KKI Sweets Dessert Studio

KKI Sweets Dessert Studio

Yusuke Shimura is an artist and the director of Fuwari Art Forest, a contemporary art project and art-residency based in Narita-city, near Narita International Airport, Japan.

Yusuke Shimura grew up in Narita and has been traveling globally to create and exhibit his art for the past 15 years. In 2014, he returned to Narita and noticed the closing of 8 elementary schools, all at the same time. That got him thinking about the vanishing sounds of children and the fond memories he had growing up in his hometown. He embarked on this project to preserve the sights and sounds of children in Narita and to form a new DREAM.

There are no cake stands or fancy display cases at this Japanese-inspired patisserie. Images of its desserts are also deliberately left out on its menu. To choose, diners have to rely solely on the description – and their imagination.

This is the latest iteration of Kki Sweets, a homegrown cake shop that began its journey in 2009 at Ann Siang Hill before moving to the School of the Arts. But the lack of footfall brought in little business. “We had no choice but to cut our losses,” says co-owner Delphine Liau. “And hope to return someday.”

That comeback has finally happened, and Kki now has a brand new space along Seah Street to call home. It marks a new beginning for Delphine and her husband, Kenneth Seah. For one, Kki functions less like a regular bakery and more like a dessert restaurant. It works on a reservation-only basis, and diners have to choose what they want to order beforehand. It helps the husband-wife duo better manage the crowd (the space can only seat some 15 diners with safe distancing), and prevent wastage by preparing only what is required.