Mango Rhapsody from Patisserie Glace

Mango Rhapsody from Patisserie Glace

Patisserie Glace has gained a fair bit of popularity with its selection of Japanese desserts since its opening in November 2008. Apart from the regular Mont Blanc and Japanese Shortcake, there is something exclusive about Patisserie Glace and that is none other the fusion of cake and tart.


Similar to my favourite Strawberry Hills, Patisserie Glace has a similar new addition. Set in an almond tart base, there are layers of custard cream, pear slices, almond frangipane, chantilly cream and sponge cake, topped off with fresh mangoes.

The combination of almond frangipane and custard cream maybe sweet to people who has a low threshold towards sweetness. Apart from that, like most tarts in Patisserie Glace, the fragrance and crispness of the tart pastry coupled with the varying layers is bound to be well-accepted by most. An 18-cm cake can easily feed 8 people and is priced at $44. Note that the cookie tag cost $3 and ice packs are available at $0.50 per piece which is essential for transportation as the chantilly cream melts fast.


Pâtisserie Glacé
12 Gopeng Street,
#01-33/34 Icon Village
Singapore 078877.
Tel: 6400 0247

Operating hours: 11am to 7pm (Mon to Fri)
11am to 6pm (Weekends and P.H)
Website

P.S. My colleagues happened to eat both the Strawberry Hills and Mango Rhapsody in a go and her preference is inclined towards Mango Rhapsody since the former is sweet to her liking; anyway, one of them finds it so good that she is so tempted to drop by a visit the next day to pick up some for her family. Bottom line, it is worth a trip down to try this unique marriage of tart and cake.

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Sakura yoghurt mousse

Sakura yoghurt mousse

Popped by Maxwell market for a quick lunch and instantly Kki, The Patissier, Once upon a milkshake and Patisserie Glace instantly ring my radar.

Since it is Monday, Kki is closed and there aren't many tarts sold at The Patissier, my instinct was to drop by OUAM, then Patisserie Glace to pick up Strawberry Hills or Mango Rhapsody for my family.

Though the shelf is filled with sweet delights, what caught my attention was Glace's new creation, Sakura Azi among the whole cakes collection (Choco Renga, Maison Half, Rare Cheese Mango and Strawberry Decor).


Serving generously for 6 (15cm in diameter), it cost $36 and ice packs are available at $0.50 per piece. 2 ice packs are more than enough for a 1.5hour journey home.


Layered with cherry blossom flavored yogurt mousse and soft vanilla sponge, the tangy yogurt serves as a good alternative to the regular chantilly cream. The sakura flavouring is very mild and the choice of using yogurt makes the overall combination refreshing.

Though this is nice, my favourites of Patisserie Glace incline more towards their tarts and I am looking forward to laying my hands on the newly introduced Mango Rhapsody.

Pâtisserie Glacé
12 Gopeng Street,
#01-33/34 Icon Village
Singapore 078877.
Tel: 6400 0247

Operating hours: 11am to 7pm (Mon to Fri)
11am to 6pm (Weekends and P.H)
Website

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Strawberry Shortcake 苺ショー @ Pâtisserie Glacé

Strawberry Shortcake 苺ショー @ Pâtisserie Glacé

The Japanese Strawberry Shortcake is a favourite among most Singaporeans and hence a common candidate found in most cake shops in Singapore. With so many versions, the recent discussion in my cbox brought up the issue of how authentic the local strawberry shortcakes are in Singapore and one of the recommendations made was Chef Yamashita's Strawberry Shortcake 苺ショー ($4.80).

As described in Pâtisserie Glacé's website, this has been a standard in any de rigueur Japanese Cake Shop and the basic criteria lies in the freshness of the strawberries, the fresh cream used and how good the sponge cake is.

Till date, the most memorable strawberry shortcake I had was the one from Arinco King. Sad to say, the place has closed down since they are unable to cope with the demands after the opening of 3 stores in Japan. Indeed a waste, I must say.

To non-strawberry cake lovers, like Yuan, most strawberry shortcakes will be ordinary since it is a standard combination of cream and sponge and don't be surprised, the 4 leaves' version is good enough to satisfy him. For me, I am picky and having ate a couple lately, my brain starts to do the comparison to hunt for my favourite.

