We have Bob The Builder, and we have Bob The Baker Boy who is fond of cakes, especially moist and cottony-soft cakes, which are exactly what you can look forward to when placing an order with Bob The Baker Boy.

You have probably seen Bob The Baker Boy’s customised cakes and dessert tables making their rounds on Instagram and Facebook. There are over 400 designs to choose from. And if you have any particular design in mind for your cake, you can always let the creative team know and they will make your wish come true.

That’s not all. Bob The Baker Boy also has a range of awesome bakes including mini tarts, and brownies.

Bob is our new best friend and he will be yours too when you next need a customised cake. Or tarts. Or anything sweet, really.

DEFYING GRAVITY FLOATING BEER CAN CAKE

Let’s start off with their customised cakes, shall we? They are what made Bob The Baker Boy famous, and our dear Bob deserves all the recognition for the superb hand-crafted cakes that have made birthdays memorable for countless people.

For the fickle-minded ones, you are going to be in trouble because they have hundreds of designs for you to choose from. And everything looks so cute and realistic, it’s impossible to just select one. We feel you, really. Even if you are a decisive person, the range will leave you mind-boggled, even if it’s just for a while.

Being the alcoholics we are, we eventually decided on this gravity-defying beer cake. We went with a classic flavour that will please the crowd—Belgian Chocolate cake covered with pearl sprayed vanilla buttercream, and layered with zero-added sugar chocolate custard.

The layered cake was decadent and satisfying with every bite. You know how some cakes look way better than they taste? Not for this. This looked every bit photogenic and Instagram-worthy, and tasted legit. We are already dreaming of our next customised cake by them!

STRAWBERRIES & CREAM CAKE

Adapted from the ever-so-popular strawberries shortcake, expect moist and velvety vanilla layers for this cake. Slice your fork into cake that’s fluffy like the clouds, filled with freshly whipped Chantilly and farm-picked sliced strawberries.

Money may not buy us happiness, but it can buy us Bob The Baker Boy’s Strawberries & Cream Cake and it’s about the same thing. This is one classic flavour to love, great for both young and old, and definitely one we will reorder.

BROWN SUGAR BOBA MILK CAKE

You guys, this cake is a dream come true. Imagine your favourite brown sugar boba milk, but in a cake form. That is exactly what it is—literally! Cut into fragrant vanilla cake layers, generously filled with creamy brown sugar Chantilly and sweet starchy boba fillings.

The Brown Sugar Boba Milk Cake is such a brilliant creation by Bob The Baker Boy. We love. the cottony soft and moist cake that is accompanied with fragrant brown sugar cream. And that boba filling! That chewy, sweet boba filling completed the cake with a lovely texture variety.

It is also noteworthy that Bob The Baker Boy bakes cakes with lower sugar content (30-50% lower in sugar than regular customised cakes). This is a huge plus point for us because we are the kind of people who dig into whole cakes even when it is nobody’s birthday, and we can do with something that’s significantly lesser in sugar so we do not feel as guilty for eating cakes. You feel us?

ASSORTED FOUR CHEESE TARTS

These cute little tarts are great for small parties and the kids are bound to love them. With a firm tart shell that crumbles upon sinking your teeth into it, the Brûlée Cheese Tarts (S$23.90 for 12) is our favourite flavour. Fresh cheese filling encased in fragrant vanilla tart crust, these little bites of happiness are super addictive and you simply cannot stop at one. Or two. Or three.

The other flavours to love are Strawberries Cheesecake Tarts, Cookies & Cream Mini Tarts and Blueberry Cheesecake Tarts. These are slightly stronger in terms of taste, but nothing too cheesy that non-cheese lovers can’t take.

AU NATUREL BROWNIES

Their brownies are slightly cakier and are more like cupcakes, actually. But we like that they are not cloyingly sweet. Reheat them in the microwave oven before eating.

Go on, you deserve some sweet treats. Click here to enter a whole new realm of desserts, and start customising your dream cake for that special occasion that is coming up. Or grab yourselves some molten lava cookies; we promise you won’t regret it.

Bob The Baker Boy
369 Sembawang Rd, #01-03, Singapore 758382
Tel: 9499 4015
https://bobthebakerboy.com/

This post was brought to you by Bob The Baker Boy.

]]> https://www.ladyironchef.com/2020/12/bob-the-baker-boy/feed/ 0 https://www.ladyironchef.com/2019/03/lana-cake-shop-singapore/ https://www.ladyironchef.com/2019/03/lana-cake-shop-singapore/#comments Wed, 06 Mar 2019 06:30:24 +0000 Dick Tan https://www.ladyironchef.com/?p=177003 Continue reading →]]>

When the founder of Lana Cake Shop, Violet Kwan, announced back in 2016 that she was ready to call it quits, and was offering to handover her pride and joy (her shop) to potential buyers, many Singaporeans were called to attention. Many of whom had grown up eating her iconic Chocolate Fudge Cake, either for birthdays or just because.

In an interview with Straits Times, Mr Jason Kwan (the founder’s son) shared his decision to continue his mother’s legacy. Having left his previous job as a banker, he has been working on revitalising Lana Cake Shop over the past 18 months, breathing new life and improving it slowly from branding to work processes.

Of course, not forgetting perfecting his mother’s timeless Chocolate Fudge Cake recipe.

Putting his own little twists into his mother’s original recipe, while being careful not to make a blunder of such a beloved icon of a cake, he claims to have given it a more intense chocolate flavour while balancing out the qualities of saltiness, sweetness and bitterness so as to achieve the perfect chocolate fudge cake.

Other improvements include the efficiency of their kitchen, which is now able to sell up to 500 cakes a week. Good riddance to having to call way in advance. If you’re lucky, you just might be able to walk away with one without pre-ordering.

After everything that’s been said and done, and being avid fans of Lana Cake Shop’s iconic Chocolate Fudge Cake, all we can do is to hope that Mrs Kwan’s legacy is carried forward properly and not turned into another commercialised product.

Lana Cake Shop
36 Greenwood Ave,
Singapore 289239
(Closed on Sundays & Mondays)
Tue to Fri: 10am – 6pm
Sat: 10am – 5pm
Nearest Station: Tan Kah Kee

Gourmet burgers are nothing new to Singapore’s dynamic food scene, but what is it about these fancy burgers that motivates people to spend so much more for them as opposed to their fast food restaurant counterparts? The answer lies in its jazzed-up sauces but more importantly, the use of premium ingredients.

Bringing its signature West Coast flavour to Singapore, 25 Degrees Burgers & Liquor Bar is a gourmet American burger joint from Los Angeles which serves up a myriad of gourmet burgers, milkshakes, beer and wine at reasonable prices and is even rumoured to be a cult favourite among many Hollywood stars.

Drop by during the day and enjoy their lunch special where you can get a signature burger and fries for only S$12++. This promotion is valid from Mondays to Fridays between 11am to 3pm. Be sure not to miss out on their daily happy hour between 3pm to 7pm too. During this golden period of the day, you get to enjoy 1-for-1 deals for fries and other food items, a selection of beers, as well as cocktails.

Looking and feeling like a sleek, contemporary, American diner, 25 Degrees Burger & Liquor Bar Singapore’s small yet cosy space serves to provide a warm and friendly environment to diners. Their long table and open-air concept also allow patrons to socialise and watch the bustling street while enjoying a delicious meal.

Boasting a straightforward menu, there are five signature burgers with varying toppings and condiments—all of which cost only S$14++. The five signatures are conveniently named ‘Number One’ to ‘Number Four’ and lastly the ‘Veggie Burger’.

Apart from that, the menu also includes a craft-your-own burger option for fussy burger connoisseurs who want something more.

NUMBER ONE

The Number One (S$14++) comprises a beef patty, caramelized onions, a mixture of different cheeses from prelibato gorgonzola to crescenza, crispy bacon, arugula and is given a generous slathering of thousand island dressing.

As far as gourmet burgers are concerned, nothing rarely ever goes wrong when caramelised onions and bacon are involved and the Number One proved just that. The beef patty had a crispy crust with a juicy, pink interior and the arugula coupled with the thousand island dressing balanced out the intensely meaty flavours.

NUMBER TWO

Number Two (S$14++) is a beef burger with an Italian touch. It features a beef patty, plump roasted tomatoes, burrata, a slice of crispy prosciutto and pesto. Compared to Number One, we would say that this burger is a much milder alternative.

The tomatoes were soft yet not overly cooked to a mushy consistency, and the melted burrata cheese over the top provided an element of creaminess. We particularly like how the addition of pesto in the burger added freshness to the overall taste.

