Castella cakes are extremely popular in Taiwan and the hype has recently been brought over to Singapore shores since the arrival of Le Castella and Ah Mah Homemade Cake. Taiwan’s Original Cake is the latest Castella cake shop to open in Singapore.

For those who have not been keeping up with this craze, Castella cakes are actually extremely soft and bouncy Japanese sponge cakes that are moist on the inside. These cakes are usually made from simple ingredients such as flour, eggs, sugar and starch syrup. Put the ingredients to bake and the result is one fluffy, jiggly Castella cake.

While the waiting time may sound totally absurd to some (be prepared to queue more than an hour), there are many who are willing to queue for hours just to have a taste of the sponge cakes. We braved the crowd and tried them personally in search for the best Castella cake in Singapore.

AH MAH HOMEMADE CAKE

Joining the local food scene three months after Le Castella opened in Singapore, Ah Mah Homemade Cake originated from Malaysia. They currently have two outlets in Singapore and you can find them at Bukit Panjang Plaza and VivoCity.

Waiting time was about 1.5 hours on a weekday morning and each customer is limited to only two boxes and you can choose between two flavours—original and cheese.

The taste is what we would expect of a Castella cake but there was no x-factor which particularly impressed us. In comparison, we prefer the original flavour as the cheese version was too light for our liking.

Fluffiness: 4/5
Sweetness: 3/5
Overall Taste: 3/5
Total: 10/15

ANTOINETTE

Antoinette is among the most popular names in Singapore for sophisticated bakes and sweets. It has recently introduced a castella cake range that is nothing short of well received among Singaporeans.

Apart from the default “original” flavour, Antoinette is out to win the game with interesting renditions; think Ondeh Ondeh, Earl Grey with Cheese and Nutella. There is a total of 6 flavours and the classic Antoinette Earl Grey is our pick—so fragrant in every bite. The Ondeh Ondeh flavour comes close, though it resembles a Pandan Cake more and we almost couldn’t taste the gula melaka.

Fluffiness: 2.5/5
Sweetness: 4/5
Overall Taste: 3.5/5
Total: 10/15

LE CASTELLA

Le Castella is a popular brand in Taiwan. Famous for their rendition of the Japanese Castella cake that features a cheese flavour. It is no surprise that this version is well-received given the many hours that people are willing to queue for just to get their hands on these fluffy cakes.

The Original Castella cake from Le Castella boasts a fluffy and moist texture that is further accentuated by a strong aroma of freshly cooked eggs. In terms of taste, we felt that it resembled that of a steamed egg cake you would typically find at dim sum restaurants—nothing spectacular.

The Cheese version, on the other hand, fared much better. We liked that the thin layer of cheese gave it a nice hit of saltiness and richness.

The sweetness of Le Castella’s cake is pretty mild and there really is not much flavour apart from the subtle taste of egg. If anything, this Castella cake did well texturally—it was truly the fluffiest cake out of the three Castella cakes listed in this guide.

Fluffiness: 5/5
Sweetness: 3/5
Overall Taste: 3.5/5
Total: 11.5/15

TAIWAN’S ORIGINAL CAKE

Original Cake is a well-known bakery from Taipei that specialises in Castella cakes. Other than the Original Castella Cake, they also have two other flavours—Golden Cheese and Frozen Chocolate.

Having only been established in 2010, they already have four outlets in Taiwan and eight outlets around Malaysia (3 in Penang, 3 in Klang Valley, 1 in Putrajaya and 1 in Johor Bahru); this is a true testament to their success and outstanding Castella cakes.

The Frozen Chocolate Castella Cake introduces HERSHEY’s dark semi-sweet baking chocolate chips in the mix. The end result is a decadent Castella cake that brims with chocolatey goodness. The use of dark chocolate also provides a depth of flavour without being overly sweet—which means health nuts can enjoy this treat as well!

Fluffiness: 4.5/5
Sweetness: 3/5
Overall Taste: 4/5
Total: 11.5/15

BEST CASTELLA CAKE IN SINGAPORE

Overall, Le Castelle and Taiwan’s Original Cake edge out slightly in terms of the fluffiness of the cake. After all, a good Castella cake should be fluffy and jiggly. Antoinette’s Castella cakes have interesting flavours but they are not as fluffy as the other two Castella cakes.

