Did you just say U.d.d.e.r.s?

Did you just say U.d.d.e.r.s?

Udders ice-cream parlor... Sitting in a comfy location opposite united square Starbucks...


Any clues why it is called Udders?

Ah... now we know, so what is in store? Friendly ice-cream owners...

A more elaborated way of tabulating customers' preference...


We have gotten a scoop of Rum & Rasins...


and a scoop of ChocoMash...


on a piece of yummy waffle...


Looks good? Ahh... It sure does...


Something pretty interesting on every table...

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Fen's comments

I usually gauged the standard of ice-cream via the flavour, vanilla. With a plain background taste, I personally felt that the texture, smoothness and richness of the ice-cream can be determined more accurately. Personally, the ice-cream are of the lighter note, closer to gelato and I am neutral to it.

With so many flavours in this small and comfy outlet, I have to say I am pretty impressed. Got to try their green tea (not sweet with a slight bitter aftertaste), vanilla (pretty neutral with it, prefered it to be more creamy), lychee martini (refreshing and I would say the amount of liquor present is pretty strong although it is the least among the 8 available flavours) and chocomash (love the mashmallows in it, soft and springy, not frozen).

I like the waffle more though since it has a texture similar to pancake but would be better it is slightly burnt with a sugar coating. Not sweet but just right when accompanied with their ice-cream. Only costs $2.50 on its own and it is definitely worth a try.
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Yuan's comments

I am really impressed by the selection offered by U.d.d.e.r.s. At least 30 flavours offered in this shop. Even Ice Cream with liqueur is ranked according to their alcohol content. After a sampling a few flavours I chose the Rum and Rasin. This, according to their staff, has the highest alcohol content in their shop. Generally their Ice Cream is pretty light, not those creamy sort. You can feel the rum but it is not bitter.
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U.d.d.e.r.s Ice Cream
155 Thomson Road,
Singapore 307608
Tel: 6254 6629
http://www.udders.com.sg/

Operating hours:
12 noon to 11pm (Sun to Thurs)
12 noon to 12 midnight (Fri, Sat & Eve of PH)

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No. 26 - Desire from Gourmet Carousel

No. 26 - Desire from Gourmet Carousel

Wanted to get a circular and small cake for Yuan as his birthday cake. Since my first attempt at St. Regis failed. I decided to purchase the cake that I originally had in mind.

Ranked 26 on Sunday Times' 50 best cakes... presenting Desire ($6.50, excluding of 7% GST)
"Awaken your desire for dessert with this sinful cake that has rich milk chocolate mousse, chocolate sponge and a vanilla creme brulee filling studded with raspberry pieces.


Apart from the Black Pearl, this is the other signature cake of Gourmet Carousel and their description on the web is "Jivara milk chocolate mousse on chocolate sponge crème brulee of vanilla with raspberries, nougatine of cocoa bean nibits."


I am amused by the tag as our last purchase of Royale Noisette didn't come with this. We were wondering, could it be because this is their signature creation?


The photo of the 1kg version of Desire obtained from their website.


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Fen's comments

Personally, I didn't like it. I thought the chocolate mousse was too milky, can't feel the chocolate. Maybe because I have higher expectation of this one since Royale Noisette was much better and that the latter was not featured on Sunday Times, neither was it termed as Carousel signature.

In addition, I thought the cocoa beans nibits didn't complement nor enhance the taste, but kind of spoils the smooth texture of the mousse. If you are looking for chocolate mousse with vanilla crème brulee, I would strongly recommend Valrhona Chocolate Mousse Cake from Hotel Intercontinental.

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Yuan's Comments

Don't be mislead by the reddish colour of this cake, it barely has the raspberry taste. In fact the outer layer of this cake taste like chocolate fudge jelly. The chocolate mousse beneath is more to the creamy sort and is generally not bad. What I didn't like about this cake is the vanilla cream and nuts. The vanilla cream taste closer to fresh cream while the nuts taste bitter. Overall I think this cake deserve something like 6/10 but I doubt I will give it another shot.
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Gourmet Carousel
Royal Plaza on Scotts, Singapore
25 Scotts Road
Singapore 228220
Tel: 6589 7799
http://dining.royalplaza.com.sg/

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Chocolate cake from Brasserie Les Saverus

Chocolate cake from Brasserie Les Saverus

Most have known by now that I have been looking through various blogs to find out some of the weird places that serve nice cakes and one of the blogs I frequent is Camemberu. One of the comments in her molten chocolate cake entry led me to venture Brasserie Les Saverus.


