Humble Beginnings

Jan 2013

As of November 2012, Straits Quay adds another eatery to their growing portfolio. This time, it’s a place called Humble Beginnings that specialises in the French cake made out of layers of delicately thin pancakes, fresh cream and vanilla custard called mille crepes. In English, the word mille means a thousand and crepe is the very thin pancake the French created. Together, its name of mille crepes – pronounced as ‘mil crape’ – describes what it actually is.

Despite the name Humble Beginnings, the dessert it serves is far from humble in terms of quality and flavours. Born five years ago as an e-business where people can order any one of the eight flavours of whole mille crepes they offered then. Today, they offer their increasingly popular mille crepes in slices of around 18 flavours in Humble Beginnings cafes nationwide.

Part of the unique flavours offered in their newly opened cheery white and butterscotch hued café in Penang, with large abstract drawings of tulips on one wall, are Swiss Chocolate, Raspberry Cheese Yogurt, Reese’s Cups, Peanut Butter Blueberry and the lightly tangy Lemon Cream Cheese. Each seems more sinful than the last and each offers a different experience for your palate.


French Vanilla mille crepe

Now, luckily for us, Humble Beginnings allows tastings before you commit to one particular flavour. While deciding, you’ll notice the certainty with which they serve you. And part of this certainty stems from being sure of the quality of their product which is made out of only fresh ingredients, real cream and with absolutely no preservatives. Therefore, the shelf life of their 20-layered mille crepes is five days and must be kept chilled. However, do note that a crepe has the tendency to absorb moisture and you might notice dryness by the time the fifth day dawns.

If mille crepes on its own doesn’t satisfy you, there are toppings to be had. And this is especially so when a whole mille crepes is ordered. Dressing it up with oreo cookies, cream or a combination of fruits will merely cost you a small fee. You can browse through their website for these choices, to order online and to find out pickup points unless you want their delivery service for a mere RM10-RM15 ringgit depending on distance.

While a whole mille crepes is RM92, a normal sized one is RM72, a slice of it is only RM9.90+. Humble Beginnings plans to have mille crepes and drink pairing menu for the near future but right now, it’s an idea to pair a mille crepes of your choice with their refined and toasty Musetti brewed coffee or a cool, bespoke concoction of Italian sodas. Su Aziz