Monday, June 30, 2008

Special edition on strawberry shortcake

This entry will summarize our favourite four for strawberry shortcakes but do note that taste is a preferential topic and this should just be used as a reference.

Also note the date these specials are published as we are constantly trying new cakes so do look out for our entries on strawberry cakes for newer updates and interesting finds.

BakerZin

Strawberry Shortcake

A Japanese fresh cream sponge cake with fresh strawberries in between. Topped with fresh cream and strawberries.

Website –

http://www.bakerzin.com/

Where?

6 branches (VivoCity, Takashimaya Food Hall, UE Square, United Square, Millenia Walk, Paragon) around central Singapore

All-time favourite with light vanilla sponge and fresh strawberries. The cream is of the right sweetness.

S$6.95 per slice

Appearance - 9.5
Chantilly cream (lightness) - 9.2
Strawberries - 8
Chiffon (texture) - 9.8
Our preference index - 2nd (36.2)


Rive Gauche

Strawberry Short Cake

Two layers of special light sponges sandwiched with freshly whipped cream and fresh strawberries. Comes with fresh strawberry toppings.

Website –

http://www.pokkafood.com.sg/gauche/

Where?

Takashimaya Food Hall or Plaza Singapura

The cheapest alternative among the 4 without compromising the expectation of strawberry shortcake. The lightness of the whipped cream and the softness of the chiffon is comparable or in fact slightly better than BakerZin (Note that this difference is almost negligible and can only been differentiated if these two cakes are eaten side by side.

S$2.80 per slice

Appearance - 9.2
Chantilly cream (lightness) - 9
Strawberries - 8.5
Chiffon (texture) - 10
Our preference index - 1st (36.7)



Sun Moulin

Strawberry Cake

Where?

Shaw House
350 Orchard Road
Basement (besides Mos Burger)
Singapore 238868
Tel:
6734 1915

The most generous serving of strawberries among the 4. The side of the cake is coated with a layer of almond slices which provides a déjà vu after-taste. The cream has slightly higher milk content than the others and a sweeter after-taste. As for the vanilla sponge, it has a soft but denser texture than the others.

S$4.20 per slice

Appearance - 9.8
Chantilly cream (lightness) - 8
Strawberries - 9
Chiffon (texture) - 9
Our preference index - 3rd (35.8)

Mezza9

Strawberry Shortcake

Where?

Grand Hyatt
10 Scotts Road
Tel: 68875492

Three layers of light vanilla sponge with whipped cream and strawberries presented in this cake. Also, served with white chocolate curls, this cake can be considered one of the best strawberry shortcake we have eaten so far. The taste is light and refreshing with the nicest presentation in terms of whole round cake.

S$4.80 per slice

Appearance - 10
Chantilly cream (lightness) - 9
Strawberries - 8.5
Chiffon (texture) - 9.2
Our preference index - 1st (36.7)

[ ... ]

No. 22 Jamaican Banana from N.Y.D.C

"This cake tastes of an island holiday, with its heady blend of chocolate, banana, coconut and rum"
As usual we see the cake and its cross section. Here's the brief description. The cake is coated with a layer of chocolate, but trust me, the chocolate taste is not strong at all. This layer of chocolate has the chewy feel. Just beneath the thin layer of chocolate is a layer of coconut. This is the bit which i didn't quite like. (I am obviously not a fan of coconut) Then a layer of sponge cake followed by the chocolate cake which is mixed with banana. (The banana they used is slightly sour) And finally the base is cake soaked with alcohol. This is available at $5.95++ per slice and $52++ for a whole.

Overall this is a cake you wouldn't order if you are looking for a chocolate cake (don't be fooled by its appearance, it is not a chocolate cake at all). Second this is also a cake you wouldn't like if you dislike the taste of coconut. However if you are ok with the above 2 conditions, i guess this is not too bad a cake. The texture is really good and comparable to those hotel cakes which we reviewed. I think i would give it a 7/10. Worth a try.