NUMBER THREE

For a burger with attitude, you should go for Number Three (S$14++). It features a beef patty, mezzo secco jack cheese, green chilli, chipotle and avocado. This burger may pack a punch initially but the spice is balanced out by fresh slices of avocado. Those who are looking for a spicy kick will not regret trying the Number Three!

NUMBER FOUR

For a slightly more unconventional option, you can also opt for Number Four (S$14++) that uses a yellowfin tuna patty instead. Served with crisp butter lettuce, crispy fried onions and a spicy aioli, this is one alternative should you not prefer beef—although we would much rather stick to our beef.

VEGGIE BURGER

Vegetarians do not fret, because the folks at 25 Degrees have got you covered. Swopping out a beef patty for a veggie one, the Veggie Burger (S$14++) comes with butter lettuce cucumber, mint, and jalapenos.

As much as vegetarian dishes—let alone vegetarian burgers—get a rather bad reputation, we must admit that the Veggie Burger was indeed delicious. Whether you are a hardcore vegetarian or merely someone curious to know how vegetarian burgers taste like, this is a good dish to start with.

SONORAN HOT DOG

What could possibly beat a hot dog wrapped in bacon? That’s right—nothing.

The Sonoran Hot Dog (S$18++) comes with an enticing bacon-wrapped dog, American cheese, caramelized onions as well as an array of condiments. Delicious and sinful, this huge hot dog was made even better with a squeeze of mustard and their homemade garlic aioli.

CRISPY SIDES

Burgers alone aren’t fun. We need sides of fries and whatnot, too!

The Truffle French Fries (S$6++), Curly Fries (S$5++) and Onion Rings (S$5++) are crowd favourites but our ultimate favourite would have to be the onion rings.

Lightly battered, the onion rings were sweet and super crunchy. While the rings are great on their own, they are made even more irresistible with their selection of homemade dips which you can get at an additional cost of S$3++.

AMERICAN MILKSHAKES

No experience at an American diner is complete without a huge milkshake. This classic milkshake (S$10++) that comes in a variety of flavours is something you absolutely must order when at 25 Degrees Burger & Liquor Bar Singapore.

Sweet, decadent and oh-so-satisfying, there was no way we could resist slurping down one of these bad boys with our burger. Complete with a cherry on top and lots of whipped cream, your burger experience cannot get any better.

WARM MELT CHOCOLATE CAKE

If you are not already stuffed enough as it is, finish your meal with one of their sweet treats. The Warm Melt Chocolate Cake (S$14++) is essentially a lava cake that is topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The rich and intense chocolate makes it the perfect treat for all chocolate lovers!

Remember to drop by for their lunch special where you can get a signature burger and fries for only S$12++. This promotion is valid from Mondays to Fridays between 11am to 3pm.

If you are checking out their beer promotions instead, 25 Degrees Burger & Liquor Bar Singapore’s daily happy hour last from 3pm to 7pm where you get to enjoy 1-for-1 deals for fries and other food items, beer as well as cocktails.

25 Degrees Burger & Liquor Bar Singapore
200 Middle Road
Singapore 188980
Tel: +65 6809 7990
Daily: 11am - 3am
Nearest Station: Rochor / Bencoolen

This post is brought to you by 25 Degrees Burgers & Liquor Bar Singapore.

It was not too long ago when PizzaExpress opened its first outlet in Singapore at Scotts Square just about a year ago and already this colossal pizza restaurant chain—with 600 outlets in the UK, Asia, the Middle East and in several parts of Europe—has opened its second outlet at Duo Galleria with a third one at Marina One on its way.

Founded in London more than 50 years ago, PizzaExpress specialises in gourmet, hand-made Italian pizza that even Italian palates will agree with. Quite contrary to its name, it really isn’t an “express” fast food chain. With so many years of expertise to its name, diners can expect nothing less than top-notch pizzas, pasta, salads and desserts.

There are so many items to love at PizzaExpress and one trip is simply not enough! Read on to find out more about our favourites and must-tries. And you’d have to take a look at its new outlet at Duo Galleria. There are cosy al fresco seating, too!

Staying true to its signature layout across its restaurants around the world, their new outlet features a cosy, intimate interior with marble counters and tables. The kitchen adopts an open concept where diners can watch the masters at work. Witness how your pizzas are flipped and prepped!

All the food at PizzaExpress are made from scratch in-house using only fresh ingredients. Besides pizzas, the menu also features a diverse range of Italian-style salads, pasta and desserts. What’s more, most of the items here are priced around S$20 or less which is incredibly reasonable considering their portion sizes and quality.

STARTERS – ITALIAN ANTIPASTO, DOUGH BALLS & BURRATA

If you are not dining alone, then get some starters to share. The Classic Italian Antipasto (S$26++) is a grand platter that includes Italian mozzarella, Italian sausages, strips of prosciutto that will literally melt-in-your-mouth and more.

The Dough Balls Doppio (S$11++) is another ideal appetiser for sharing. Consisting of sixteen dough balls along with three types of dip—garlic butter, pesto siciliano and pesto genovese—this simple snack is truly a tasty treat that even kids will love!

If you adore Italian squeaky cheese, then the Burrata with Roasted Peppers (S$19++) is highly recommended. This may not be the most visually appealing item but you can bet that it is pretty darn satisfying—milky, smooth cheese that tears so smoothly; it is one of the better Burratas we’ve had in Singapore.

SALADS FOR CHAMPIONS

Hardly anyone goes to a pizza joint to get a salad, but over at PizzaExpress, you just might. Consider the Beetroot & Goat’s Cheese Salad (S$11++ small, S$18++ large) that is packed full of wild rocket, beetroot, avocado, goat’s cheese, walnuts, dried cranberries and drizzled with a decadent honey balsamic dressing.

Never mind the judgemental stares, this salad is legit! And it is really pretty filling!

A TASTE OF CALABRIA

For fans of heat, the Calabrese (S$26++) will not disappoint. This iconic rectangular pizza inspired by the food of Calabria—a region in South-West Italy—comprises Calabria-style sausage, spicy Italian sausage, fresh mozzarella, jalapeño peppers and more.

Do be cautioned that this is not for kids and for the faint-hearted because it can get really spicy.

CLASSIC PIZZAS – SIMPLE AND SO SATISFYING

Staying true to their original recipes which have not changed since 1965, go for PizzaExpress’ Classic Lava (S$22++) that comprises simply olives, burrata cheese, chilli oil, cherry tomatoes and finished with basil for that added herbaceous note that goes perfectly well with tomatoes; or the La Reine (S$16++) that is topped with mushrooms, olives, ham, mozzarella and passata.

ROMANA PIZZAS – BIGGER, THINNER & CRISPIER

The Romana pizzas are inspired by the pizzas from Rome—thinner and crispier. Out of all their quirky concoctions, we particularly enjoyed the Carbonara (S$25++).

Consisting of crispy smoked bacon, mozzarella, a creamy béchamel sauce and finished with garlic oil and a soft egg in the middle, this instantly won our hearts. All in all, the runny egg yolk, the sauce and the rendered bacon fat makes each mouthful a rich yet flavourful experience.

LEGIT ITALIAN PASTAS – CRABMEAT LINGUINE AND LOBSTER & CRABMEAT RAVIOLI

If you love yourself a good lasagne, then the Lasagna Classica (S$18++) should be right up your alley. Layers of rich beef bolognese and a mixture of béchamel and parmesan cheese are enveloped in thin sheets of pasta that is then topped with more cheese and heated in a broiler to give you a nice charred surface.

We also highly recommend the Linguine Granchio Con Pana (S$23++)—one of the best crabmeat pastas in Singapore. It is essentially a crabmeat pasta that includes steamed crab meat, onion, garlic and coriander in a spicy cream sauce finished with caviar and a wedge of lime.

With such a heavy cream based sauce accented with distinct notes of seafood, the wedge of lime does really well to cut through all that.

The Lobster and Crabmeat Ravioli (S$26++) is also worth a try. The classic ravioli is pimped up with fresh and generous amounts lobster and crab meat with a mushroom pomodoro sauce to bind it all together.

This dish has everything we love about a good ravioli—pasta has a nice bite, tender lobster and crab meat and a luscious sauce that is decadent yet not overpowering.

DESSERTS TO END THE MEAL

After a heavy meal filled with so much richness, it is never a bad idea to end it off with some sweet treats. The Mango Panna Cotta (S$8++) here is a must-try for pudding lovers. We liked that the mango was slightly tart, which did well to cut through the creaminess of the panna cotta which is pretty dense.

