Opening its door with little fanfare earlier this year is Fine Dining Bakery by Akira .M, a Japanese bakery specialising in handcrafted breads made with flour from Hokkaido. Head baker chef Akira boasts impressive credentials, having worked at Joël Robuchon as well as béni in Singapore.

Particularly popular amongst the Japanese expats, most get their breads for takeaway but the bakery has a small dine-in area if you wish to enjoy their fresh bakes or sandwiches in house.

We started off with a Croissant (S$3.80). Toasted and served warm, the croissant was buttery and flaky but a tad dry. Fine Dining Bakery offers almond croissants, chocolate croissants and even chocolate banana croissants as well.

What really brought us to Fine Dining Bakery was the Fluffy Shokupan Sandwich (S$14.50) which came in a set with a mini salad and soup. The salad of fresh crunchy greens came with cherry tomatoes and rhubarbs for a splash of colour and was finished off with a homemade vinaigrette while the soup of the day was a sweet and creamy carrot soup that was lightly salted – perfect starters for our sandwich.

Now, for the main event. Made with honey and fresh cream, the shokupan slices were so fluffy and chewy we just couldn’t believe it. Between the two slices of shokupan was a generous amount of luscious egg salad that featured hints of spice from mustard, some tanginess from mayonnaise and was seasoned with chives and black pepper.

Not only was this sandwich such a delight to eat, but it was also filling; we can totally imagine coming back here just for it!

207 River Valley Road
#01-59 UE Square
Singapore 238275
Wed to Mon: 10am – 5pm
(Closed on Tuesday)
Nearest Station: Fort Canning

TCC High Tea Set

The Connoisseur Concerto (previously known as The Coffee Connoisseur) is one of the popular Coffee Chains in Singapore. What makes TCC different from its competitors is the unique design at each boutique cafe.

TCC has been rolling out a different high tea set every month, and at just $12.90++, it is one of the most value for money afternoon tea sets. For those of you who are keen to enjoy the promotion at The Connoisseur Concerto, it is available from 2pm to 6pm daily.

The picture of the high tea set above is the one that I had two months ago. The Connoisseur Concerto is currently serving a Spring tea set for March and it comes with different scones, sandwiches and cakes with tea/coffee.

I like the idea that The Coffee Connoisseur TCC is changing the cakes and pastries for the high tea set every month. In addition, the affordable prices make it possible for everyone to enjoy a leisure afternoon tea.

Besides sharing the High Tea Set, we ordered another two desserts from TCC’s ala carte menu.

Two of my friends are big fans of chocolate lava cake, and they have tried many places for this popular dessert. When I asked them where can I get the best molten chocolate lava cake in Singapore, they replied: TCC.

After trying The Coffee Connoisseur’s Dark Chocolate Cake ($11), I have to agree with them that it is amongst the better ones that I’ve had.

DO NOT order TCC’s Bread and butter pudding ($11.5). You have been warned.

* * *

With so many cafes in Singapore, The Connoisseur Concerto is a good place to have a) desserts for afternoon tea, b) a hangout place to meet friends and c) late night dining at their 24 hours outlet located in Orchard road.

I am not too sure about the main course there, but most of my friends who frequently eat at TCC seem to agree that they have pretty decent food. How about you? What do you usually order at The Coffee Connoisseur Cafe?

Singapore Food Blog Review
The Connoisseur Concerto TCC
360 Orchard Road #01-01
International Building Singapore

65 Airport Boulevard, #01-22
Changi Airport Terminal 3 Singapore
Tel: +65 6214 0680

3E River Valley Road, #01-01
Clarke Quay Singapore
Tel: +65 6336 1121

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