Here is a shot from NYDC's fridge. (Holland Village Branch) Jamaica Banana Cake is on the second row, far right.

n.y.d.c. Cafe & Restaurant
Holland Village
30 Lorong Mambong
Singapore 277688
Tel: 6469 2998

with other branches at Suntec City, Wheelock Place, The Heeren Shops, Bugis Junction

http://www.nydc.com.sg/

[ ... ]

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

No. 20... Chocolate Cake from Lana Cakes

This is one cake Yuan is never convinced that it deserved to be the "top chocolate cake". What is so great about this one then? Till now, I cannot find the answer... I am serious... People who has patronized this cake shop knows about their attitude problem... Ok, the service is not that bad, just that this stall keeps me pondering why people insist this is the best...

Ok, sitting in one secluded corner of Greenwood, this shop was said to be around for a long time. I guess so, based on its decor of the shop. I didn't take the interior as I thought it was kinda rude since I don't have the habit of asking for permission... Anyway, this is how the shop will look like...

Walking alittle closer... Sorry about the flash... I thought I was behaving pretty sneaky...

Guys, before you order the cake for any occasion, it is important to check the opening hours and days... It is extremely important as it may not open on the desired date. I am not kidding you... It is a 43% probability. Relatively high...

Alright, the cake box... nothing special...

Ah... here is the cake...

I thought the focus should be on the fudge since that is what makes the cake nice...

As usual, I always try my best to provide a cross section so that you can have a clear view of what you will be expecting... Having taken so many photos of cakes, Yuan and I have mastered the art of "tasting" the cake by looking at the photo...

The cake is relatively dry in comparison to Awfully Chocolate and Jane... and frankly speaking, there is nothing fantastic about this cake... The opinion is not just from me but 7 people... It is only nice if you eat it on its own WITHOUT comparing with other cakes. Once you set a benchmark... you will be surprised by your expectation of what I would say a good chocolate fudge cake.

Before I sign off, here is the comments from the Straits Times...
"Food fads come and go but when Singaporeans want a taste of their youth, they order a Lana cake. People have tried to decode the secret of the light chocolate sponge covered with shiny chocolate fudge. Copycats have appeared and disappeared over the years, and people have tried to replicate the fudge, but no one has manage to make it quite as well as the one-woman baking institution: Mrs Violet Kwan, 80."

YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!

Anyway, the cake costs $30 for a 750g cake BUT they don't provide a cake knife and if you request for a small box to pass a slice of cake for your colleagues, 80 CENTS please...I will only give a 7 (no longer 6 after Cafe Cartel and BreadTalk) for the cake since it is alittle dry and the chocolate is not the rich kind... However, for the extra 80 cents (-0.5) and no cake knife (-0.5)... Sorry, it is only a 6/10.


Yuan's Comments

First i would say that this fudge cake has a higher cake content than fudge content. Thus maybe it is good if you like the taste of chocolate chiffon. Maybe thats what ST claims as light chocolate cake which reminds you of your childhood days. However, i don't recall paying $30 for a chocolate cake during my childhood days.

Second i beg to differ from the ST reviewers opinion that other chocolate fudge cake shops come and go. In fact, Jane cake station and awfully chocolate has been around for many years as well.

Third I think its location and attitude simply do not make business sense. It only opens 4 days a week and is located in a private estate behind NJC. I guess it is only meant for regular customers. It does not even provide knife and you have to pay for additional box. There is really little incentive to visit the shop again unless you believe in brand loyalty.

In the nutshell. I feel that this is one of the most over rated chocolate cakes around. As what Fen mentioned, it is nice if it is the first time you eat a chocolate fudge cake but once you eat more chocolate cake, you will have a second opinion. Maybe our opinions are a little biased but i cannot convinced myself why this cake is ranked above awfully. Feel free to comment.

Lana cake shop
36 Greenwood Avenue
Tel: 6466 8940 / 6466 5315
[ ... ]

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Cakes at The Line (Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore)

Since our focus has always been desserts and cakes, I shall only focus on these 2 sections. Just for your information, this buffets has one of the largest selection I have ever since but as usual, the food is good but not the best...

Have a peep at the dessert bar...

Simply irresistible...

Alright, since Yuan allocate this page for cakes, I will post another link for the remaining desserts...

1. Chocolate cake
Tastes pretty ordinary. A bit like the cold version of the typical warm chocolate cake.

"When I first saw this, I thought it was a soufflé but having ate it... it is actually a chocolate cake. Thought it would taste better warmed up. This texture is pretty soft and smooth but was disappointed that it was a cake rather than a soufflé or chiffon,,, I actually like the chocolate taste, not too sweet and it is very rich...