The Chocolate Fudge Cake (S$9++) is flavoured with a touch of salt, giving the dessert a nice savoury touch to combat the overall sweetness.

And this is a little tip—enjoy all your PizzaExpress dishes with a glass of the signature Lemonade (S$6), featuring freshly squeezed lemon and lime, soda, and mint. Italian food can be pretty rich and heavy so this drink definitely helps in balancing the flavours and keeping you refreshed throughout your meal!

It is also good to note that if you plan on driving, park at Park View Suites instead of Duo Galleria to minimise on the walking distance!

PizzaExpress
7 Fraser Street, #01-01/02
Duo Galleria
Singapore 189356
Daily: 11am – 11pm
Nearest Station: Bugis

This post is brought to you by PizzaExpress Singapore.

The Dark Gallery is a popular chocolate-themed cafe from Malaysia that specialises in all things chocolate and good news—they have just opened their first outlet outside of Malaysia at Millenia Walk.

Expect to savour a wide variety of chocolate desserts from artisanal ice creams to pastries to truffles to the best hot chocolate you will ever taste at this chocolate-themed establishment. The sheer decadence from the chocolate goodies makes The Dark Gallery every chocolate lover’s dream and a must-try for all.

If you find yourself overwhelmed by the immense variety of chocolate types, feel free to approach the staff. They will be more than happy to educate you on the different types of chocolates

We found it rather helpful as it gave us a better understanding of what we were having, allowing us to better appreciate the subtleties in flavours from chocolate sourced from different parts of the world.

The Ice Cream Waffle (S$14) comes with two ice cream flavours of your choice. We went for two different dark chocolate varietals with cocoa percentages from both extremes—the Madagascar Dark Chocolate (64%) and the Venezuela Dark Chocolate (72%).

Both flavours of ice cream were so incredibly decadent and we liked that they were not overly rich and sweet. The Madagascar Dark Chocolate struck a perfect balance between sweet, bitter and chocolatey, whereas the Venezuela Dark Chocolate was just slightly bitter in comparison. It was the best chocolate ice cream we have ever had.

Most of the hot chocolates at cafes usually taste more like Milo than hot chocolate so we were pleasantly surprised by the hot Signature Chocolate (S$7) here.

It is the epitome of a perfect hot cocoa before bedtime. It was rich and chocolatey with just the right amount of foam, making each sip so comforting.

The Signature Frozen S’mores (S$7.50) has a chocolatey center and it contains 80% dark chocolate ice cream. It had just the right amount of bitterness to it, and the sweetness from the toasted S’mores complemented the entire dessert really well.

Our first visit was truly a delight and coming from avid chocolate lovers, we must admit that The Dark Gallery hit all the right spots. We liked that their desserts were not overly sweet, allowing more emphasis to be placed on the depth of flavour.

The Dark Gallery is conveniently located at Millenia Walk and it makes for a good stopover during afternoon shopping trips or even a spot that chocolate lovers might find interesting to visit.

The Dark Gallery
9 Raffles Boulevard (#01-K5)
Millenia Walk
Tel: +65 6255 0368
Daily: 11am – 9.30pm
Nearest Station: Promenade

Established in 1993, Dino Cake House & Cafe is one of the most underrated cake shops in Singapore.

It currently has two outlets in Singapore. Their main outlet resides at Upper Thompson, offering main dishes and a wide range of pastries while their other takeaway outlet is a hidden gem in Bukit Timah Plaza.

It is one of those places that we can never get sick of, because simplicity always works.

Located near popular Korean eatery Ming Jia Korean Food, you can take away your cakes and other pastries from the Bukit Timah outlet, and enjoy them in the comforts of your home or office.

Durian Well (S$3) is generously topped up with D24 durian flesh, and it is one of the all-time favourites. We are such fans of the King of Fruits and this creamy cake cup is what we needed to end the day on a good note.

Dino Cake House & Cafe’s New York Cheese (S$3.80) is moist and rich in cream cheese flavour. The buttery crust at the bottom has been made with just the right thickness and we like how the crumbly texture goes well with the smooth cheesecake. Fans of cheesecake will enjoy this!

Their Royal Chocolate (S$2.80) is what you will expect from a classic chocolate cake—soft chocolate sponge with a layer of dark chocolate fudge in between.

The sliced cakes at Dino Cake House & Cafe are affordably priced at less than S$4 and you can also get whole cakes that come in many different flavours such as Tiramisu (500g, S$16), Rainbow Cake (500g, S$28.80) and Blackforest (500g, S$16).

Besides that, you can also purchase other pastries such as tapioca slice, chocolate chip and mixed nut cupcakes, pineapple tarts and cornflakes cookies.

Dino Cake House & Cafe
1 Jalan Anak Bukit
#B1-K70 Bukit Timah Plaza
Singapore 588996
Tel: +65 6464 7115
Mon to Fri: 10am – 8.30pm
Sat & Sun: 9am – 8.30pm
Nearest Station: Beauty World

The word ‘chocolate’ has almost become synonymous with our home-grown brand – Awfully Chocolate. At least, it is so for Singaporeans. In the past few years, the brand has grown significantly with many outlets islandwide now, but one thing remains – the awesomeness of their chocolate cakes. That, we will always swear by.

Marina Bay Link Mall is their next conquest. Much like the main outlet in Katong, the spanking new outlet will offer a selection of chocolate-focused drinks, including a menu of brand new and never-before-seen ones. Of course, you can still pick up their popular whole cakes here.

To celebrate the opening of the new outlet at Marina Bay Link Mall, Awfully Chocolate will be offering a complimentary box of their gorgeous Dark Chocolate Truffles with every order of a whole cake*. Meanwhile, here’s to all you fellow chocolate lovers. Let’s party with Awfully Chocolate!

THE ONE WITH THE SIGNATURE CHOCOLATE CAKES 

We have been fans for a long time, probably since Friends were around. The one with the signature chocolate cakes sound just about right, because that was how Awfully Chocolate started.

It was a whole episode of just whole chocolate cakes and nothing else. Just three flavours to not complicate things – All Chocolate, Chocolate Banana and Chocolate Rum & Cherry.

The 6-inch cakes is the perfect size for small gatherings and family dinners, giving us a reason to still savour it without any special occasion. For any larger parties or events, the cakes also come in 8-inch sizes and above.

The All Chocolate Cake (S$34 for 6-inch, S$68 for 8-inch) is quintessentially Awfully Chocolate. It is the cake that made everyone’s heart skip a beat upon trying it for the first time.

It is hard to forget how rich and fudgey the cake is. The moist layers sandwiching the fudge is incredibly gratifying to bite into. The One With The Signature All Chocolate Cake is one stellar episode and it is one that we will always and forever revisit.

The Chocolate Banana Cake (S$36 for 6-inch) is our favourite.

Featuring two beautiful layers of freshly mashed bananas, the Chocolate Banana Cake is a fine blend of varying sweetness. The bananas are just slightly mushy, but still fragrant and its addition actually makes the sweetness of the cake less cloying.

The more adventurous ones should head straight for the Chocolate Rum & Cherry Cake (S$38 for 6-inch).
Chocolates are often paired with different alcohols and liquors, but rum has been our favourite ever since we had this. Look forward to the cherries that are cocooned in between the layers. They are generously soaked in rum, and it is an explosion of flavours with every mouthful.

THE ONE WITH THE EASY PREORDERING AND HOME DELIVERY

It is easy as much as it is convenient.

Need your cake but you are too busy to pick it up from the store? Simple.

The preorder form allows you to place your order and have the cakes sent to your doorstep at a nominal charge of S$10.70 per location. There is also a premium option (S$21.40) of delivery within an hour if you need your cake urgently.

Hei ice-cream can be delivered in single and double scoops and in pints, too! The next time you catch up on your drama serials and movies at home and need some chocolate-lovin’, you know where to go to. Awfully convenient.

THE ONE WITH THE OTHER CHOCOLATE TREATS

Awfully Chocolate is no longer just all about the signature cakes.

They have a whole trunk of individually-portioned desserts – yes, all about chocolates, too. Super Stacked Chocolate Cake, Hazelnut Crumble and Salted Butterscotch Brownie are some that everyone knows.

But we do have our favourites apart from these popular kids.

The White Chocolate Butterscotch Block (S$7.90 per slice) is a star.

