New York's first ever cereal cafe review: A corporate rip-off from Kellogg’s

Celebrated pastry chef Christina Tosi said she likes to cook ‘with limitations’ - but this cereal cafe might be crossing the line

Chef Tosi said her creations ranged from 'docile' to 'big and bold' (The Independent)

It’s hard to believe I’m sitting opposite Christina Tosi, the face of Masterchef and the 35-year-old entrepreneur and founder of Momufuku Milk Bar.

But we’re not chatting in the bakery that the professionally trained pastry chef opened seven years ago to great acclaim.

Instead, we are sat in a bright white-tiled shop just off Times Square, where there is nothing but Kellogg’s cereals on the menu - the first cereal cafe in New York City.

“I wanted to make sure there was different flavors and profiles and preferences,” Ms Tosi says.

There are ten “dishes” to choose from, created by Chef Tosi, featuring every millennial’s favorite - Honey Smacks, Rice Crispies, Special K and Corn Pops - along with an option called “Raid the Pantry” where diners can select their own mix. Some of the flavour combinations are unusual, like pistachio and lemon, and peaches and chai tea.

“I find that I create best when I give myself limitations,” adds Ms Tosi.

My buzzer lights up with a number, and I walk over to the corresponding gleaming red cabinet and take out my bag of cereal, cutlery and milk.

The new Kellogg's store by Times Square has a five-year lease (The Independent)

My small order of The Corny Blues costs $6.50. It consists of Corn Pops, blueberry jam, lemon zest and a pinch of salt.

My colleague ordered the small Honey Buzz sundae for $8.50, complete with blue marble ice cream, Honey Smacks, honey, toasted pecans and banana chips with ice cream.

Between the two dishes, tax and a tip, you’re looking at a bill close to $20. As Ms Tosi explains, there is nothing here that you can’t find in the grocery store.

But it might cost you a lot more than your normal shop-up.

The aim, she says, as with every chef, is “to feed people” and to “reach as many people as possible”.

Wouldn’t it only be appealing to millennials, and even more specific than that, younger millennials who have a considerable amount of disposable income?

Christina Tosi speaks to The Independent (The Independent)

“It’s for anyone who is interested in food, and for anyone who is curious about food,” the founder of cereal milk ice cream replies.

The cereal does not disappoint - it tastes of cereal. Although I'm fairly confident I could make this myself at home, I acknowledge this bowl does look slightly more appealing than my usual Raisin Bran.

It also provides food for thought. Thoughts that cereal can be marketed as successfully as any other swanky restaurant and that twenty-somethings and tourists can be persuaded to buy anything.

The whole milk, locally sourced, has turned blue in my bowl from the blueberry jam. I am hungry, and tempted to lift the bowl and drain all the milk into my millennial mouth. But a sense of decorum makes me hesitate.

Ms Tosi says she can envisage the outlet being well-suited at an airport, for travelers who might be a bit hungry but don't want a cheeseburger. Fair enough.

Yet after all that talk of “explosions of flavour’, “big and bold”, and “inspiration”, I was left starting at an empty bowl of Corn Pops.