No matter which Castella cake you are trying, do eat it while it is still fresh and warm as this bouncy baked treat tends to deflate and become rather dry if left to sit for too long.

Would this be the start of a Castella cake trend in Singapore? Well, we wouldn’t be too surprised if other local players jump on the bandwagon to introduce their own versions of Castella cakes in the near future.

This guide to Singapore’s best macarons was last updated on 4 April 2015.

What’s there not to love about macarons? Two light and crisp cookie shells sandwiching ganache, jam or buttercream filling – it is the ultimate indulgence for dessert lovers. There is just something irresistible about macarons.

Here is our guide on where to get the best macarons in Singapore.

ANTOINETTE PATISSERIE

Antoinette Patisserie by Chef Pang Kok Keong - one of the most talented pastry chefs in Singapore – is among our favourite dessert spots in town. Beyond its array of beautiful cakes, Antoinette is also known for its delicious macarons which are available in 12 flavours. Our top picks are their antoinette (earl grey tea with chocolate), chloe and rose macarons.

Price: S$2.50/pc, S$16.05/box of 6

333A Orchard Road
#02-33/34, Mandarin Gallery
Tel: +65 6836 9527
Daily: 11am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Orchard

Topped with fresh fruits, a scoop of ice cream, and a dollop of whipped cream, a good waffle is something that you can eat everyday. Here is our guide on where to get the best waffles in Singapore.

BONHEUR PATISSERIE

Over at Bonheur Patisserie, you can find more than 20 flavours, including Thai iced tea, baileys, rose, and salted caramel. Bonheur Patisserie offers more macarons during the weekend, so if you ever find yourself at Grandstand for brunch, remember to drop by Pasar Bella to grab some macarons.

Price: S$3/pc, S$27/box of 10.

Bonheur Patisserie’s macaron is listed in our guide to Singapore’s 50 Must-try Desserts.

200 Turf Club Road
#02-06 Pasarbella
The Grandstand
Tel: +65 6466 1498
Mon to Thu: 10am – 8pm
Fri to Sun: 10am – 8.30pm
Nearest Station: Clementi/Botanic Gardens

BOUFE

A new cafe at Phoenix Park, Boufe – which combines boutique and cafe – is a beautiful white space with both indoor and al fresco seating.

It has a small range of desserts such as Opera Cake (S$7), Strawberry Shortcake (S$8), Citron Tart (S$5.50), Tiramisu (S$6.50), as well as Macarons (S$3.30). Everything is baked freshly on premise every day.

The macarons are offered in eight flavours – Hazelnut, Strawberry, Cream Cheese Raspberry, Lemon, Pistachio, Salted Caramel, Chocolate, and Chocolate Blueberry.

Price: S$3.30/pc

308 Tanglin Road
Phoenix Park #01-01
Tel: +65 6734 7656
Tue to Sun: 10am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Redhill/Orcahrd

ET ARTISAN SWEETS

A little patisserie which made its name for offering some of the best macarons in town. ET Artisan Sweets used to be located in a quiet residential neighbourhood at Holland Grove, but it has since moved to a bigger stage at Grand Stand (formerly known as Turf City) where you can enjoy its selection of cakes and macarons in the cafe.

The macarons are available in classic flavours like Rose, Salty Caramel, Chocolate, as well as seasonal flavours such as Yuzu, Black Sesame and Pumpkin Spice.

Price: S$2.50/pc, S$15/box of 6, S$48/box of 24.

ET Artisan Sweets’ macaron is listed in our guide to Singapore’s 50 Must-try Desserts.

200 Turf Club Road
The Grandstand #01-35A
Tel: +65 6468 6700
Mon to Sat: 9am – 7pm
Nearest Station: Clementi/Botanic Gardens

LADURÉE PATISSERIE

Undoubtedly one of the most famous patisseries in the world, Ladurée is synonymous with macarons, and many loyal fans of this famed Parisian macaron shop were delighted when it opened in Singapore last year.