Have a admit that it was pretty stressed entering St. Regis. In the first place, I couldn't recall the name of the dining place. Second, they do not have a bakery and thus it was through a fair bit of conversation that we realize this was the place we were looking for.

Anyway, the molten chocolate cake mentioned earlier in the comments is part of the special 3-course meal at $78++, apparently they didn't sell the molten chocolate cake separately.

This place has a nice ambience as it is well-illuminated by its splendid wall of windows. Love the view of the water fountains and the sparkling pool with the background of the Orchard apartments.

My initial intention was to stuck a candle on the chocolate cake and sing Yuan a Happy Birthday song but the place was just too quiet. Was pretty stressed as we realized it was a fine dining place.

I would say it is a comfy area if you are willing to spend on fine dining. According to their website, the sophisticated interior design was done by Wilson Associates.

Found an alternative for Yuan. The chocolate cake which was served with warm 72% Araguani chocolate cake, espresso sorbet. Priced at $16.00 (excluding of 7% GST and 10% service charge).

Of course, it is indeed a warm chocolate cake with chocolate oozing out...

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Fen's comments

I would say the food here are pretty expensive. However, this chocolate cake is one that is bitter due to its high chocolate content, not large in its serving and that the dessert is relatively light as I didn't feel that it was overly rich nor sin to finish this.

The texture of the cake is pretty dense and I suspect lots of eggs are used as the texture resembles the flourless chocolate cake. I would say it is unique on its own, partially because of the grade of chocolate used.

As for the espresso sorbet, it tastes like an extremely smooth coffee ice-blend which I was teasing Yuan that we can drink it from the cup after it has melted.

In short, it is expensive but I am okay with the overall taste of the dessert.

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Yuan's comments

Essentially this is a warm chocolate cake. What's good about this cake is that it doesn't have the burnt taste which some warm chocolate cake have. But what's bad is that the egg taste is too strong. You can feel the egg taste as you bite the cake. I guess the accompanying sorbet is the only thing worth trying. The coffee sorbet is so light and if you let it melt, it is almost like drinking ice blended cappuccino. Personally I feel that St. Regis is a nice place to seat for afternoon tea but for the true dessert fan, I think there are better places to go.
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Brasserie Les Saverus
The St. Regis Singapore
29 Tanglin Road
Singapore 247 911
Tel: 6506 6888

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Crunchy from Brasserie Les Saverus

Crunchy from Brasserie Les Saverus

Nice things always come in a pair, so since Yuan has ordered a chocolate cake for himself. I thought of trying the hazelnut praline equivalence.


Crunchy ($16.00, excluding of 7% GST and 10% service charge) is a combination of Hazelnut biscuit, praline, fresh raspberries and Manjari chocolate mousse. Served with raspberry sorbet...

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Fen's comments

In terms of the texture of hazelnut praline, it is comparable with the ones mentioned under our favourites. However, the distinct sourish taste from the raspberry sauce kind of puts me off. I thought the bitterness of the chocolate and the sourish tint are just too extremes.

I would say that without the raspberry sauce, it would be comparable to the Sweet Pleasures from BakerZin except that it is a little too steep for a small slice of cake.

Generally, Brasserie Les Saverus' desserts are pretty light and small on the serving. It is not sweet nor rich and thus is just right after a heavy meal but a little too light if you are looking for something to indulge. I guess this is just a different level of class since I would term this place as a fine dining restuarant.
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Yuan's comments

The first impression I had on the first bite was that this tasted so much like Van Houten chocolate. Next what hit me was that there was this sour raspberry jam over the chocolate mousse. I guess I mentioned this before but I generally do not like the raspberry chocolate combination. The hazelnut praline part is comparable with the other cakes but what I dislike about it is the base. The sponge is just too thick. This dessert is also accompanied by sour sorbet. Having eaten so many hazelnut chocolate mousse, I personally find this a disappointment.