Anyway, the best-seller of the Line (in terms of cakes) is their Chocolate Truffle Cake... I suspect the luscious dark chocolate sponge base will share a similar characteristics as this cake except that the truffle cake is coasted in smooth dark chocolate with raspberries.

Having talked about dark chocolate and raspberries, all the chocolate I have is rich, smooth and not too sweet while the raspberries I have eaten during the buffet is sweet and fresh..."

2. Starting from top left (clockwise)

Cheesecake with chocolate walnut; Caramel Pie; Mango Mousse

For the cheese cake, the layers are excellent on their own, however i feel that cheese and walnut are a bad match. As for the caramel pie, only the true caramel lover will love it, its kinda sweet and has a slight burnt smell. As for the mango mousse, it is sort of sour, the top layer seem to be coated with some jam which makes the mousse very sour. I would say that the mango mousse from ritz is better.

" The texture of the cheesecake is smooth but I prefer the conventional New York Cheesecake. Maybe because it didn't have the slight saltiness of cheese and that the choco walnut taste was a little strong. Thus, it fails to bring out the goodness of both.

The caramel tart was surprisingly not tat sweet nor did it stick to my teeth. However, the tart base is not the crunchy sort but rather a soft buttery biscuit. The after-taste of this dessert is pretty strong, thus leaving an impression that the caramel is burnt.

This little cutie mango mousse looks tempting but was a complete disappointment. After the review on the Mango Mousse from Greenhouse, Ritz Carlton, my expectation of mango mousse certainly has increased. The taste of the mango is not as refreshing as the one from Greenhouse and the extreme chocolate base with a nutty hazelnut biscuit tasted better on its own. Bottom line, mango and chocolate seems to be extreme on both ends."

3. Choco Banana Mousse

This chocolate mousse is smashed because it is kind of soft thus difficult to slice from the desert bar. Despite its ugly sight, it is worth the try. The sweet banana paste coupe with the excellent chocolate mousse is an excellent combination.

"Haha, chocolate mousse... Ahh... not easy to pass our taste buds after all the chocolate goodies yuan and I had over the past 2 mths... I am never a fan of bananas, if you catch me eating one, it means I am suffering from constipation... I am serious...

From the state of this cake, the mousse has melted and is no doubt, extremely smooth that it melts in my mouth. It actually has a crunchy chocolate crisp with a rich banana paste.

I can only say it will be a fave for those who likes chocolate banana cakes..."

4. Tiramisu

This tiramisu tastes more like a coffee cake as the coffee taste covers that of the cheese and alcohol."
Shangri-la's description of their Tiramisu...
A Charlotte of creamy mascarpone mousse & kahlua-soaked sponge nestled in espresso-dripped savoiardi biscuits, topped with milk & white chocolate shavingsI thought the balance between the mascarpone cheese and cake sponge is just right.

Usually, Tiramisu has very high content of mascarpone cheese and at times, it can be quite a nightmare to finish it when you are weight conscious. Hence, at times, Tiramisu with a higher cake content like this one, can be a black beauty."

6. Orange chocolate cake
This is one of the slightly better choco orange cakes which i tried. The chocolate taste is stronger than that of the orange.

"I didn't quite like this one. I thought it was ordinary and frankly speaking, unlike yuan, I would prefer the orange taste to be a little stronger to show a difference from the rest. The cake didn't have the springy texture like the flourless chocolate sponge of the chocolate amer from Baker's Inn.So, nothing special apart from the high quality chocolate used..."

Here are the desserts we have tried at the line. Keep in mind that we didn't try all the flavours of the ice-creams and crepes. I think I missed out one of the cakes too. We are just too full...
Let's start off with the desserts served in the glass. Starting from the left