This is essentially a swiss roll in a block of fluffy white chocolate. It might be a slight sweetness overkill for those without a sweet tooth, but when eaten with the salty butterscotch, it really cuts the sweetness out well.

People often speak of their truffles, and relate it to “biting into heaven”; we could not be any more agreeable. They are so creamy, and at S$1.60 per piece (S$1.80 per piece for the champagne ones), it makes a great gift idea too.

You might think nothing of this Chocolate Ganache Cupcake (S$6.90); we too initially dissed it as being just a flavoured buttercream topping. But this pretty thing is really decadent ganache atop soft, gooey cake.

THE ONE WITH THE NEW CHOCOLATE DRINKS

At the new outlet at Marina Bay Link Mall, expect a dedicated menu of hot and cold chocolate drinks. No, really. Chocolates are so versatile and Awfully Chocolate is so good with handling them – be it solid or liquid form, they’ve nailed it.

The drinks menu will feature chocolate drinks such as Classic Dark Chocolate (S$8), Mocha Royale (S$7.90), Chocolate Banana (S$8) and Skinny Hot Chocolate (S$8).

The Mocha Royale is so indulgent and flavourful that we decided immediately it is our favourite. Every cup is prepared with three full pieces of dark chocolate truffles to give the drink its richness and intensity.

Skinny Hot Chocolate is a lighter version of the Classic Dark Chocolate as it uses skim milk instead.

THE ONE WITH THE FREE TRUFFLES

In conjunction with the opening of the Marina Bay Link Mall outlet, Awfully Chocolate will be giving away a free box of Dark Chocolate Truffles with every order of a whole cake via their website - to be collected at this new outlet.

This offer only applies for collection between 02 May to 06 May 2016, and orders must be placed at least 2 to 3 days in advance. Even more reason to buy the cakes now, yes?

Awfully Chocolate
#B2-33 Marina Bay Link Mall
8A Marina Boulevard
Singapore 018984
Nearest Station: Downtown MRT Station

This post was brought to you by Awfully Chocolate Singapore.

Laurent’s Café is an underground gem in the heart of Orchard Road offering a menu of brunch items and desserts.

The cafe by renowned French chocolatier Laurent Bernard might be easy to miss as it sits on the basement level of a mall, but if we told you The Heeren, would you know where already?

Beautiful and authentic French fare and world-class desserts are what you can expect from this cosy and inviting space. Laurent’s Café is indeed those under-the-radar spots in town and it might easily be our favourite cafe in the Somerset area already!

And the best part? You can now enjoy 50% off your second main course every day from 6pm to 10pm when you quote ‘ladyironchef’ upon making a reservation. This offer is valid till 31 May 2016. More details at the end of this post.

AUTHENTIC AND HEARTY FRENCH FARE

A decade ago, French chocolatier Laurent Bernard founded his first desserts cafe here in Singapore and ever since, he has been winning everyone over with his artisan chocolate desserts, especially the popular Dark Chocolate Soufflé.

Today, his love for the kitchen has extended to culinary, and Laurent Café is where you can savour his very authentic French fare that are both hearty and affordable. In their menu, expect all-day brunch items, sandwiches, salads and even full-on roasts. You will be spoilt rotten for choice.

The Croque Monsieur Sandwich (S$19) comes in a really generous portion. The toasted breads are stuffed with gruyere cheese, ham and silky béchamel. The exterior has a nice crunch from the toasting, and the filling is a burst of classic French flavours that is no less comforting. Fresh green salad is also served on the side.

The Iberico Eggs Benedict (S$22) has got to be our favourite. While Eggs Ben are becoming all too common, Laurent Bernard improvises his and uses premium Iberico ham instead of the ubiquitous ham types. Together with sautéed forest mushrooms, organic eggs, Hollandaise sauce and homemade English muffin, every bite was an explosion of flavours.

If Eggs Ben ain’t your thing, you have The Farmers Breakfast (S$24) that is a combination of everything delicious.

Organic scrambled eggs, roasted potatoes, sausages, baked bacon, sautéed mushrooms and toasted bread. It was an odd thing but we actually really loved the baked bacon and sausages in this dish. Comforting and lip-smackingly delicious, this dish can do no wrong.

There are pasta choices too, and they include selections such as Spaghetti Carbonara (S$18), Spaghetti Bolognese (S$18) and Spicy Linguine Aglio e Olio (S$19).

We tried the latter and very generous amounts of chilli bits were actually tossed in, so if you love your pasta fiery, this should please! Lots of juicy prawns and plump garlic chunks accompanied the pasta, making it a really filling dish!

Out of all that we’ve tried, the classic French Crispy Duck Leg Confit (S$26) took our breath away. Boy, were we left speechless!

Crispy skin and a warm interior, the duck fats left the meat still juicy, and the baked Lyonnaise potatoes on the side looked more than unassuming but were surprisingly very flavourful. If you are not the biggest fan of duck, this might covert you to one.

Other mains to choose from are Braised Pork Belly (S$25), Burgundy Beef Stew (S$22) and Provencal Chicken Thigh (S$23), so there is something for everyone, no matter what meat you prefer.

SIGNATURE CHOCOLATE TREATS & MORE

No matter how full our tummies were, we will not pass up any chance of getting some of Laurent’s chocolates.

A classic dessert dish that is well-loved by many is the Homemade Waffle (S$13) that is served with ice cream, berries and cream. The Liege waffles are baked to a lovely texture that is slightly crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

And how can we leave Laurent’s Café without a serving of the famed Dark Chocolate Soufflé (S$18.50)?

If you haven’t had Laurent’s soufflé, you haven’t really had a soufflé. Perfectly puffed up and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and cream, the eggy dessert is definitely the best rendition you can get in town.

Laurent’s Café also has a selection of desserts and cakes on display to have in-store or to go. Of course you have to try the signature Strawberry Tart (S$11.10) and Pure (S$11.10) if it is your first time.

The former had the sweetest Korean strawberries surrounding it and the reason Korean strawberries were used, is because they are currently in season. The chefs at Laurent’s Café will only use strawberries that are in season for their desserts at any point in time to ensure the best quality and freshest sweetness. We were also told that they will not sell this tart completely if no good strawberries are in season.

Well, what can we say? Just one bite and we were completely sold.

The Pure (S$11.10) chocolate mousse cake is basically every chocolate lover’s dream. Made from Chuao beans (a kind of high quality cocoa beans from Venezuela), the cake wins our heart with the rich but balanced chocolate center.

Take 50% off every second main dish every day from 6pm to 10pm* only at Laurent’s Café when you quote “Ladyironchef” and ‘like’ Laurent Bernard’s official Facebook page. This promotion is applicable for any main course on the menu and the 50% off promo code only applies to the second dish that is of same or lower value.

*Reservations are required for dining on weekends and you have to quote “Ladyironchef” upon making your reservation. For walk-ins on weekdays, you have to quote “Ladyironchef” upon seating to enjoy this special offer.

Mileslife is our favourite app to accumulate miles through everyday spending. You can earn 2 miles for every dollar spent at this restaurant. Download and try Mileslife out now! You can use our code ‘Ladyironchef‘ upon your first spending to get 1,000 miles.

Laurent’s Café
260 Orchard Road #B1-02C
The Heeren
Singapore 238855
Tel: +65 6235 2340
Daily: 9am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Somerset

This post was brought to you by Laurent’s Café.

The owner of Lana Cake Shop, Mrs Violet Kwan, is retiring and she is looking for a successor to take over the legendary chocolate cake shop.

This iconic cake shop at Greenwood Avenue has been around since 1975, and there is a reason why it has remained immensely popular for so many decades. Moist and extremely chocolatey, you will never look at chocolate cakes the same way again once you have tried Lana Chocolate Cake.

And it is such a shame that we might never get to taste it again (unless the right successor is found).

According to a report by Straits Times, Mrs Violet Kwan is looking to sell the cake business which will include her secret recipes and her unit at 36 Greenwood Avenue.

“It must be someone who really values the cake, who knows how to bake and is not just looking for a business opportunity,” Mrs Violet Kwan says. “I hope s/he will take Lana Cake to greater heights.”

If you haven’t tried it, you might have seen it before?

Despite its plain-looking and un-photogenic exterior that has zero physical appeal, this block of brown is the famous chocolate cake; Lana Cake Shop has certainly nailed it.

There are many good chocolate cakes in Singapore – Awfully Chocolate, Jane’s Cake Station, Vicky’s Cake Shop, to name a few – but Lana Cake Shop’s chocolate cake is a taste of nostalgia and it will always hold a special place in Singaporeans’ hearts.