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Brasserie Les Saverus

The St. Regis Singapore
29 Tanglin Road
Singapore 247 911
Tel: 6506 6888

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Germany Buffet Dinner at Aquamarine

Germany Buffet Dinner at Aquamarine

Presenting the Germany Buffet Dinner at Aquamarine, Marina Mandarin Singapore

Sorry about the flash, I only refrain myself to take 1 shot to avoid disturbing other diners... Pictures are just for your reference...

However, today was the last day for the October feast.

Entering the restaurant welcomes you with the Fresh Ocean's Catch on Ice where you will find Baby Lobster,Tiger Prawn, Crayfish, Oyster, Half Shell Scallop, Clam And Mussel with Condiments Of Lemon Wedges, Hot Sauce, Sherry Vinaigrette, Cocktail Sauce...

Sashimi Bar & Sushi Morawaise serving Sashimi, Assortments Of Sushi And Maki Roll With Condiments, Japanese Cold Soba Noodle and Warm CharwanMushi With Chicken And Mushroom

Appetizer with Aspic Of Pork And Pickles With Vinaigrette, Mild Salted Matjes Fillets In Apple Sour Cream, Smoked Salmon With Capers, Horseradish And Onion and Assortments Of Cold Meat Platter With Mustard Dips & Pickles Relish.

Salad bar on the left hand side while on the right hand side is the Miniature Cold Hors D'Oeuvre.

Curry Specialty Corner, with briyani rice, mutton, fish, daal and prawn dishes

Dessert bar...
Condiments (e.g. macarons shells, ice-cream cones, marshmallows) to accompany Raspberry Sorbet, Sweet corn ice-cream, Chocolate ice-cream and Yam Ice-cream

Chocolate fountain with strawberries and mashmallows, not forgetting the nice chocolate chip & rasins cookies, cornflakes cookies, dark chocolate and milk chocolate cookies.

Chocolate mousse, Mango mousse, Strawberry Mousse, Flourless chocolate cake, Japanese Yam Mochi, Crunchy Hazelnut Chocolate Cake and Sacher Torte...

Nonya kuehs, German Pound Slice Cake, Apple Crumble, Tiramisu, Strawberry Mousse, Apricot Cherry Cake, Lemongrass Ice jelly, Chocolate cake...

Assorted fruits...

Local Muah Chi with Peanuts, Chocolate Pralines and Mini Tartlets...

Zooming in the desserts...

S$48++ (Sunday-Thursday)
S$58++ (Friday, Saturday and Eve of Public Holidays)
15% off the total food bill for charges charged using OCBC/AMEX or Citibank credit cards
For every 3 dining adults, the 4th person dines free with any UOB card

Of course, since the main courses are in pots with covered lids, there were Herbal ‘‘Rose Wine Drunken’’ Live Prawns and Assortments of Bavarian Sausages under Live Show Kitchen; Assortment of cheeses; Heaty Goulash and Shark fin soup from the soup kettle; Selection of breads and rolls; Japanese Tempura Section serving fried sweet potato, brinjal and prawns; Fried rice, Beef Roulade, Crabs, Meatballs, Pork Knuckles, Mixed Vegetables and many more from the Hot main course...
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Fen's comments

------------------------------------------Flashback--------------------------------------------
This year has been a year of buffets, geez... and since calories have been precious, Yuan and I have serious debates about the dining venue. Starting earlier this year was at Ellenborough Market Café with a spread of Peranakan and International buffet, followed by the anniversary lunch at the Line, Spice Brasserie Teochew porridge buffet and Hai Xiang a-la-carte buffet at Park Royal, the two theme buffets at Cafe Vic, namely Durian and Mushroom and the most recent birthday celebration at Carousel at Royal Plaza on Scotts.Sounds scary huh? But one thing about buffets is that keep it to only one visit as the second visit often leads to disappointment due to the high expectation of the returning visit. Also, the fun thing about buffets is the surprising elements of ambience and the food presented for that day. I was telling Yuan that I no longer have the extreme satisfaction similarly to our visit to Melts the world cafe, Oriental Hotel, Singapore in 2004. Maybe because at that time, we are still students and to fork out a over $100 bill is alot. Moreover, it is our first visit to such an expensive and posh hotel so in a way, the surprise was so overwhelming that it still stays in my mind.
------------------------------------------Flashback--------------------------------------------

Anyway, Aquamarine has fantastic service be it enquiry or at the restaurant itself. For instance, they are pretty prompt in replying my email regarding the buffet menu and credit card dining privilleges. Upon arrival, we were welcomed with smiles and greetings. At the buffet dinner itself, they refilled the water promptly and paid attention to simple things like putting the nutcracker and servettes while seeing me battling with that one crab's pincer. Lastly, they were so spontaneous in taking group pictures for us. No complains but lots of praises.

