Delights Await at Toto by Chi Chi

Phnom Penh's new sensational cafe has opened its doors for half a year now and has already opened its second store. Toto by Chi Chi, a cafe & totory, is known for minimal infrastructure, but once you step in it, a whole new world of capybaras takes over. The first store, located in BKK1, opened its doors at the beginning of this year, followed by the second store in Sen Sok just a few days ago.

After waiting to try the BKK1 branch for so long, I was elated to find out the store has spread its wings closer to my district. The cafe itself was not spacious like popular brands such as Brown and Starbucks, but it was rather cozy, though some would say stuffy. As I walked through the doors, I was greeted by not only the kind staff but also the loud buzzing atmosphere of young adults. As I went to put in my order, I noticed the amount of capybara-stuffed animals that practically filled the room from corner to corner. From huge kid-sized capybaras to miniature keychain-sized ones, this cafe had them all. They, of course, also sold capybara figurines, with the price ranging from $7 to $15. Another cool feature about this store is that they had a printing machine; though not as cool as a photo booth, I was still able to print out some digital memories into physical ones.

Toto by Chi Chi is most commonly known for their cute desserts and creative drinks. Specifically, their jelly rabbit and the wide variety of mochi flavors they had in store. During my visit, I was delighted to see that one coconut jelly rabbit was still left, and out of the few mochi flavors still available, I chose the mango flavor. As for my drink, I ordered the cafe's signature latte with 20% sugar. They rang me up, and my total came up to 15 dollars, pretty pricey nonetheless in Cambodia.

This is one of the cafes where you need to pick up the food yourself, but after waiting for a while I never heard my queue get called, but when I went to the pick-up station, my food was just sitting there. I did not mind it though because there were only three staff working, and it was pretty busy for a Thursday afternoon.

Alas, I was finally able to try the treats I've been waiting for. The jelly rabbit was served with a strawberry syrup, which complimented the bland jelly itself. It had a silken tofu-like texture but tasted like panna cotta, which I personally found overbearing as I continued to eat. However, it was really cute, especially in how it wobbled. Next up, the mango mochi. The mochi is nothing like the traditional azuki-filled mochi's you would find in Japan; instead, they were filled with whipped cream and fresh mango encased in a glutonious rice cake. I really enjoyed this mochi after the jelly rabbit because it had the perfect amount of fruit and sweetness, and above all, it was very light. The latte, however, was not anything special, but they perfectly captured how I like 20% sugar to taste.

I understand the hype this cafe gets, but I don't think I'll be visiting again any time soon. The desserts were great but the loud atmosphere definetley bothered me. Perhaps in a few months the popularity will calm down, and it won't feel so discomforting, but that's not the cafe's fault. In fact, I'm very happy for this cafe to have booming business, and hopefully they'll keep coming out with yummier and newer treats.

-Jan. C

*All pictures taken from Toto by Chi Chi's official Facebook page*