Before I continue, let me relate to my dad's recent experience in baking a sponge cake (that affects my thoughts towards this cake). For those who baked, to get a good sponge is not easy and somehow or rather emusifiers is a magical tool. They make the sponge even and soft. The same recipe without emusifier makes the sponge porous and dry. In a way, having to witness the difficulty of making a good sponge that makes me appreciate cakes even more.


Back to Chef Yamashita's Strawberry Shortcake; visual impression, the 2 layers of sponge is very even despite the layer of cream. Not exceedingly sweet with a soft but not porous sponge, the most important factor, they are not soaked. Cream is very light but lacks the "milky" and creamy taste Tampopo's has. So depending on your criteria, some may find this heavenly while other will find it average.

Personally, I will say this is definitely one of the better strawberry shortcakes I have encountered but to say this is my favourite, it lacks the x-factor that Arinco King has. Lastly, the cakes at Pâtisserie Glacé sell very fast and by 6pm, one will be surprised the shelf is close to empty. Don't forget to reserve a few slices should you pop by late.

Pâtisserie Glacé
12 Gopeng Street,
#01-33/34 Icon Village
Singapore 078877.
Tel: 6400 0247

Operating hours: 11am to 7pm (Mon to Fri)
11am to 6pm (Weekends and P.H)
Website

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Tofu Chiffon Organic Green Tea

Tofu Chiffon Organic Green Tea

Green Tea Chiffon is a recommendation made by one of my readers and this is something I didn't regret trying. Chiffon may be a common item in neighbourhood confectionaries but this is something very different. The texture is very springy and soft, unlike the common puffy ones (without volume body).


I have mentioned in my previous entry that Tampopo's chiffon is a class-different from the regular chiffon, I guessed I will have to retract my stand after this entry. Why so? First, the baked skin which is a must-have for chiffon cakes is very even and not burnt. Second, each bite is springy and moist with certain density, not just plain soft. Lastly, it is not overly sweet.


However, green tea lovers will find the cake mild to their liking. As for the tofu in this cake, the taste is not very distinctive, apart from Yuan mentioning that the cake has a strong taste of "eggs" (probably due to the protein content of tofu and not eggs) but I am not sure if this is the factor that contributes to the heavenly texture.

Note that this cake is not 100% vegan, as confirmed by Glace, they indeed use eggs in their tofu chiffons. This cake is available as a whole ($10.80) and I am not sure if this is sold in individual slices. On the day of my visit, I did see the orange chiffon sold in slices but not green tea. individual slices are sold at $1.80 each & flavors vary everyday.

Quoted from Pâtisserie Glacé's website,
"Using silken tofu as a main ingredient, Chef Yamashita's rendition of a common local fare with a nod to eating healthy and eating well.

The first bite warrants a re-think. The cake has good density, clear tastes of the green tea we import from Kyoto. Rest assured it tastes nothing like tofu. Like tofu it is low in calorie.

The whole cake is about 15cm in diameter and serves 6-7 persons."

Pâtisserie Glacé
12 Gopeng Street,
#01-33/34 Icon Village
Singapore 078877.
Tel: 6400 0247

Operating hours: 11am to 7pm (Mon to Fri)
11am to 6pm (Weekends and P.H)
Website

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All about tarts @ Pâtisserie Glacé

All about tarts @ Pâtisserie Glacé

Pâtisserie Glacé, a bakery that has caused a buzz among the blogging community is one place Japanese-style cakes or tarts lovers would not want to miss. Having read Ice's entry proclaiming their latest creation to be the Tart of 2009, do I need to explain further why I was at Chinatown on a Saturday afternoon?

The shop has gained its popularity fast after opening in November 2008 and though I have only reached at 1pm, Double Rare Cheese Mango, Strawberry mille-feuille and Strawberry Hills were already sold out and by the time we leave at 3pm, there were only Banana Chocolat, Maison, Strawberry Souffle, Banana mille-feuille, Opera and Mont Blanc left. So better call up and reserve your favourite slices of cakes to avoid disappointment.



Previously known as Fromage Blanc, Fromage Syun ($5.60) is a low-fat cheese tart. Despite having a discounted amount of calories, the taste of the tart sure deserves the praise. Unlike the other colourful creations of Pâtisserie Glacé, this tart has a humble white finish.

Yuan felt that fromage blanc shares a close resemblance to cream cheese while the base is cookie-like while I personally thought that this was a good combination of cheese, a cake-like layer on a crispy cookie base. In any form of description it adopts, it is a must-have for cheese tart lovers. However, Yuan would prefer to have this without the jam which I personally thought was negligible.