The spread as expected has more international spread and I would say the dishes are not merely stir-fried or roasted. All the main courses are unique on its own with different combinations of meat and vegetables. The meats were well-seasoned and the only pity was that the room in my stomach was so limited. The only thing that was lacking was a bit of local fare but anyway, there is no more room for any more dishes.

Some of the dishes that leave a deep impression were the oysters, fresh and huge; sashimi has better cut and no doubt fresh; briyani with assorted Indian dishes were not too spicy nor oily; the soup that comes with the drunken prawns has a nice herbal taste which was not at all oily nor salty; the Hong Kong Roast Meat was nicely presented with reasonably nice texture that was not overly tough. Generally, all the beef and lamb were tender, well-seasoned and nicely accompanied with potato gratins, broccoli and mushrooms. My favourite dish of the entire buffet is actually the butter cream crabs, the meat is not at all soggy and despite the mess, it actually makes me crave for more. I can't imagine I actually forgot how much I love crabs since it has been ages since I last eat them and that most of the time only black pepper and chili crabs are available at international buffet which is never to my liking.

Desserts didn't disappoint and generally all of them passed. Favourites of the night were the hazelnut chocolate, the muah chi, the cookies, the lemongrass ice jelly and chocolate mousse. Having ate so much desserts over the past few months and that I can say the desserts were good, definitely not empty praises. In fact, I can dare say that the desserts spread is better than the Line, Carousel, Melts and Oscars. However, I got to highlight that the Line has fantastic ice-cream with freshly made crepes, Melts with their yummy freshly-made waffles and Macademia chocolate chip cookie and that Oscars also with their freshly-made waffles and that the ice-cream is scooped by their staff.

All in all, this buffet is good on its own and that it has not disappointed me. Paying only about $42.40 per pax, it is definitely a worthwhile dining experience. Hopefully, sweetie enjoyed this as much as me, ultimately, it is meant to be a pre-birthday treat for him.
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Yuan's comments

This is one of the better international buffets in town. I would especially like to comment Aquamarine on their excellent service. Your plates are changed rapidly and they provided nutcracker when they see that you have trouble with the crabs.Let me first start with food. Generally wide spread of cuisine ranging from Japanese (Sashimi and Sushi) to Germany (Sausages). The food that left deep impression was probably the pork knuckle. Of course they do not serve the full knuckle but rather sliced versions of the meat. What I liked about it is the crispy skin and yet not fatty. This applies for their roasted pork as well. Other than pork, I guess their selection of seafood is also impressive, lobster, clay fish, muscles, oysters... I particularly liked the oysters. Yum. Moving on to desserts. Aquamarine probably has the best desserts among the hotel buffets which I visited. I would normally think that desserts served in glass are either too sweet or too sour, I guess I was wrong. The tiramisu though not the best was not bad either. The chocolate mousse is comparable to the noisette of Obolo. Best of all, they have macaron shells and cookies for you to go along with your ice-cream. Scoop some chocolate fudge from the foundue and pour over your ice cream. Add the cookies and macaron... Equates to an excellent dessert after a sumptuous dinner.
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Aquamarine
Marina Mandarin Singapore
6 Raffles Boulevard
Marina Square
Singapore 039 594
Tel: 6845 1111

Operating hours
6:30am to 10:30 am (breakfast)
Noon to 2:30pm (Weekday lunch)
Noon to 3:30pm (Weekend & PH high tea)
6:30pm to 10:30pm (Dinner, a la carte till 10:30pm; buffet till 10pm)
10pm to 1:3 am (Weekend & PH supper)

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Chocolate Mosaic

Chocolate Mosaic

After a round of buffet, a nice birthday cake and lots of fun at Pitstop Cafe, I kinda regret not continuing my stay at Pitstop (my highly recommended place for gatherings). Anyway, because one of our friends is leaving early, we have decided to drop by tcc for a drink or 2 and have a chat. One of the stuff we ordered was the chocolate mosaic...

A closer view...

