final draft

KOI (“Kids of Ike”)
The creations that come out of Ryde’s KOI Dessert Kitchen
are situated on the cusp of modernist art, bringing an
avant-garde twist to the culinary scene. It’s food as
experimentation. As a way to manipulate textures and push
past boundaries. As reinvention of what desserts look, feel,
and taste like.
Inside, it is bright and open; elegantly furnished. The
desserts are displayed along a marble countertop, ranging
from fruity naked tarts to the intricately decorated, multicoloured
jars. Seeing them arranged into neat rows,
waiting for purchase, is a sight to behold.
The co-founder of KOI, Reynold Poernomo, is sitting with
us in a venue that operates as a café and a classroom, a
space where patrons can enjoy both the creation and the
consumption of food. Behind us, in the large industrial
kitchen, there’s an occasional clatter of trays as KOI’s
dessert chefs glaze their famous mango-yuzu cakes
and popcorn mousses. The intricacy of these desserts
is reminiscent of the dishes served by Reynold himself
as a contestant in the MasterChef kitchen of Season 7 –
pleasing to look at, equally enjoyable to taste. Since then,
Reynold’s name has become almost synonymous with
Sydney’s vibrant and innovative dessert scene.
“I can’t take all the credit for myself, that’s for sure,”
Reynold says about his rise to the top. His eyes move
towards the kitchen where his mother, Ike Malada, is
working alongside the other chefs.
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