Established in 2014, Pantler started its original store at Telok Ayer and it is one awesome patisserie that will chase all your Monday Blues away with their gourmet creations. It has recently moved to a bigger space at 474 River Valley Road on 20 Feb 2021.

From choux puffs to glazed cakes and croissants, Pantler has them all.

Dessert is serious business here; both founders have previously worked in the pastry-making departments of Joël Robuchon Singapore and the Grand Hyatt Tokyo. What you can expect at Pantler is a selection of classic sweet treats, savoury patisseries and contemporary desserts.

Yatsura (S$8.50++) is one of Pantler’s bestselling signature cakes for obvious reasons. The dacquoise cake boasts luscious layers of hazelnut cream, dark chocolate mousse and crunchy hazelnut feuilletine.

Pantler
474 River Valley Road
Singapore 248359
Tuesday – Sunday 10:30 – 18:30
(Closed on Monday)

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

Note: La Villa has closed and it is currently looking for a new location.

Everytime I eat at La Villa, I wonder why I don’t come here more often. Housed within the old school premises of River Valley Primary School, La Villa by the Senso Group is a charming Italian restaurant that not only has a nice interior, but also a beautiful al fresco dining area facing the garden.

Singapore has no shortage of good Italian restaurants, but La Villa might just be one of the better spots in town.

From antipasti ($19-25) to burgers ($18-22) and soups ($16), to pizzas ($24) and pastas ($18-30), La Villa has a big menu that can satisfy everyone.

We were contemplating between the Risotto with Duck Confit ($24 for small, $28 for large) and the Crab Meat Penne Pasta ($20 for small, $24 for large), but eventually we decided to go for the Seafood Spaghetti with Mixed Seafood in Squid Ink Sauce ($22 for small, $26 for large). The pasta was cooked al dente and served with a good portion of seafood.

The Vongole ($22 for small, $26 for large) – linguine in white wine sauce with clams, prawns and fresh parsley – was also a winner.

For main courses, La Villa has several meat and fish options on the menu. For beef lovers, go for the Entrecote ($36), a 280g grain-fed ribeye with fries and vegetables. Otherwise, the Milanese ($30), a breaded veal rack in spicy tomato sauce is worth a try. The seafood choices include King Tiger Prawn ($32) and Oven Baked Sea Bass ($28).

Besides the tantalising main courses, La Villa also has a grilled menu which features a Meat Platter consisting of Welsh lamb rack, veal rack, chicken breast, grain-fed Australian beef ribeye, pork belly, pork and veal sausages; and a Seafood Platter with rock lobster, prawns, seabass fillet, snapper fillet, black mussels and lemon sole. Each platter is available at $38 for 1 pax, $58 for 2 pax, $78 for 3 pax, and $98 for 4 pax.

There are many reasons why you should go La Villa – the restaurant has a nice ambience, it is located in a central area, they offer complimentary parking (inform the staff that you are driving when you pay for the bill), and most importantly it serves good Italian food.

The prices are acceptable for the quality and the overall dining experience. I can see myself coming back for a pasta, and a pizza or main course for sharing. I think the desserts are slightly over-priced, so I would skip that and go somewhere else. Alternatively, La Villa has a very reasonable 3-course set lunch at $28, which is perfect if you have a long break or if you are meeting your clients for a casual lunch.

And one more thing to note, the restaurant will be operating until November 2013 as their lease at the current premise is up, so if you would like to go there, make it soon.

La Villa
341 River Valley Road #01-03
Tel: +65 6836 5286
Mon to Sat: 12pm – 2.30pm, 6pm – 10.30pm
Sun: 11.30am – 2.30pm, 6pm – 10.30pm

For more recommendations, read my guide on Best Italian Restaurants in Singapore.

Located directly opposite Liang Court in The Foothills, The Fabulous Baker Boy is a cosy and homely space where you can go for an intimate gathering with friends or a quiet dinner with your partner. The prices here are reasonable. You can get a Beef Pastrami Sandwich for $10, while main course such as pies and pastas are below $20. Plus, they have very good home-style cakes.

On weekdays, The Fabulous Baker Boy serves simple comfort food such as sandwiches, soup, salad, pasta and pot pie. They also have a weekend brunch menu which features pancakes, eggs benedict, as well as their pot pies and sandwiches.

The Prawn Fettuccine ($18) was simple and nicely executed. The other pasta option is a vegetarian Artichoke Fettuccine.

Chicken Leek Pot Pie ($14), another popular item on the menu, was heartening and refreshing.

A trip to The Fabulous Baker Boy would not be complete without having desserts. They sell home-style cakes that are meant to feed people.

I’ve had too many mediocre red velvet cakes so I was surprised by Ab Fab Red Velvet Cake ($8.50) – coated with chocolate instead of cream cheese – which was incredibly moist and heartstoppingly rich.

I was especially enamoured by the Lemon Vanilla Raspberry ($8.50), and Apple Cider ($8.50), a salted caramel cream cheese cake. Also exceptional was The Nutty Monkey ($8) – a banana coconut cake with a peanut butter cream and chocolate frosting. It is impossible to go wrong with the flawless combination of chocolate and banana. The Matcha Praline Cake ($7.50), on the other hand, was rather dry and lacking in matcha flavour.

Other cakes include Salted Caramel Chocolate Torte ($8.50), a rich chocolate torte with layers of salted caramel and dark chocolate frosting; Big Lub’s Carrot Cake ($8.50), a modern carrot cake with the addition of cranberry and coconut; and Triple Chocolate Cake ($7) – a delicious and addictive dark chocolate cake.

The Fabulous Baker Boy is one of my new favourite places, and I think they deserve your support.

The Fabulous Baker Boy
70 River Valley Road
#01-15 The Foothills
Tel: +65 6694 8336
Tue to Thu: 11am – 11pm
Fri: 11am – 11pm
Sat: 11am – 11pm
Sun: 9am – 5pm

For more recommendations, read my list of Best Cafes in Singapore