  1. I couldn't figure out the flavour of the cream on top but Yuan claims that it tasted alittle like Crème brûlée minus off the burnt caramel taste and is too sweet to his liking. I didn't try them separately so if you combine both mousse, it is a pretty smooth and light desserts. Somehow or rather the top layer didn't make this desserts as chocolately as the other chocolate desserts.
  2. Mango Sago... Whenever I drop by traditional desserts hut, I will never fail to order either 杨枝甘露 (aka mango with pomelo) or 白果,薏米和腐竹 (ginkgo beancurd with barley) and frankly speaking I prefer the traditional mango desserts over mango mousse. This dessert, as you can see in the picture has a mango custard which is sweet, not sour and is layered with soft and chewy sago. This is one of my favourite among the 4.
  3. Chocolate mousse with fruity jelly... The chocolate mousse is nice (I think this is the 3rd time I have praised their mousse) but the moment you mixed this with the jelly and fruits at the bottom layer... You will get a combination of sweet and sour taste. Didn't quite like it actually, thought it would be better with nuts than something so extreme that stimulates your taste buds all together.
  4. Raspberry jelly... It is just sour with a tint of alcohol. Either you like it or you don't. Basically, Yuan and I don't.
The line actually have a crepe section and Yuan ordered a crepe s with Vanilia ice-cream and Chocolate fudge. The crepe has an ideal thickness which is not oily nor dry. The chocolate filling enhances the soft and chewy taste of the crepe. The ice-cream makes it just right, not soggy at all.

I thought this one is one of the better ones I had. In fact, I thought the one from Haagan Dazs is too plain and thin while the one from Shokudo has an artificial vegetable oil taste though the texture is more or less the same.

The only setback about this is, too huge for one person to finish as there are plenty more things to eat in this buffet.

The ice-cream is the yummiest of the entire dessert bar. If I am not mistaken, there were a total of 6-8 flavours, a mixture of sorbet and ice-cream and a wide range of ice-cream toppings ranging from gummy, biscuits, candies and nuts.

The vanilia ice-cream has a rich and fragrant vanilia taste which makes it as good as the one from Haagan Dazs (Swensons have nice old-fashioned vanilia ice-cream too). In fact, I always find that most vanilia ice-cream has a tint of articifical essence and more to the watery side. However, this one is velvetly smooth and is not as rich as Haagan Dazs. Thus, you won't feel so sin after eating it.

The green tea ice-cream has a very light matcha taste and is better than most matcha gelatos or soft-serve since it has a very smooth texture and is not very sweet. It is like drinking the Starbucks' green tea latte (without classic syrup). A good blend of cream and matcha...

There are 2 versions of this desserts and we took the passion fruit one. The nicest thing I felt was the toppings since the biscuit is not rich and buttery enough to be termed as a shortbread, neither was it crunchy enough to be a cookie.

The only macaron I have tried are from Baker's Inn and Canele and I don't quite like them as they are always very sweet. I never know how to appreciate this traditional French pastry despite the hard work needed to make this smooth and paper-thin, dome-shaped shells which its underneath is supposed to be a chewy, cake-like layer.

Hmm... sounds pretty technical...Anyway, I will include the photos of the macaron I had in Baker's Inn and Canele later at night since my photo database is at home...

Back to this, I simply fall in love with this baby. The vanilia taste is so distinct and the texture is just right. The shells literally melts in your mouth with the soft cream enhancing its vanilia taste. I clearly remember me looking at it and savouring as slow as I can. Even looking at this picture reminds me how much I have enjoyed this desserts, sending my saliva to drool...

In short, THUMBS UP!!!


I have no idea what is this but top white crown tasted like the softer version of either a mashmallow or meringue... It will be nice if it is not that sweet. Beneath this crown, is a raspberry tartlet which is like the Arnott tartlets.

Of course, chocolate fountain with strawberries and cookies were also served in the buffet. Need me to say more, the chocolate is dark, not too sweet and simply coats your mouth, sending your hormones rocket high...
***

The Line
Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore
Orange Grove Road
SIngapore 258 350
Tel: 6213 4275
Lunch (Mon-Fri) - S$45++ (adult), S23++ (child, 6 to 11 years old), 12pm - 2:30pm(Sat) - S$48++ (adult), S24++ (child, 6 to 11 years old), 12pm - 3pm(Sun) - S$78++ (adult), S39++ (child, 6 to 11 years old), 12pm - 3pm or S$95++ (adult with 1/2 btl of Veuve Clicquot Champagne)
Dinner, 6:30pm-10:30pm(Mon-Sun, except Tues/Thurs) - S$68++ (adult), S34++ (child, 6 to 11 years old)(Tues, Oyster's night) - S$88++ (adult), S44++ (child, 6 to 11 years old)(Thurs, Marine Harvest Night) - S$88++ (adult), S44++ (child, 6 to 11 years old)
******
[ ... ]

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Rocky Pizza Tiramisu


We chanced upon rocky pizza when we were walking around sunset way. Certainly i wouldn't expect to eat tiramisu in a pizza chain. Nevertheless we gave it a shot. The taste is great, though the alcohol taste is lacking, you can feel the smoothness of the mousse and cheese. I would say that this tiramisu is similar to the one served at starbucks but it is not that cold when they serve thus making it slightly better than starbucks.