Ladurée Singapore carries 15 flavours at the two locations in Takashimaya. In addition, you can also find nougat, chocolates and a range of Ladurée merchandise.

Price: S$3.80/pc, S$30.40/box of 8.

#02-09, Takashimaya Shopping Centre
391 Orchard Road
Tel: +65 6884 7361
Daily: 10am – 9.30pm
Nearest Station: Orchard

If you have a sweet tooth, and constantly looking out for new places to go for desserts, read our guide to Singapore’s best dessert places where we feature the top patisseries, cake shops, and bakeries.

PATISSERIE G

From cakes, to eclairs, croissants, chocolate truffles and macarons, Patisserie G produces exquisite top quality French pastries. It is impossible to find something that you do not like.

While Patisserie G may not be the first name that comes to mind when thinking of this Parisian sweet treat, their macarons are certainly good enough for you to make a trip to Millenia Walk. The macaron flavours include butter chocolate, olive, lychee rose, green tea & cherry, and passionfruit coconut.

Price: S$3/pc, S$18/box of 7, S$36/box of 14

9 Raffles Boulevard
#01-40 Millenia Walk
Tel: +65 6338 7578
Mon to Fri: 7.30am – 10pm
Sat & Sun: 10.30am – 9pm
Nearest Station: Promenade/Esplanade

SWEETSPOT

This patisserie by Marina Bay Sands Hotel has remarkably good cakes, pastries, chocolates, and macarons. Not only are the desserts prepared to a high standard, they are also consistently good.

The macarons available at Sweetspot include Salted Caramel, Pistachio, Strawberry Basil, Coffee, but our favourites are Raspberry and Passionfruit.

Price: S$2.70/pc, S$14/box of 6, S$25/box of 12

10 Bayfront Avenue Lobby Level
Tower 3 Marina Bay Sands
Tel: +65 6688 8588
Daily: 7am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Bayfront

TWG TEA SALON

For unique tea-based macarons, go to TWG Tea Salon, a homegrown brand which has expanded to many countries over the past few years. While its repertoire of premium brews is the highlight, you should also not miss their tea-infused macarons.

Since launching its original range of eight tea-infused macarons back in 2007 – which include the popular Napoleon tea & caramel, and bain de rose tea macarons - TWG has added two new creations, its matcha, and vanilla bourbon tea & kaya macaron last year.

Price: S$2/pc, S$12/box of 6

#02-21, ION Orchard
2 Orchard Turn
Tel: +65 6735 1837
Daily: 10am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Orchard

Antoinette is a Parisian style tea salon, helmed by chef Pang Kok Keong, who is arguably one of the most talented pastry chefs in Singapore. His fourth outlet at Palais Renaissance, Le Jardin d’Antoinette, is modelled after Versailles’s expansive outdoor garden. It is the perfect place to go with your girlfriends to enjoy a quiet afternoon.

I’ve tried the whole collection at Antoinette’s, and below is a complete guide to their cakes.

Let me eat cake.

From front to back: Violette, Versailles, Charlotte.

Violette ($8.50)

Our cake party started with the Violette, which consists of violet buttercream, violet flower cake and homemade raspberry marmalade. Dense yet not too heavy, it’s a very cake-y cake. I love the smell of the violette extract which perfumes the cake sponge, akin to rose with a tinge of raspberry.

Versailles ($9.0)

We also had the Versailles, a simple flourless chocolate sponge with 58% dark chocolate. While the flavour was intense, we liked the fact that it was not too overwhelming.

Charlotte ($8.50)

Named after Chef Pang’s older daughter, Charlotte — as its name suggests — is a princess-y cake made up of finger sponge soaked with strawberry syrup, strawberry jelly, and a plain vanilla cake base.

Le Royale ($8.0)

Le Royale, one of the most popular cakes at Antoinette, is also something not to be missed. If you like chocolate and hazelnut, this is definitely a winner.

Saint Honore L’amour ($8.50)

Easily the prettiest cake on Antoinette’s dessert menu, Saint Honore L’amour is a choux pastry filled with rose petal cream, and accompanied by strawberry compote, fresh raspberry, and adorned with fresh rose petals. Light, smooth and easy on the palate.