The other tart which Yuan will not miss out is the Rin Rin cheese tarts ($3.50) and this time, we have chosen the one with Canadian Maple Syrup. Yuan felt that it bears resemblance to eating Portuguese egg tarts except that instead of eggs, its cheese. For me, my bet is still the original one for a "cleaner" taste.

Apart from the fabulous tarts we had, we have decided to try the Swiss-roll style creation, Banana Chocolat ($4.00). But since it doesn't fall in the tart category, we have published our reviews in a new entry.



I don't have to elaborate its popularity, here are the other praises given by fellow bloggers.
Skinnier than Original - Pâtisserie Glacé
LadyIronChef - Patisserie Glace: The simple pleasure of life
Fundamentally-flawed - A Slice of Humble Pie: Pâtisserie Glacé
Timeless facade - Patisserie Glace

Pâtisserie Glacé
34 Craig Road
#01-10 Chinatown Plaza
Singapore 089673
Tel: 6400 0247

Operating hours -
11am - 6pm (Mon-Fri)
11am - 5pm (Sat-Sun)
12 Gopeng Street,
#01-33/34 Icon Village
Singapore 078877.
Tel: 6400 0247

Operating hours: 11am to 7pm (Mon to Fri)
11am to 6pm (Weekends and P.H)
http://cakeglace.com/

Do note that Patisserie Glace has relocated to Icon Village. It is on the ground floor of the Icon Condominium which is next to Tanjong Pagar MRT, behind Amara Hotel.

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Banana Chocolat

Banana Chocolat

Unlike conventional Swiss rolls which are basically cream and chiffon sponge, this adopts a crisp layer and a melt-in-your-mouth bitter chocolate sponge. With a slice of banana in the the centre of the cake, the amount of fresh cream is of the right amount and indeed as described, the dark bitter chocolate brings out the natural sweetness of the fruit.



I definitely enjoy this more than the Chocolate Renga I had previously. Yuan personally feel that rich chocolate mousse lover might be disappoint with this but ultimately taste is subjected to individual preference.

Pâtisserie Glacé
34 Craig Road
#01-10 Chinatown Plaza
Singapore 089673
Tel: 6400 0247

Operating hours -
11am - 6pm (Mon-Fri)
11am - 5pm (Sat-Sun)
12 Gopeng Street,
#01-33/34 Icon Village
Singapore 078877.
Tel: 6400 0247

Operating hours: 11am to 7pm (Mon to Fri)
11am to 6pm (Weekends and P.H)
http://cakeglace.com/

Do note that Patisserie Glace has relocated to Icon Village. It is on the ground floor of the Icon Condominium which is next to Tanjong Pagar MRT, behind Amara Hotel.

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Pâtisserie Glacé's Mont Blanc

Pâtisserie Glacé's Mont Blanc

Our next dessert hunt was Pâtisserie Glacé, which was known for their authentic Japanese pastries. This recommendation was screaming in our cbox from the courtesy of HuiYuan and was only opened in November 2008, I was indeed surprised by the nice praises posted on HGW and thus was determined to drop by the shop as soon as possible.

Unlike Sun Moulin and Tampopo Deli being located in buzzling shopping malls, Pâtisserie Glacé was well-hidden in a quiet corner of Chinatown.

Our visit will be split into 4 entries (as usual) so that it will be easier to be searched by category and first and foremost, we will kick start the series of entries with Pâtisserie Glacé's bestseller, Mont Blanc.

After being featured in the Sunday times (January 4, 2009), Mont Blanc has gained its popularity even more than before. As described, this light-as-air cake topped with chestnut puree is Pâtisserie Glacé's best item and the surprise that awaits anyone is its whole chestnut in the centre.

Mont-Blanc ($5.30)
A Japanese perennial favourite.
Pâtisserie Glacé import the best chestnut from Japan paired with the most delicious chestnut paste from France makes this Mont-Blanc hard to beat.
This could be the best Mont-Blanc this side of paradise!