Whoever the successor is going to be, we just hope that s/he will continue to maintain and uphold the standards set by Mrs Violet Kwan.

Lana Chocolate Cake
36 Greenwood Avenue
Tel: +65 6466 8940
Mon & Tue: 10.30am – 4.30pm
Wed to Fri: 10.30am – 5.30pm
Sat: 10.30am – 4.30pm
Nearest Station: Botanic Gardens

Your search for the perfect festive hamper will end with Awfully Chocolate’s version. To celebrate the Christmas, Awfully Chocolate introduces this sleek black box that will bring joy to just about anyone you gift it to.

This carefully curated hamper is housed in one of the classiest gift boxes we have ever seen, wrapped around by a bright gold ribbon. Created to please everyone of different ages and from all walks of life, Awfully Chocolate’s hamper is a splendid way to spread the love of chocolate around.

Take our word for it – Awfully Chocolate has your back with their 2015 Festive Hamper.

Sitting within the hamper is their highlight this year – the Chocolate Velvet Cake, which reminds us of a decadent, dense brownie. It is an ambient cake, meaning that it doesn’t need to be kept in a fridge; yes it won’t melt. Just let it rest in a cool and dry place, and it can be consumed anytime. Talk about convenience!

The Chocolate Velvet Cake can also be purchased separately (S$68/whole cake), but to us, this festive hamper makes the deal so much more worth it!

On top of the Chocolate Velvet Cake, there are also Dark Chocolate Biscuits, Salt & Sesame Biscuits, Praline Truffles and our favourite Chocolate Truffle Cubes. And this massive hamper is priced at S$178 for all those goodies.

But if the hamper is for wine lovers, then you might want to consider topping up S$30 for an additional bottle of red wine (Egot Merlot Sangiovese). That’s honestly a reasonable price, yes?

You can purchase the 2015 Festive Hamper and other Christmas-related products from 1st November to 25th December 2015.

All Christmas products and hampers are to be pre-ordered 3 days in advance. Ring the various Awfully Chocolate outlets directly to place your order(s), or if you have any enquiries at all. For a list of the outlets, visit their website here.

Do note that delivery options for the hampers can be done from 9am to 6pm daily, with a fee of S$10.70 per location.

This post was brought to you by Awfully Chocolate.

If you were at the Orchard area last weekend, you would have spotted nydc’s ‘Mini Cafe’ along the streets. To celebrate its new menu launch, the good people from the New York Dessert Cafe set up a ‘Mini Cafe’ where friends, couples and young families can have a little fun, share nydc’s joy while snapping photos and stand a chance to win attractive prizes when they participate in nydc’s Instagram Contest. Check out the photos by searching #iheartnydc on Instagram.

After snapping some photos at the ‘Mini Cafe’, 3 lucky winners joined me at nydc’s Wheelock outlet to sample some of the dishes from its new menu which now offers over 30 dessert items, 20 hot food items, four kids’ meals and 40 beverages. What makes nydc a place to return again and again is surely the variety on its menu. With so many gorgeous desserts and tantalising savoury food to choose from, there is always something for everyone.

Here are some of the highlights of nydc’s new menu.

The Small Plates are a good way to start the meal. You can either have them as snacks (to save room for desserts), or share them as appetisers. All items from this section are priced affordably under S$10.

A must-try is Mushroom Munchies (S$7.80 for 6 pieces). The ingredients – button mushrooms, ham, garlic mayonnaise and mozzarella – are simple, but they come together to make it a very satisfying appetiser. The Lolli Pork Ribs (S$9.80 for 4 pieces) is nydc’s take on pork ribs with chocolate soil. I like the pairing of savoury ribs with a sweet chocolate-y taste.

Dishes from the Big Plates section include salads, sandwiches, burgers, pizzas and pastas. For those who love all-day breakfast, you will be delighted to hear that nydc also serves two breakfast items for the entire day.

The star of the menu and what I would highly recommend is the Piggly Wiggly Burger (S$15.80). The burger is made up of strips of juicy and tender pulled pork coated with a very addictive BBQ sauce.

Another dish which I really enjoyed was the Good Ol’ Fish & Chips (S$15.80). The fish was deep-fried to a beautiful shade of golden brown, and it was done just right – not overly greasy or too oily. This was comfort food at its best.

We also had the Double Beef Booster (S$14.80) which came with a generous serving of pastrami; the Sloppy Joe (S$14.80), a minced beef stew burger done exactly the way a good burger should be – a messy experience with all the ingredients oozing out.

We were stuffed at this point, but there was no way we would skip desserts, especially when there are 30 sweets to choose from. We were really spoiled for choices, and there were so many desserts that we wanted to try. In the end, we went for a combination of nydc’s signature desserts, and some of the new items.

The Goldmine Cheesecake (S$6.80), a classic New York cheesecake with chocolate chunks and chocolate fudge topping, has kept the loyalty of regular diners. The Choco Bull’s Eye (S$6.80) and the Peanut Butter Crunch Time (S$6.80) are also two desserts that you must try at nydc. The former comes with an espresso chocolate ball within the dessert, and you can challenge your friends to see who would hit the “bull’s eye” first, while the latter is a heavenly combination of peanut butter pudding with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

A meal at nydc is not complete without having their famous mudpies. Try the much-lauded Jedi Mudster (S$11.80) – a luscious pairing of double chocolate chip and macadamia nut ice cream on an oreo base with chunks of homemade cookies. If you are in a big group, order the 3-Some (S$11.80) to share. It comes with three layers of chocolate chip cookie dough, strawberry and strawberry cheesecake ice cream on graham crackers.

For guys who cannot do without their burgers, go for the dessert rendition – I Scream Burger (S$9.80). Featuring three scoops of chocolate chip, vanilla and strawberry ice cream sandwiched in a brioche bun, this is one attention-grabbing burger that even non-dessert lovers will be pleased.

The High & Mighty (S$8.80), another top-seller at nydc, consists of 24 layers of chocolate fudge and fluffy sponge. Unlike the usual chocolate cakes which are too sweet and dry, nydc’s rendition is moist with just the right touch of sweetness.

nydc started in 1995 with the flagship outlet in Holland village with the goal of providing a place where people would just let their hair down and share their joy and sorrow over good desserts and fun food. Its aim still remains true today. WIth their tagline “Celebrate Life Everyday”, nydc is more than just a dessert cafe that is known for its iconic mudpies and cheesecakes, it is a place where families and friends gather not just to celebrate special occasions, but also to enjoy precious time on normal days, life is indeed worth celebrating over good food at nydc.

Here is a good opportunity to try nydc’s new menu items as they are celebrating Singapore’s 48th birthday at nydc with a special $48 Bundle Deal which consists of 1 dessert, 1 Small Plate, 2 Big Plates and 1 Lemonade pitcher. Cheesecake lovers will be in for a treat too – nydc’s iconic cheesecakes are going for $48 (U.P. $66) this month. Promotion runs 9 to 31 August 2013.)

nydc
30 Lorong Mambong
Tel: +65 6469 2998
Sun to Thu & PH: 11.30am – 10.30pm
Fri, Sat & eve of PH: 11.30am – 11pm
Nearest Station: Holland Village

#02-19 Wheelock Place
501 Orchard Road
Tel: +65 6736 3253
Sun to Thu & PH: 11.30am – 10.30pm
Fri & Sat: 11.30am – 11pm
Nearest Station: Orchard

#02-47/48 Bugis Junction
200 Victoria Street
Tel: +65 6333 3161
Sun to Thu & PH: 11.30am – 10pm
Fri & Sat & eve of PH: 11.30am – 10.30pm
Nearest Station: Bugis

Eating out in Singapore is getting considerably expensive. Nowadays, it is increasingly difficult to find a restaurant that serves good food at reasonable prices.

When I was at The Clan Restaurant for dinner, I was surprised to find out that it not only dishes out an extensive menu – with offerings of cold dish, side dish, soup, main course and dessert – that you really cannot go wrong with, but it is also relatively inexpensive given the quality of the food.

Under the cold dish category, our party tasted most of the dishes, and everyone agreed that the Beef Carpaccio ($20) was a terrific choice. The pairing of well-marbled beef slices and truffle mustard salad with truffle teriyaki & horseradish sauce made for a winning combination.

The other favourite of the table was Alaskan King Crab ($22). It stood out with its light homemade Karashi dressing that allowed the freshness of the crab to shine through.