Antoinette ($9.0)

The namesake creation, an earl grey tea chocolate cake, is one of my favourite desserts. Trust me on this, it is that good. If this is your first time trying their cakes, you cannot leave the French patisserie without having it.

Strawberry Baba ($8.0)

One of the few desserts that I do not enjoy is the Strawberry Baba – which comprise strawberry baba baba pastry, citrus rum syrup, vanilla crème chantilly – as I find it to be an acquired taste.

From bottom clockwise: Kyoto, Chloe, Framboisier.

Kyoto ($9.0)

A very Japanese-esque cake. I liked that the chestnut cremeux was very light, and it added a nice finish to the green tea mascarpone mousse,

Chloe ($9.0)

One of the newest additions to Antoinette’s repertoire, Chloe is the latest crowd pleaser. After trying the cake, it is easy to understand why. The combination of yuzu cremeux, white chocolate vanilla mousse, light sponge cake and almond sable was brilliant. The Chloe is definitely one of the must-try cakes at Antoinette.

Framboisier ($8.50)

Antoinette’s take on cheesecake. The graham cracker crust is usually at the base of the cheesecake, but in this instance, Chef Pang has opted to place the crumble cubes on top cream cheese vanilla mousse cake. All in all, it is a very pleasant rendition – you can’t go wrong with it.

Mont blanc ($8.50)

If you like chestnut, you should go for the Mont Blanc. For me, it is decent, but with so many other choices, I would probably not opt for this. That said, I am not a big fan of the chestnut dessert, so don’t take my word for it.

From front to back: Religieuse Café Caramel, Tarte exotique.

Religieuse Café Caramel ($8.00)

This is the profiterole version of chocolate éclair. Essentially, it is a fluffy and light choux pastry filled with coffee cream. A chocolate dome filled with caramel sits atop on the choux pastry, and it provides a good balance to the bitter coffee taste.

Tarte exotique ($8.50)

If I were to simply describe the tarte exotique, it would be: Mediterranean with a local twist. This tart has many interesting and contrasting flavours like almond tart, gula Melaka cremeux, finger sponge with gula melaka, coconut mousse, exotique coulis – which managed to come together very harmoniously.

Strawberry shortcake ($8.0)

Fans of Japanese strawberry shortcake will be happy to see it on Antoinette’s menu. That said, while I have included it in my list of the best strawberry shortcakes in Singapore, I think it is good, but not extraordinary.

Forbidden fruit ($9.0)

The forbidden fruit is unanimously our favourite pick of the lot. This is a reconstructed apple tart in the form of a cake. Built with a financier cake base, green apple mousse, maple cremeux, vanilla caramel apple slices and green apply jelly; it tastes as good (or even better) than it looks.

Antoinette
390 Orchard Road
#B1-08/09/10C Palais Renaissance
Tel: +65 6735 6392
Daily: 11am to 10pm
Note: This was an invited media tasting.

Wow. Another year just passed by like that. This year was a big one, and I couldn’t have done it without you guys. Thank you for being here.

I ate a lot last year, and I managed to travel quite a bit as well. Like what I always say, travelling is just an excuse for me to eat more. So I’m not surprised that some of the best meals that I had last year were during my travels.

To be frank, it’s quite difficult to impress my jaded palate nowadays. You see, the problem of having too much good food is you will always have a benchmark to compare against, and this will lead you on a (never-ending) quest for something equally good, if not better – which is often quite impossible.

Thankfully, I’ve had several really good meals throughout the past 365 days, and I hope that I’ll be able to share with you more good food this time next year.

So for now, here are the 10 Best Meals that I had in 2011.

New Year Resolution in 2012: Eat more!

JAAN Restaurant in Singapore

Ever since Chef Andre Chiang left JAAN, the fine dining restaurant at Swissotel the Stamford – ranked #39 in S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2010 – had struggled to fill his shoes. After eating there recently, I’m happy to say JAAN’s talented new Chef de Cuisine Julien Royer is the right person to lead them to greater heights.