Verdict: Worth a try if you are nearby. It is certainly worth your $5.90

Rocky's Pizza [http://www.rockyspizza.com.sg/]
Blk 106
Clementi Street 12 (Sunset Way)
#01-60
Singapore 120106
Tel: 6468 9188 / 6344 6868
[ ... ]

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

No. 47... Mango Mousse Cake from Greenhouse (Ritz Carlton)

This cake is only available as a whole and trust me, the service offered by Ritz Carlton is really superb. They reply your email really fast, no deposit and viola, the cake is ready for collection in a nice and personalized manner. Have alook.


Candidate No. 47 - Prettiest cake "Savour this mixture of mango jelly and mango mousse sandwiched between layers of vanila sponge and topped with fresh mango balls and edible flowers"

Those pretty yellow balls are mangoes!!! Really sweet and juicy... It is a pity I didn't munch those flowers, I thought they were inedible though... Surrounding the cake is light finger sponges. These sponges are not rough in texture at all, in fact, slightly crispy on the outside and really fine and springy on the inside...




After cutting the cake, you will see the thick layer of mango mousse that is so light that it tastes like mango pudding. If you leave the sliced cake out for too long, the mango balls will slide off and the mousse will collapse alittle. In between the mousse, there is mango jelly... Yummy...

As I told yuan, this cake is alittle like the durian mousse of Goodwood Park. Unless you are a real mango fan, if not, you will find this cake too "mangoey" to your liking. Personally, I would say this is the best mango mousse I have ever tried. The mangoes used were so sweet and juicy, the mousse is light but alittle too sweet to my liking. The finger sponge is so light and fine but I don't fancy the jelly.

This cake is only serve in 1 size, 20-cm for 10 portions at $58 + 7% GST ($62.06) but for a family of 5 and of which 3 are mango lovers, this is not that huge after all. For the quality of the mangoes used and the effort to decorate and layer this cake, I would say it is not that pricey.

I have eaten the mango mousse of Baker's Inn and I didn't like it as I am not a fan of the finger sponge (more to a chiffon person). Thus, if you want me to make a comparison, I would give a 5/10 to Baker's Inn and a 8/10 to Greenhouse... But as a whole, it will be a 7/10 (slightly higher than the durian mousse I had earlier).

*Choc-a-bloc will be delayed for another 4 weeks as I will be going to the Line with my darling to celebrate our 8th year... I will skip the cakes from the Line Shop and indulge myself in all the desserts during the buffet...

Yuan's Comments on the Mango Mousse

This is the sort of cake whereby you need to specially place an order for and purchase as a whole cake. Thus Fen placed an order and we went down to Ritz Carlton to collect. To our surprise, we had to seat and wait for about 15mins before we receive the cake. I suspect that this was the time taken for them to crave out those small mango balls and place them on the top of this cake.

Other than those sweet mango balls that you see on the top of the cake. The cake is surrounded by those sponge cake. Typically i would expect this sort of sponge cake that surrounds a mousse to be hard, but on the contrary it is very soft and lightly sweeten. The rest of the cake is mainly mango mousse with a layer of mango and a layer of cake at the base.

Verdict. This cake is definitely worth the $62 we paid. Given the work needed in its decoration as well as the ingredients used. The sponge cake on the sides and at the base were one of the better once that i tried as well. However, there seem to be an overdose of mango which may put off the non-mango fans. Thus this cake is definitely worth a try but if you are not a fan of mango, you may not want to try it again.

8/10

The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore
Greenhouse
7 Raffles Avenue
Singapore 039799
Tel: 6337 8888
[ ... ]
Blog Widget by LinkWithin