The Chef’s Starter ($18) – a trio of foie gras chawanmushi, seared scallops with truffle foam, and hamachi with ponzu – is also a good way to start the meal.

After sampling the cold dishes, we progressed to side dishes of Deep Fried Foie Gras ($18) with balsamic reduction and cheese focaccia, Kurobuta Pork Belly Confit ($15) with pork cracker and passion fruit sauce and Steamed Razar Clam ($15) drizzled with Japanese sauce, and Herb Crusted Mushroom Escargot ($15). Among them, the standout dish was the Kurobuta Pork Belly Confit, while the Foie Gras was disappointing as the deep-fried batter overwhelmed the foie gras.

The Clan has main courses like Spiced Braised Lamb Shank ($29), 48 Degree Poached Salmon with Japanese broth ($27) and Pan Seared Cod Fish ($29). But what you must order is the 48 Hours Beef Short Ribs served on hoba leaf and lava stone. Everyone was gushing when the waiter served the dish to the table. It was outstanding, and undoubtedly the highlight of our dinner. Another commendable dish from the menu is the Duck Confit ($26) with plum mustard, and truffle mashed potato.

Sweet treats include a Madeira Cheese Panna Cotta ($10), Chocolate Lava ($10) with homemade gelato, Triple Espresso Crème Brulee ($10) and the excellent and highly recommended Chan La Royaltine Chocolate Cake ($11).

The Clan Restaurant
1 Selegie Road, #02-01 PoMo
Singapore 188306
Tel: +65 6222 2084
Daily: 11.30am – 2.30pm, 6pm – 11pm
Nearest Station: Dhoby Ghaut

There are some places we go to because of one specific dish. The ones that make you crave for it all the time. The ones you will visit even if the place is located in an inaccessible area. One of them, for me, is the Death by Chocolate Cake ($12) at Rider’s Cafe.

Rider’s Cafe at Bukit Timah Saddle Club needs no introduction. It is one of the most popular brunch spots in Singapore and everyone knows about them. If you have never been there before, you must go there for brunch this weekend. And if it has been a while since you last went, it is definitely time to go back again.

The food in general is good. For breakfast (8am – 11am on weekdays), the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes ($14) and Blackstone Benedict ($15) are very popular. They offer quite a few options under the appetisers and main courses for lunch and dinner. The Riders Burger ($17) is very good. Nothing too fanciful, just a solid burger with nicely seasoned fries. The Spaghetti Aglio Olio ($24) is decent, but not the best. You might also want to go for their Steak Frites ($35) or Roast Chicken ($27).

Riders Cafe
51 Fairways Drive
Bukit Timah Saddle Club
Tel: +65 6466 9819
Sun to Thu: 8am – 9pm
Fri & Sat: 8am – 10pm
Closed on Mon

Au Chocolat, opened by the folks behind Ku De Ta and Catalunya, occupies a huge space at a corner of Marina Bay Sands. It is divided into two sections: a retail confectionery store where you can find all sorts of delicious snacks – such as slice cakes, cupcakes, gelato, truffle – and fun merchandise. The other half is the bistro which has an all-day dining menu.

We have been to Au Chocolat many times, and tried quite a few items from the bistro and confectionery. Here are some of the highlights.

The menu is huge, running from handmade crepes ($16-20), to breakfast food ($15-22), finger food and snacks ($12-18), soup and salad ($11-20), burgers and sandwiches ($16-25), pasta ($23-25), entrees ($22-32) and desserts ($16-18).

We started with their Truffle Fries ($15), a generous serving of crispy fries drizzled with fragrant white truffle oil and seasoned with truffle sea salt. The Mushroom Bite ($14), next to arrive on the table, was rather run-of-the-mill. For the price, we would rather get another portion of the truffle fries.

We have heard a lot about Au Chocolat’s Ultimate Benedict ($22), so we knew we had to give it a try. Pancakes formed the base of the dish, and it was topped with spinach, tomatoes, crispy bacon, roasted ribeye steak, roasted chicken and two poached eggs. It has a generous drizzling of red wine and dark chocolate infused hollandaise sauce.

Each of the ingredient was good on its own, but when you put everything together, it became too overwhelming. Simply put, we were not too impressed.

Our favourite entree is the crispy Duck Confit ($27), which comes with potato mash, white wine poached pear and topped off with a tangy chocolate orange sauce. It was one of the best duck confits that I have had in recent times. Definitely one of the must-order dishes when you are dining at Au Chocolat.

A commendable dish is the Steak Frites ($35). I was not expecting much of the pan-seared ribeye steak, if only because many places tend to serve mediocre steaks, so I was pleasantly to find that this was really good. It was a perfectly cooked steak which was juicy, tender and well seasoned. Plus, it was accompanied by tasty truffle fries and red wine sauce on the side.

Other enticing options on the entrees menu include a delicious corn-fed Roasted Chicken ($24) and the rich and flavourful Boeuf Bourguignon ($26).

We also had their Stuffed French Toast ($18). Two slices of brioche bread filled with berries and mascarpone cheese. There is nothing wrong with this dish, but other than the pretty appearance, there is little about it that stands out.

Dessert lovers will surely go crazy at Au Chocolat here. Among the six options under the dessert section, we had the Au Chocolat Tower Cake ($18), a huge six layers of moist chocolate cake served with a vanilla gelato; and the Caramel Apple Skillet ($17) – which was a baked caramel pecan cake drizzled with salted caramel sauce. If you have been on a hunt to find the best chocolate cake in Singapore, you must try Au Chocolat’s rendition.

Besides that, we have also tried many different desserts from Au Chocolat’s pastry counter over several visits. The noteworthy ones include the Chocolate Tart, Red Velvet Cheesecake, Kalamansi Cake and Peanut Butter Cheesecake.

What makes Au Chocolat a place you can return to again and again is that its all-day menu provides plenty of options for everyone. Furthermore, it opens till late everyday, making it a great venue for dinner, or to hangout for desserts with a group of friends.

Au Chocolat
2 Bayfront Avenue
#01-03 The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands
Tel: +65 6688 7227
Sun to Thu: 10am – 11pm
Fri & Sat: 10am – 12 midnight
Note: This was an invited media tasting.

When it comes to chocolate desserts, no one does it better than Laurent Bernard Chocolatier. Formerly known as The Chocolate Factory, the newly renamed Laurent’s Café & Chocolate Bar has two branches at Robertson Quay and Portsdown road. Whenever I’m having dinner at the Robertson Quay restaurants, I always find it hard to decide between Canele Patisserie or Laurent Bernard for desserts.

For those of you who are having a chocolate craving, I’m sure Laurent’s Cafe & Chocolate Bar can satisfy you with the chocolatey truffle cake, my favourite Plaisir Sucré, the delicious chocolate tart and of course, their famous Chocolate Souffle.

One of my favourite cakes from Laurent Bernard Cafe is definitely the Pleasure ($9.80). The classic Plaisir Sucré comprises whipped chocolate cream and ganache in between the beautiful and delicate chocolate sheets, and a base of hazelnut and praline; it is out-of-this-world.

The Trianon ($7.80) reminds me of the Plaisir Sucré. In place of the chocolate sheets, it has the dark yet rich chocolate mousse, and the base of hazelnut dacquoise is excellent. Look at the picture on top, the dessert looks so gorgeous!

Having the Chocolate Soufflé ($16.50) may takes time and patience, but straight out from the oven, it’s instant gratification. Once you start digging your spoon into the souffle cup, it’s almost impossible to stop, that is, until you are down to the last smear of the spoon.

The chocolate souffle is moist, dark, rich, and intense while the accompanying raspberry sherbet is sour, tangy and provides the perfect balance to the dessert.

There’s a waiting time of 15-30 minutes for the chocolate soufflé, and like they say: good things come to those who can wait. But sometimes, I’m not so sure. Between the chocolate soufflé and warm chocolate lava cake, I’m inclined to go for the latter – who can resist the magnificent oozing effect? Not me.

Chocolate bars are my Disney land, somehow they know how to make me happy. If you are in the Esplanade or Vivocity area, go to Max Brenner Chocolate Bar, and if you are somewhere near Robertson Quay or Portsdown road, then it’s a must to go Laurent Bernard Chocolatier to satisfy your chocolate craving.

Laurent Bernard Chocolatier
#01-11 The Pier at Robertson Quay
80 Mohammad Sultan Road
Tel: +65 6235 9007
Mon: 6pm – 11pm
Tue to Thu: 1pm – 12 midnight
Fri & Sat: 1pm – 1am
Sun: 1pm – 11pm
Nearest Station: Clarke Quay

Sometimes, all it takes is chocolate and cake to make me happy. I’m very sure that I’m not the only one who feels this way, so if you like chocolate and cake too, you should drop by Jewel Artisan Chocolate for their afternoon high tea.