The food was very, very good. It is one of the few meals I had in 2011 that made me sit up and take notice. JAAN is definitely one of the best restaurants in Singapore, and as long they stay on track, I’m sure it will not be long before they are back among the best restaurants in the world.

2 Stamford Road
70F Swissotel The Stamford, Singapore
Tel: +65 6431 5670
Mrt: City Hall Station

Café des Fédérations Bouchon in Lyon

When I was planning my Europe trip, Lyon wasn’t even in the picture. I wanted to visit some of the cities that I’ve always wanted to go – like Madrid, Venice, and Prague. After I figured that it is impossible to squeeze in all of them, I decided to keep it within the area, and Lyon – known as the food capital of France – immediately came to mind.

I’ve read a lot about the bouchons in Lyon; everyone raved that the best food in France could be found there. The Bouchon is a Lyonnais version of the classic French bistro. I’ll be writing a separate post on the food that we had, to cut the long story short, I had one of my best meals in 2011, if not my life, at Café des Fédérations.

8-10, rue Major Martin, Lyon
Tel: 04 78 28 26 00
Metro: Hotel de Ville

Bistro Soori in Singapore

Another really good meal that I had was at Bistro Soori. I wasn’t expecting much before going, and boy was I blown away by the food. It has a cosy and intimate setting, and some of the dishes – Pork Belly, Rack of Lamb, and Pandan Souffle – that we had were outstanding.

Sometimes, good things happen when you are least expecting them.

2 Teck Lim Road, Singapore
Tel: +65 6438 3802
Mrt: Outram Park Station

Zubuchon Lechon in Cebu

The lechon from Zubuchon is quite easily one of the best things that I’ve ever eaten. Utterly delicious.

One Mango Mall
General Maxilom Ave, Cebu City
+63 32 2395697

Prive Restaurant in Singapore

One of my favourite restaurants in Singapore is Prive at Keppel Bay. They serve good and unpretentious food. The meats that we had from the Josper Grill menu (prices range from $52 for Kurobuta Pork to $75 for the 280g Ribeye Cap) were fantastic. Definitely worth a try if you are in Singapore.

2 Keppel Bay Vista
GF Marina Keppel Bay, Singapore
Tel: +65 6776 0777
Mrt: Harbourfront Station

Cerveceria Catalana in Barcelona

Among the tapas places that we ate in Barcelona, Cerveceria Catalana stood out for serving good tapas at reasonable prices. It was one of the best meals that we had during the 5 days there. Just in case you are wondering, the jar of sangria you see in the picture doesn’t have anything to do with my choice. I’m completely sober as I write this.

236 Mallorca, Barcelona
Tel: 932 16 03 68
Metro: Passeig de Gràcia

Antoinette Patisserie in Singapore

Antoinette, without a doubt, is my favourite patisserie in Singapore. I lurveee Chef Pang’s creations and if I lived near the Lavender area, I could imagine myself dropping by the Parisian tea salon every other day. Try the Antoinette Chocolate Earl Grey Cake.

30 Penhas Road, Singapore
Tel: +65 6293 3121
Mrt: Lavender Station

Dinner at Martell’s Château de Chanteloup

I had many good meals during Martell’s Pure Gourmet tour, but the highlight was definitely the risotto that we had during one of the dinners. Paired with a glass of cognac, it was out-of-this-world-good. I can never see risotto in the same light again.

Naughty Nuri’s Warung in Bali

Naughty Nuri’s Warung is famous for its pork ribs, with many people calling it the place to go for the best pork ribs in Seminyak. It was so good that I polished off the whole rack by myself.

Jalan Batubelig 41 Kerobokan Kelod
Kuta Bali Indonesia
Tel: +62 361 847 6722

Pierre Herme in Paris

What do I need to say about Pierre Herme? It has always been my dream to visit the famous patisserie in Paris, and what a moment it was. After having the desserts from Pierre Herme, life will never be the same again.

Antoinette is a Parisian pâtisserie and salon du thé by Chef Pang Kok Keong, who is one of Singapore’s best pastry chefs.

Sugar Daddy Group – which currently includes Antoinette and Pique Nique – is Chef Pang’s first business venture after a career of working for different hotels and Les Amis group’s Canele restaurants.