Of course, we don't just stop at one cake... here are the remaining entries...
1. Choco Renga
2. A paradise of strawberries
3. Rin Rin Cheese Tart
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Fen's comments

This is my first encounter with Mont Blanc and I have to admit I love its light sponge and the chestnut mousse. However, for chestnut lovers, the chestnut flavour isn't strong and thus I would prefer their other creations more than this.
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Yuan's comments

Without reading the descriptions, I really could not tell what I was eating. To me it was simply fresh cream with sponge cake. Little did I realise there was chestnut. I guess its generally not bad for a sponge cake but it does little to curb my dessert craving.
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Pâtisserie Glacé
34 Craig Road
#01-10 Chinatown Plaza
Singapore 089673
Tel: 6400 0247

Operating hours -
11am - 6pm (Mon-Fri)
11am - 5pm (Sat-Sun)
12 Gopeng Street,
#01-33/34 Icon Village
Singapore 078877.
Tel: 6400 0247

Operating hours: 11am to 7pm (Mon to Fri)
11am to 6pm (Weekends and P.H)
http://cakeglace.com/

Do note that Patisserie Glace has relocated to Icon Village. It is on the ground floor of the Icon Condominium which is next to Tanjong Pagar MRT, behind Amara Hotel.

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Choco Renga from Pâtisserie Glacé

Choco Renga from Pâtisserie Glacé

According to the owner, Mr Kay Boon, the chocolate creations presented at Pâtisserie Glacé are made in-house. Since my knowledge about chocolate is not strong, I am not sure are they made from scratch or he is refering to the tempering process. For more chocolate information, here is a link that might stir your interest.

Anyway, Kay Boon recommends Choco-Renga for chocolate purists.

Choco Renga ($5.10)
In Japanese it means Chocolate Brick, this heavy hitter is chocolate sponge with ganache. It's hard to decide to attack it from the top or the bottom.

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Fen's comments

Although this is a chocolate sponge sandwiched by ganache and topped off with a chocolate mirror finish, it didn't impress me as much as the other creations. Why so?

The chocolate sponge lacks the light and springy texture like the ones found in other Pâtisserie Glacé's creations. Moreover, the chocolate was just plain bitter with not much fragrance nor uniqueness in its taste. Like Canelé's Gateaux Chocolat, the chocolate layers are close to a chocolate bar (but smooth) and the layers were peeling off into blocks of chocolate and sponge.
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Yuan's comments

As a fan of chocolate cakes, this one fails to curb my chocolate craving. It reminds me of eating those dry and tough flourless chocolate cakes.
______________________________________________________________________________

Pâtisserie Glacé
34 Craig Road
#01-10 Chinatown Plaza
Singapore 089673
Tel: 6400 0247

Operating hours -
11am - 6pm (Mon-Fri)
11am - 5pm (Sat-Sun)
12 Gopeng Street,
#01-33/34 Icon Village
Singapore 078877.
Tel: 6400 0247

Operating hours: 11am to 7pm (Mon to Fri)
11am to 6pm (Weekends and P.H)
http://cakeglace.com/

Do note that Patisserie Glace has relocated to Icon Village. It is on the ground floor of the Icon Condominium which is next to Tanjong Pagar MRT, behind Amara Hotel.

[ ... ]

A paradise of strawberries

A paradise of strawberries

If there is a prize for creativity for a particular ingredient, I would give it to Pâtisserie Glacé for the many versions of strawberry cakes. Not only they look lovely, they taste really good and refreshing.

For those who has patronize his humble bakery, one will not miss out his Strawberry Soufflé. Although souffle is often associated with egg whites, his version is a Japanese-style cheesecake which is light and fluffy. The strawberries are generously topped and not sour at all. According to Kay Boon, Strawberry Soufflé is popular among the local and Japanese customers.

Strawberry Soufflé ($5.00)
Chef Yamashita's Soufflé does not overwhelm and complements the freshest strawberries perfectly, scrumptious!

Other strawberry creations includes

Strawberry Shortcake ($4.80)
A standard in any de rigueur Japanese Cake Shop, with the freshest strawberries, delicious fresh cream and the most naturally soft sponge cake sandwiching strawberry slices.

Strawberry Hill ($5.00)
Starting from a delicious tart base, Chef Yamashita layer it with strawberry slices and custard cream; topping it off with strawberry quarters and fresh cream on the most naturally soft sponge.

Strawberry Mille-feuille ($4.70)
Also known as Napoleon in other parts of the world, the "thousand sheets" is hard to bake and gives a balance to the sponge cake. Chocolate crisp, strawberry round it off perfectly.
Yes, it tastes as good as it looks.