They are located on the second level of Orchard Central. At just $14.80++, I’d think that Jewel Artisan Chocolate has a pretty value for money tea set for those who are not willing to splurge $38++/pax to have afternoon tea at a Five Star Hotel.

I was caught in a dilemma for the title of this post. You see, afternoon tea typically refers to a light mid afternoon break from 3pm to 5pm and there’s usually sandwiches and scones, while high tea is an early evening meal between 5pm to 6pm. Technically speaking, Jewel Artisan Chocolate’s tea set cannot be classified under both afternoon tea or high tea since it is an all day affair from 11am to 6pm in the evening.

Oh what the heck, I’m calling it Afternoon high tea, you can figure it out yourself. The $14.80++ High Tea Set at Jewel Artisan Chocolate Orchard Central includes: 1 x truffle/praline, 1 pc macaron, 1 slice of 85% Dark Chocolate Gateau, 1 dollop x Ice Cream/Sorbet, and 1 pot x Gourmet Tea.

The two of us decided to share an afternoon tea set plus an additional Dark Chocolate Lava Cake from their cake menu ($10.80/serving). If you do not fancy the ubiquitous chocolate lava cake, there’s also the chocolate tart, chocolate crumble, chocolate gateau or chocolate mousse to choose from.

The mini slice of 85% Dark Chocolate Gateau which comes with the afternoon tea set was rich, smooth, and very cakey (if there’s even such a word). For the macarons, there are choices of Black Palm Island Salt, Raspberry, Butterfly Pea Bloom, Green tea, Passionfruit, Dark chocolate, Hazelnut and Butterscotch. We had a macaron from the tea set, and it was so addictive. In the name of research, we ended up ordering another two macaron ($2 each).

I wasn’t too impressed with the Butterfly Pea Bloom. Other than the seemingly-artificial colouring, the combination of kaya and pandan almond cream didn’t really go well together for my taste bud. The Raspberry wasn’t too bad, but it was the Black Palm Island Salt (atas name for Salted egg yolk) macaron that was truly phenomenal! It’s impossible to describe the intriguing flavor, please go to Jewel Artisan and try it out for yourself. It’s possibly one of the best macarons in Singapore.

It’s a shame that there wasn’t any vanilla ice cream on the menu to go along with the Dark Chocolate Lava Cake ($10.8), so we had two scoops of hazelnut and dark chocolate (one for the tea set and the other comes with the lava cake).

The chocolate lava exploded as I cut off a corner of the cake. Warm and luscious dark chocolate with a scoop of cold ice cream – life can’t get any better than this.

Jewel Artisan Chocolate High Tea is a good option (11am to 6pm daily) if you are not able to make it during lunch time for the $12++ dessert buffet from One Ninety Restaurant at Four Seasons Hotel. Now, if only the chairs are more comfortable, I will be back all the time for a pot of tea, a nibble of truffle and a slice of cake.

Singapore Food Restaurant Review
Jewel Artisan Chocolate
181 Orchard Road #02-31/32
Orchard Central Singapore
Tel: +65 6509 8998

// Read my list of dessert places in Singapore.

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In the local Singapore food scene, there are always new restaurants opening and it is good since we have more options to choose from. Dempsey road restaurants is probably one of the most happening food destinations in Singapore. The Disgruntled Chef is the latest restaurant to join the crowd at dempsey hill, but when it comes to choosing a place for dinner – I would head back to Barracks Cafe, House Dempsey road.

This post is a continuation of the food that we had during the high tea buffet. We had so much food in an afternoon, and I blamed everything on the Barracks cafe.

Many people raved about the skinny pizzas at Barracks Cafe, and I will talk about them in a minute. If you are too lazy to travel all the way to Dempsey road, they are also available at the Skinny Pizza Cafe which has branches at Wheelock, Raffles City and Suntec.

We tried three skinny pizzas ($25): Salt Cod Brandade, Grilled Figs With Parmesan Crumble, and the Ahi Taki. Half the time, I wasn’t sure which one I was eating, but I finished all of them anyway. All the pizzas were not bad, but they were somewhat too healthy and wholesome – not exactly my idea of pizzas.

The famous truffle fries from Barracks Cafe, House Dempsey.

All the other food bloggers love the Truffle fries ($9). They had it while having the skinny pizzas, they also had it while having some of the items from the afternoon high tea buffet. And you know what? they ate it with the desserts too.

We had at least four-five servings and there wasn’t any left when we were done. The fries were drizzled with truffle oil, which gave them a smokey aftertaste. It had a gasoline smell, and while I had my fair share of it; I’m not convinced to pay nine bucks for fries. Give me a dessert anytime!

Now, the cake in the picture above, is the popular Strawberry Shortcake ($9.50) from Barracks Cafe, House Dempsey. If you ask someone (who has been to House before) for recommendations on what desserts to order from Barracks Cafe, chances are, they will tell you: strawberry shortcake.

I couldn’t quite possibly describe it, but the strawberry shortcake at House Dempsey was very different from the ones we usually have. For a start, it wasn’t as fluffy and soft like the ones from the Japanese patisseries. Filled with fresh (but sour) strawberries, and poured over with vanilla bean cream — oh honey, I’m in love.

Everyone loves strawberry shortcakes, I mean does it even make sense that you will not want to eat it?

Anything and everything can be made better with hazelnut. Take the chocolate cake for instance, it’s a lovely thing on its own, yes nobody can resist it, but the cake is often too sweet and people always struggle to finish the whole slice. But with the addition of hazelnut, it becomes something more than that. It’s no longer an ordinary death-by-chocolate cake. The Chocolate Hazelnut Gateaux ($12) is much more sophisticated, preferably enjoyed with a glass of cold milk. I’m not sure if it’s because we had too much desserts, but the chocolate hazelnut cake wasn’t my favorite among the ones that we tried.

My favorite dessert was the Lemon Cake ($12), and no, it’s not the one in the picture.

I don’t remember having much of the Pandan Jelly Sponge (above picture) and the Passionfruit Kachang, but I absolutely love the Barracks Cafe’s lemon cake. It was sour, and I mean it in a good way. Most of the food bloggers preferred the Passionfruit kachang, and they only took a small spoonful of the lemon cake as they found it to be too sour. But I love citrus fruits, and I managed to finish most of the lemon cake by myself.

Tell me, which dessert are you? I’m a lemon meringue tart. Or maybe a chocolate hazelnut praline cake. Wait, I think I’m a chocolate souffle too. Oh whatever, just tell me about you.

Restaurant Review
Barracks Cafe House Dempsey
8D Dempsey Road
#01-01 to 06 Tanglin Village
Tel: +65 6475 7787
Note: This is an invited tasting session.

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Before I go into my raves for desserts, I want you to know that Marmalade Pantry at Ion Orchard serves pretty good desserts. Hint hint, just the perfect place to indulge for afternoon tea in Singapore – if you still don’t get what I mean.

Desserts are pleasure guaranteed, with no further explanations needed or what so ever. We can have desserts for breakfast, like pancakes with ice cream & maple syrup, If not desserts for lunch, dinner or supper, or all three combined. But you know what I really like? I think desserts, are meant for afternoon high tea.

Having come up with a list of Dessert Places in Singapore, I’m sure you can tell that I have a soft spot for sweet stuff. Marmalade Pantry has shifted from Palais Renaissance to their current location, and they are an extremely popular place  for high tea in Singapore, alongside TWG Tea Salon at Ion Orchard.

I’m a very visual guy, and the appearance of Marmalade Pantry’s Sea Salt Caramel Cheesecake ($7.80) didn’t exactly help to give me confidence. But oh boy, we were so wrong. The cheesecake was good, it was so, so good! Marmalade Pantry’s rendition was softly sweet, with a hint of the sea salt caramel induced within the eerily light cheese-cake.

The Old Fashioned Chocolate Fudge Cake ($7.80) on the other hand, was disappointing with the less-than-moist texture. Despite the chocolate-y flavor, the cake was dry and nothing could be done to save it. Maybe a scoop of melty vanilla ice cream would do the trick. Maybe. But we will never know.

I’d definitely order the Chocolate Truffle cake, but it seems that they have pull it off the menu and it is now only available at Toast Cafe Takashimaya.

