Updated on 23 Apr 2014: 1 Caramel is no longer in operations.

1 Caramel Patisserie used to be located at The Luxe at Handy road (besides The Cathay). They have since shifted to Rochester Park, sharing the space with their sister restaurant, 1 Rochester.

With only a few tables in a narrow rectangular space, 1 Caramel dessert boutique at Rochester Park is much smaller than before. But I like the cosy feel of the new outlet; it is a lovely dessert place to have a cup of tea and a slice of cake for a quiet afternoon high tea.

I lurveee to be in a kitchen of a patisserie. It makes me feel as though I’m in Disneyland. We were browsing the cakes on display as the Hazelnut Praline ($6) called out to me. I immediately knew that was the cake that we had to get.

But for the other cakes, we had a hard time trying to decide between tempting choices like the Tea-ramisu ($6), Chocolate Molten Cake ($14) and Earl Grey Creme Brulee ($14). In the end, we had a Lychee Cupcake, Vanilla Souffle and a Strawberry shortcake to go together with the Hazelnut Praline.

I had fond memories of their Lychee Rose cake, so I was hoping that the Lychee Rose Cupcake ($3.5) could replicate some of the magic. Unfortunately, the cupcake was way too dry, and I didn’t enjoy it very much.

Let’s observe five minutes of silence for the fallen souffle…

It was really fun to watch the rise and fall of the Soufflé, but other than that, we were not blown away by the dessert. Don’t get me wrong, though. The Vanilla Souffle ($14) with strawberry ice cream was not bad, but for the price, we were expecting a little more. Expectations are the root of all problems. That said, 1 Caramel has interesting options like hazelnut, passionfruit, and miso souffle.

I really liked 1 Caramel’s Strawberry Shortcake ($6). I liked the flaky pastry around the cake. I liked how it is different from the usual strawberry shortcakes. I liked the combination of fluffy sponge cake and strawberry bits.

This is definitely going into my list of best strawberry shortcakes in Singapore.

Besides cakes and desserts, 1 Caramel Patisserie at Rochester Park also serves all day brunch like Eggs Benedict ($12), Pancakes ($12), Croque Monsieur ($12), and French Toast ($10).

Singapore Food Blog Review
1 Caramel Dessert Boutique
1 Rochester Park, Level 2
Tel: +65 6774 1302
Weekday: 11.30am – 10.30pm
Weekend: 10am – 10.30pm

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

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I first went to 1-TwentySix restaurant at Playground @ Big Splash, East Coast Park a year ago. It was a romantic restaurant to dine in, but I thought that the food was unremarkable for the price point, so I didn’t blog about it. Two months back, I went back again for dinner as a group of friends wanted to go there.

1 Twenty Six is a large sea-fronting beach restaurant & bar. While they have a nice indoor dining room, most of the customers prefer to eat at the al fresco area where you can enjoy the sea breeze and chill out with a group of friends over dinner and drinks.

We had a lot of food, but I only took a few shots as I didn’t want to scare off some of the new friends. 1 Twenty Six’s Coast menu is divided into two parts: the ala carte menu where you can get the usual appetiser ($6.5-22), salad ($12-20), platters ($22-32), main course ($28-48) and dessert ($14); and the Communal menu where you pay $70++/pax (min of 2 pax) for a nibble platter, choice of 1 main course/pax with sides, and a dessert platter.

With the exception of a few new additions, the menu has remained largely unchanged since my last visit. The nibble platter (pictured above) comes with the familiar Potato Skin with sour cream, Steamed Vongole Clams, and Crispy Soft Shell Crab with chilli mayo.

For the main course selections from the Communal menu, gone were the Seared King Scallops, Penne with Zucchini, and Fish Pie. In place were the Butternut Pumpkin Risotto, Shellfish Carbonara and Fish & Chips.

During my first visit to One Twenty Six, we had the 150 day grain fed tenderloin ($48), and braised short rib of beef ($38). The tenderloin was not bad, but I could have gotten a better steak elsewhere.

This time round, we also had the Communal menu. For the main courses, we shared the Fish & Chips, Roasted Baby Chicken, Seared Tuna Loin, and Grilled Cod Fillet.

Our British friend wasn’t impressed with the Baby Snapper Fillet in crispy beer batter, but the French Fries that came along with the ‘Fish & Chips’ were excellent – all of us couldn’t stop eating it.