I was over the moon to hear about Antoinette Patisserie. Needless to say, I was very excited to try all the desserts. My first visit was a media tasting session and we had the chance to try quite a few dishes.

Since then, I’ve been there on numerous occasions as a regular customer, and ordered various items on the menu. My goal was, or still is, to try all the cakes by Chef Pang.

Cakes make me happy. I want to eat cakes.

Antoinette currently has three outlets at Penhas Road (near Lavender MRT), Mandarin Gallery and Scarlet Hotel. While the French tea salon at Mandarin Gallery has a great location, it is much smaller than Penhas Road.

I’d definitely recommend going to Penhas Road instead of Mandarin Gallery as the latter does not allow reservations and there is always a queue during peak hours.

If I could only choose one cake, I would definitely go for Antoinette ($9).

Even up till now, I could still remember my first encounter with it. The Chocolate Earl Grey cake caught my attention with its glossy surface; I could almost hear it calling out to me.

I took a fork and tapped it lightly, unsure of how soft or hard it would be. My fork easily went through the milk chocolate mousse infused with earl grey tea cake. The only words to describe it? Luxurious, chic, and heavenly.

I will go so far as to say that my hunt for the best cake in Singapore ended with the Antoinette chocolate earl grey cake. It is rock-my-socks-off good!

If the Antoinette cake was divine, the Saint Honore L’amour ($8.5) – made up of choux pastry, rose petal cream, and strawberry compote on an almond tart – would be the perfect representative of love and romance.

Another interesting option is the Chocolieux ($9.5). When the staff brought it to our table, we thought that we were having ice cream as it was molded into the shape like a magnum. How wrong we were.

It was actually a dessert (I find it difficult to call it a cake) made up of dark chocolate cream, hazelnut nougatine, dark chocolate biscuit and almond chocolate.

On my fourth (or fifth time) there, we tried Strawberry Shortcake ($8) and Café Caramel ($8).

The Café Caramel ($8) – an almond tart composing of caramel a la fleur de sel, genoise cafe, and coffee mousse – was well executed, but nothing special.

To be honest, I was a little unsure about the Strawberry Shortcake as I didn’t have a good impression of the one Chef Pang made at Canele Patisserie. It was actually not too bad. I’d include it in my list of best Strawberry Cakes in Singapore, but it is not my favourite.

I marvelled at the Religiuese of Caramel with fleur de sel ($8) when it arrived at the table. It was so beautiful! I found it to be a little too sweet, so you might want to order this to share.

Among the cakes at Antoinette Patisserie, I also had the Exotique ($8.5) – mousse exotique with coconut cremeux and poached pineapple; Pudding Maple ($6.5) – maple flan with caramel, in a cup; and Strawberry Baba ($8) – baba pastry, citrus rum syrup and vanilla crème Chantilly.

If you prefer savoury food, you must try their Chicken Burger, which is one of the better burgers that I’ve had. Besides desserts, Antoinette also has All Day breakfast ($9 – 20) such as Eggs Florentine, Baked Omelette; French Toast ($10.5), Crepes ($15 – 20) and Pancakes ($10 – 15); entrees ($10.5 – 23) like Salad and Foie Gras Terrine; and main courses ($16.5 – 38) which include options like Bouef Bourguignon and Gnocchi Carbonara.

Antoinette, without a doubt, is my favourite patisserie in Singapore. But then again, I am a big fan of Chef Pang, so I’m definitely biased. Don’t take my word for it, go there and try the cakes for yourself. Service can be very patchy depending on the time you are there, but really, who cares so long we can have good cakes.

The French patisserie is a great place for a quiet afternoon high tea. If I lived near the Lavender area, I could imagine myself dropping by the Parisian tea salon every other day.

Singapore Food Blog Review
Antoinette Patisserie Tea Salon
30 Penhas Road
Tel: +65 6293 3121

333A Orchard Road
#02-33/34 Mandarin Gallery
Tel: +65 6836 9527

33 Erskine Road
#01-02/03 Scarlet Hotel

For more recommendations, read my list of best dessert places in Singapore.

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