If you are craving for something chocolate-y, I’d suggest to go for the Nutella Cupcake ($4.20). With a smooth, creamy layer of hazelnut spread on top of the chocolate cake, this is your gateway to heaven. Marmalade Pantry has some of the best cupcakes in Singapore, and the Limonta ($4.20) is the one reason I go back to Marmalade Pantry over and over again.

Marmalade Pantry also has an Afternoon High Tea set at $20 each which is available from 3pm to 5pm daily with a minimum of 2 sets per order. The afternoon tea indulgence includes Gryphon tea, a selection of egg and cress, beef & horseradish and green land shrimp finger sandwiches, buttermilk scones, and a cupcake.

Desserts will save the world.

Restaurant Review
Marmalade Pantry
2 Orchard Turn #03-22
ION Orchard Singapore
Tel: +65 6734 2700

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// Update: Mykii Brasserie Cafe is now closed

Many food lovers always like to go Holland Village as it has always been one of the popular dining spots in Singapore that has so many different restaurants. I recently came to know that Mykii restaurant actually serves brunch on weekends. It wasn’t  even on my list of Brunch Places in Singapore when I had compiled it back then.

Breakfast at Mykii Brasserie Cafe is available on weekends from 11.30am – 4pm, and there are three brunch menus to choose from: Hearty Deluxe ($38), Gourmet Chic ($28) and Classique ($28). We had a Hearty Deluxe brunch set which came with a starter of homemade bread & muffin/scone/cupcake, Mykii Brunch platter, a choice of main course, dessert, coffee/tea and fruit juice. I know, that’s quite an handful isn’t it? In addition to that, we shared another Gourmet Chic brunch set which was essentially about the same as the Hearty Deluxe brunch set – less the main course.

Most of the time, I prefer to order from the ala carte menu, rather than having a brunch buffet. There’s no need for so much variety for breakfast, I’m a cereal-eggs-pancakes-desserts kind of guy. I like to keep brunch simple – nothing too heavy.

The scones are sturdy, yet crumby, hard on the outside yet so moist inside, it’s the type that I will love to have every morning. On the other hand, the Oreo cupcake was just okay, very sweet and a little too dry. The homemade bread, however was excellent. While waiting for the food to come, we couldn’t help but spread the room-temperature butter onto the bread and wolfed down two slices each.

The Eggs Benedict was more than just a pretty face. The magical combination of eggs and bacon always works. While the holladaise sauce wasn’t as buttery as I would like it to be, it’s just assuring to have Eggs Benedict for breakfast.

Mykii’s Brunch platter consisted of French chipolata sausage, grilled fresh tomatoes, streaky bacon with farmhouse eggs. For the eggs, we chose to have the ocean’s catch omelette with squids and prawn with a tangy thai-sweet chili mayonnaise. Hearty and satisfying, this is my classic interpretation of a big breakfast.

By the time the Iceland Smoked Salmon Sandwich arrived on our table, our stomach was already almost filled to the brim. I had no idea why it was named the Iceland smoked salmon sandwich, but I do know for a fact that the fries that accompanied the sandwich were delicious. It was nicely cut, and had a great potato taste. They were also light and not too salty; we finished every fry without feeling guilty.

If you have been around for some time, you will know that I have always been against the marriage of chocolate and banana. There are plenty of different options like orange chocolate and chocolate mint, but yes, I do not like chocolate banana.

The Chocolate Banana cake here did not change my opinion of the popular dessert, but at least it wasn’t that bad. For one, the bulk of the cake was chocolate ganache and only a thin layer was the banana component. I have nothing against banana, but chocolate banana doesn’t work for me.

I was elated when the dessert menu had a choice of Sweet Morning Platter, which was petite old English pancakes with pear compote, smoothie shooter, and vanilla bean gelato. When the dessert came, the size of the pancakes caught us by surprise. Again, I blamed myself for not reading the menu carefully, petite old English pancakes.. Yes it’s petite, small, tiny or whatever vocabularies you can think of.

Well, it wasn’t too bad. It’s pancakes, you know – pancakes always taste good. The slightly sourish smoothie shooter provided a good counterbalance to the sweet duo of pear compote and ice cream. Ooh, there’s vanilla beans! Perfect. Just the way I wanted to end a good and hearty brunch.

Compared with the other brunch places in Singapore, Mykii probably won’t be among my favorites, but that’s not because it’s not good. The food was pretty decent, not top-notch, but good enough. Their brunch menu really spoils me with so much food, and I’m very sure that my stomach will hold a protest very soon if this goes on.

Actually come to think of it, the beautiful part about breakfast food is the simplicity of it. Having a cup of coffee while reading Sunday Times, beginning breakfast with starter-eggs-mains-desserts, and most importantly, having it with your favorite person – what more can you ask for?

Go and have a good breakfast today! Sundays are meant for brunch.

Restaurant Review
Mykii Brasserie Cafe
17d Lorong Liput
Holland Village
Tel: +65 6468 2838

It’s all about you. It’s all about you baby. Yesterday you asked me something I thought you knew. So I told you with a smile, ‘It’s all about you‘. Say ‘if you made my life worthwhile it’s all about you’. It’s all about the company, it’s all about the cakes, it’s all about the laughter, it’s all about the fun, it’s all about the sugar-rush, from the desserts.

It’s all about pistachio and strawberry. The fraisier ($6.90++) was the first one we started with. The very subtle & mild pistachio butter cream, worked for me, but it might just disappoint the pistachio purists. A simple dessert, with the almond sponge cake enveloping the butter cream. I’ll pick this again, yes I will.

On my first time trying the Strawberry shortcake ($6.50++), I was disappointed by Canele’s rendition. Well still basically a shortcake sponge with cream and strawberry, Bakerzin’s version appealed more to me. But, for people with stronger taste buds, go for other highly-flavoured cakes instead of this.

It’s all about New York. No, you do not need to go all the way to NY just for a slice of the famous New York cheesecake ($6.50++). Possibility one of the most popular cheesecake, this one here came with a coat of tangy strawberry glaze, topped with a sole berry. Light and airy, a few of us preferred this to the stronger lemon cheesecake.

Lemon, cheese, and cake. I’m talking about the Bloom cheesecake ($6.50++) of course. Cheesy flavour with a strong hint of lemon. In the battle between the supporters of the heavy-cheesy, and the light subtle dessert, I’m leaning towards the light airy camp in this case. It’s not that I do not like the cheesy type, but the bloom somehow was overwhelming, although I like the lemon zest.

It’s all about the love of coffee, and chocolate. The Sumatra ($6.50++) coffee mousse with the combination of dark and white chocolate. I ain’t a coffee lover, so it didn’t quite worked out for me.

It’s all about childhood, birthday, and nostalgia. I remember the time when I was a kid, eating my black forest cake to celebrate the-day-I-was-borne. The Foret Noir ($6.90++) was the biggest in slice, with chocolate flakes showered all over the chocolate almond sponge cake soaked in kirsch. You know, the only reason why I detested eating black forest cake was the presence of brandied cherries within. Why can’t we do a black forest without them inside!

It’s all about chocolate. It’s all about chocolate baby. The sweet, o so sweet chocolate mousse with the flourless chocolate sponge. The “oomph” and “ahh” all came out. Heavenly chocolate. I can’t imagine somebody who will dislike this, and chocolate. The Chocolate Amer ($6.20++) was by far, one of the best cakes among the 10 that we tried.

With crunchy walnuts, chocolate ganache, and caramelised bananas. Ambrosia ($6.50++). I’m always against the marriage of banana and cakes. And now, there’s even a third party, walnut involved. Not my cup, or rather slice of cake.

I called this the cousin of Foret Noir. Having similar ingredients like chocolate mousse, and brandied cherries, the Coeur Noir ($6.50++) has dark chocolate glaze instead of the chocolate flakes, and a hazelnut dacquoise base.

Bakerzin’s signature, warm chocolate cake ($4.90, usual price $9.80). The chocolate ooze out like lava erupting from volcano. Like I mentioned before, when you eat the warm chocolate with the cold ice cream. The chemical process between the two combined together, was magic. At the current promotional price, i’ll agree its a good deal to try this out.

I must say the arrays of cakes Bakerzin offered, make them one of the leaders for gourmet cakes. But I still think that in terms of appeals, Bakerzin loses out, with Canele having stronger marketing and branding. I’ll like to thank the warm hospitality of area manager, Miss Janet Chua, who was around at the Novena branch.

Bakerzin
101 Thomson Road
#01-07/60 United Square
Singapore 307591
Tel: 6251 5550