Some of my friends thought that the Grilled Cod fillet with blood orange salad was good, but I felt that it was just decent, so was the Seared Tuna Loin (pictured below) with bell pepper marmalade. For me, the standout dish for the night was the Baby Chicken served with rosemary potatoes.

If you choose to have the Communal menu ($70++/pax), you get to pick either the Grande Assiette – a selection of five petite sized desserts consisting of Creme Brulee, Panna Cotta, Chocolate Cake, Pavlova, and Souffle; or a selection of artisan cheese.

1 Twenty Six by One Rochester Group is a hip and trendy place to see and be seen. Being one of the few fine dining restaurants in the East, it is a good option for people if they do not want to travel all the way to town. As for me, I would probably just come back for drinks.

Singapore Food Blog Review
1 TwentySix Restaurant
902 East Coast Parkway
Blk E #01-26 Playground @ Big Splash
Tel: +65 6348 2126

Sun to Thu: 6.30pm – 1am
Fri & PH Eve: 6.30pm – 3am
Sat: 3pm – 3am
Sun Brunch: 11am – 3pm

Rochester Park was promoted as the next Dempsey Hill dining destination when they first started. Restaurants like Cassis fine dining French restaurant, Pinchos Tapas Bar, Twenty + One Patisserie have come and go, while the other main stewards like One Rochester and Da Paolo are still going strong. Are the Singapore Rochester Park Restaurants over-hyped? Or do they deserve more publicity?

Here’s a complete guide to the Restaurants in Rochester Park Singapore:

Da Paolo Bistro Bar

“Da Paolo restaurant has the best tiramisu in Singapore!”

My friend proudly declared, and no, she doesn’t work for them. Among the Rochester Park restaurants, Da Paolo is the one that I want to go next. In case you are not aware, the Da Paolo group also has other restaurants in Chip Bee Garden.

3 Rochester Park Rochester Park Singapore
Tel: +65 6774 5537

Krish The Restaurant

Krish is a fine dining restaurant which offers South Asia influenced European cuisine. In short, it means Western food with an Indian twist.

9 Rochester Park Singapore
Tel: +65 6779 4644

Min Jiang @ One North

Located at the fringe of Rochester Park, Min Jiang which is a fine dining Chinese restaurant has another branch at Goodwood Park Hotel Singapore. I have been wanting to try their famous Peking Duck and dim sum. All right, I don’t care. I am going there the next time I have cravings for Peking Duck.

5 Rochester Park Rochester Park Singapore
Tel: +65 6774 0122

North Border Bar & Grill

A friend told me that North Border Bar & Grill’s serves very value for money set lunches. With choices like lamb shank and steak on the menu, the 2 course set lunch at $21.90++ looks like a good deal. Folks working in the area can come here when you have a long lunch break.

2 Rochester Park Rochester Park Singapore
Tel: +65 6777 6618

Onaka

Unless you walk right to the end of Rochester Park, you will probably not see Onaka Cafe. I only found out about it when I was surfing online. Has anyone tried the food here?

44 Rochester Park Singapore
Tel: +65 6778 0246

One Rochester

One Rochester is under the same management 1 Caramel Patisserie and 1 Twenty Six at Big Splash East Coast Park. I have tried their Communal Coast menu at the latter. While it is rather expensive at $70++ per person, One Rochester restaurant is well known for their ambiance.

1 Rochester Park Rochester Park Singapore
Tel: +65 6773 0070

Rochester House

The newest kid on the block, Rochester House is a 3-in-1 concept. Rochester Park Cafe is a kids friendly restaurant which has an indoor and outdoor playground (called The Playhouse) for patrons to keep their kids entertained while they enjoy their meals.

7 Rochester Park Singapore
Tel: +65 6773 1312

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If you are a big fan of green al fresco dining in Singapore, I believe you will like the Rochester Park Restaurants that are housed in Colonial buildings. Now, tell me: which restaurant in Rochester Park have you been to, and which one are you going to try next?

Dining Guides of Restaurants in Singapore:
Chip Bee Gardens Restaurants
Dempsey Road Restaurants
Greenwood Avenue Restaurants
Holland Village Restaurants
Orchard Road Restaurants
Sunset Way Restaurants