The beauty of Japanese cakes is its light and refreshing taste and Pâtisserie Glacé pride themselves for not using any baking powder, stabilisers and preservatives. In addition, they ensure all cakes are sold by the end of the day by having a 20% discount for their cakes (not including whole cakes, organic cakes and promotion packs) from Mon to Fri after 5pm.
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Fen's comments

The Strawberry Soufflé is so smooth that my mum finds it hard to believe it is a cheesecake. Unlike conventional Japanese light cheesecakes which are sticky due to the addition of corn starch, Strawberry Soufflé is extremely light and fluffy but yet the taste of cream cheese is not compromised.

Strawberry Shortcake has a similar sponge like Sun Moulin's version, which is dense and springy but softer than the latter. As for its cream, it is not as light as Tampopo's Scoop cake and has a higher cream content than the strawberry shortcakes available in Rive Gauche and BakerZin.

Strawberry Hills, is one cake that will make me come back for more. Uniquely available at Pâtisserie Glacé (at least this is the first we have come across), this is a hybrid of tart and sponge cake with custard cream and fresh strawberries. The tart pastry is amazingly crunchy while the sponge cake is soft and springy.

I didn't get to try the Strawberry Mille-feuille since it was bought back home for my family. My sister finds it refreshing. The pastry sheets were crisp despite keeping in the fridge for a night but similarly to the strawberry shortcake, the cream is not as light as Rive Gauche and BakerZin.

The niche which Pâtisserie Glacé has is the use of almond powder which provides a different texture and fragrance from a conventional chiffon cake. Although it is not the softest cake I have tried, it is definitely something unique when different combinations of tart, cream, custard and strawberries are incoporated.

Anyway, my favourite among the entire lot is Strawberry Hills.
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Yuan's comments

Strawberry Soufflé: Readers of the blog might have noticed that we have covered many desserts which called themselves souffle but they all look different. This one essentially is a light Japanese cheesecake. No fanciful flavouring, just strawberries on top.

Strawberry Hill: This is simply sponge cake on top of a tart with a thin layer of fresh cream. There is probably nothing special about the sponge and cream but the winner I guess would be the tart. Those who loved butter cookie will probably find the resemblance with the tart.
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Pâtisserie Glacé
34 Craig Road
#01-10 Chinatown Plaza
Singapore 089673
Tel: 6400 0247

Operating hours -
11am - 6pm (Mon-Fri)
11am - 5pm (Sat-Sun)
12 Gopeng Street,
#01-33/34 Icon Village
Singapore 078877.
Tel: 6400 0247

Operating hours: 11am to 7pm (Mon to Fri)
11am to 6pm (Weekends and P.H)
http://cakeglace.com/

Do note that Patisserie Glace has relocated to Icon Village. It is on the ground floor of the Icon Condominium which is next to Tanjong Pagar MRT, behind Amara Hotel.

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Complementary Rin Rin Cheese Tart from Pâtisserie Glacé

Complementary Rin Rin Cheese Tart from Pâtisserie Glacé

Our experience at Pâtisserie Glacé ends off with a complementary cheese tart and frankly speaking, it was one of the nicest cheese tart we have ever tried.

Rin Rin Cheese Tart ($3.00)

Each cheese tart sits on a cookie base, so with every bite there is a cornucopia of senses and tastes, ranging from the creamy smoothness of the cheese filling to the crunchiness of Chef Yamashita’s fragrant cookie. In the flavours versions, each is filled with real fruit puree, chocolate, etc.

I know there is a dying question in you, how many cakes did we have on that single day. Actually, we ate 4 cakes and a tart and I bought back 4 cakes for my family (which I had one the next morning)... This just prove that the cakes are good.
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Fen's comments

It has a very rich cheesy after-taste like Laurent's cheesecake but what makes it perfect is the crunchy cookie base at the bottom. The entire combination is simply heavenly.
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Yuan's comments

This was my personal favourite for today. The specialty of the tart lies in the cookie base, this gives the cheese tart the additional crunch and fragrance.
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Pâtisserie Glacé
34 Craig Road
#01-10 Chinatown Plaza
Singapore 089673
Tel: 6400 0247

Operating hours -
11am - 6pm (Mon-Fri)
11am - 5pm (Sat-Sun)
12 Gopeng Street,
#01-33/34 Icon Village
Singapore 078877.
Tel: 6400 0247

Operating hours: 11am to 7pm (Mon to Fri)
11am to 6pm (Weekends and P.H)
http://cakeglace.com/

Do note that Patisserie Glace has relocated to Icon Village. It is on the ground floor of the Icon Condominium which is next to Tanjong Pagar MRT, behind Amara Hotel.

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