfect location, close to home.
There would be further plans to expand their business, of course, and the owners are definitely pumped with energy and enthusiasm to make Chipmonky a success.
The shop was still undergoing minor renovations; all proudly done by Luis and his team while simultaneously keeping the shop up with the daily operations since its opening. Minor touch ups and re-design can be seen in the shop, which was formerly a Maxim's bakery, to inject a fresh image and an identity which is truly Chipmonky's very own.
It is interesting to note that there were many cakes, pastries and even bread available in the outlet; many of which are unique and branded as Chipmonky's very own creations.
Chipmonky had even started to take orders for their cakes, and Luis was busy delivering and making cakes for his customers; which is definitely a promising start to the bakery which was only opened a week ago.
I was there in the evening on a Sunday, and many of their items were already sold out by the time I was there. Luis took his time to share with me his story, and also introduced the famous items from his country.
The famous Portuguese Egg Tarts were one of their recommended items; priced at MYR2.80 each
Portuguese Chocolate Muffins (MYR6.80)
Portuguese Homemade Rice Cakes
We bought their recommended items; which were reputed to be famous in Portugal and proudly Chipmonky's.
The Portuguese Egg Tart was truly one that was rich with the dense egg custard and firm yet flaky crust. It does not crumble easily, and was a delightful treat; unique from the usual Portuguese egg tarts we get. Well, one can definitely raise the bar when this is made by a Portuguese himself, right?
The other item which Chipmonky is proud of, is the Portuguese Sponge Cake.
Gigantic in size compared to the usual sponge cake, this version packs a soft fluffy version of the usual sponge cake but with a sweet sticky cream in it as well.
According to Luis, the weight of the sponge cake can determine the amount of cream in the cake. Some may prefer more of the cream, while some may not want too much of the cream which can be deemed to be a little too sweet.
Generally, the Portuguese have a sweet tooth which can make most of their pastries a little sweeter than that of the local Malaysian taste.
Luis is aware of that and he is customizing his pastries to suit the local taste; while at the same time maintaining the authenticity of the Portuguese origins.
Chipmonky do take orders for cakes, and you can bring your desired designs or photos to the shop to request for the cake to be designed to your preference.
Prices may appear to be slightly on the high side, but this is due to the fresh and imported high-quality ingredients from Portugal, Belgium, and other countries in alignment with Chipmonky's mission to deliver the best for their customers.
With a unique, not to mention catchy name like Chipmonky and the interesting arrival of Portuguese pastries to our shores, it would be definitely something to entice the taste buds of the Penangites.
After all, Penang island is the first location selected by the owners to introduce this interesting spread all the way from Portugal, and that is indeed something we ought to be proud of :-)
I look forward to the success of Chipmonky, for hail Penangites, we have something different to look out for in our local bakeries!~
(With Luis on the right, my special thanks for his time in explaining and sharing about his passion and pastries)
Note:
This is not a sponsored post and I am not affiliated with Chipmonky.
This is based on my personal experience and opinion.