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Fen's comments

--------------------------------------Non dessert review--------------------------------------
Before I continue, just a warning for food bloggers. The upper deck of tcc (circular road) does not permit photography and they have put a sign at this level BUT you will only see the sign only after you are leaving the place due to its positioning. How sincere, reason being is that they have art exhibition or paintings displayed at this particular store.

Simply hate it when I was just taking pictures of the food and we were told to keep the camera but the only reason they can give is the mangement, talk to the manager and etc... *#&(*%

My personal take when asking dining customers to put aside the camera is that the waiters or waitresses have to be a little more tactful. I mean things might have been different if I have seen the sign before entering or that the the waiter starts off saying "Sorry, we don't allow photography at this level due to the art display or art exhibitions." Short and sweet, am I right? Anyway, I was pretty patient last evening but I can't deny the fact that my dining mood was alittle foul.

I'm sorry if I have sound unreasonable, but people are never rational when they are pissed. Am I right?
--------------------------------------Non dessert review--------------------------------------

Anyway, chocolate mosaic was said to be one of the signature dessert dishes but I beg to differ, the chocolate devotion was much better. Although the chocolate mousse is smooth with different layers of milk and white (has an after-taste of peppermint) chocolate. Somehow or rather the flourless chocolate cake fails to stand out as much as the Chocolate Amer of BakerZin. Smooth chocolate mousse is pretty easy to get but to get the right accompaniment is rare. This will just pass in my opinion since to me it is pretty ordinary.
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Yuan's comments

I am not a fan of peppermint, hence the Chocolate Mosaic sorts of put me off. Despite me trying to seperate the layers of this cake, the peppermint taste still lingers. The peppermint taste sorts of cover up all other taste. Thus those that dislike peppermint like me, please do not try this dessert. In terms of mousse, I think it is rather smooth but not rich enough for my liking. Overall I doubt I will try it again.
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tcc- Circular Road
51 Circular Road
Singapore 049406
Tel: 6533 9033

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Dining at Carousel, presenting their desserts

Dining at Carousel, presenting their desserts

Went for buffet lunch and I am going to present you the desserts we have tried this afternoon...

Presenting you the dessert bar... apart from this, there were also Chocolate Fountain, Ice cream, Mixed Fresh Tropical Fruits, Bread and Butter Pudding, Crumble and Nonya Kueh, a total of 3 stations of this scale.

Starting from the left, Pistachio Crème brûlée, Apricot Crumble, Apricot Tart


Starting from the one with a pink layer of jam (clockwise direction), New York Cheesecake with strawberry mirror, (unidentified), Jasmine Chocolate Gateaux, Jivara chocolate mousse with crispy feuilletine, Raspberry Yoghurt Chocolate Mousse

*I might have gotten the names wrong but generally this plate contains a mixture of cheesecakes, chocolate, blueberry and vanilla mousses


Desserts in shooter glass


Starting from the left, Sea coconut pandan pudding or Chendol (not sure), Green tea mousse with Azuki, Mango and Apricot sago

Starting from the left, Lychee Tiramisu, Apricot and Vanilla mousse, (unidentified)

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Fen's comments

Nowadays, buffets are not about eating alot but a place to chit chat and enjoy some of the new or signature dishes whipped out by the restaurant. I would say it is a pretty good buffet since we only paid $39++. In addition, this is one of the international buffets which is halal and has been ranked together with Melts, the World Cafe and the Line. Thus, I expect abit more from this place. However, to compare with Melts, the world cafe (Oriental Mandarin) and the Line (Shangri-la), there is still a difference as Melts has a better selection in terms of Western dishes while the Line has just too much selection.

Generally, the service is good. The water was refilled regularly, the plates were cleared pretty fast and best of all, they kept my cake nicely in the concierge despite it being from another hotel. The dining place is spacious and well-lit, thus giving a very pleasant dining experience.

For the main course, some dishes that leave a pretty deep impression were the traditional Hainanese Chicken Rice balls. The rice has a very nice fragrance and the texture is just right, not too soft nor hard. The sashimi was good given the amount of salmon sashimi we have eaten throughout the entire buffet. The cream of chicken soup was rich and creamy but the second serving was just too creamy with little chicken broth.

On the whole, the dishes served were mainly Indian and Malay food with pretty much beef selection and of which, the mashed potato, roasted duck breast and the lamb cravings tempted Yuan for a second serving...
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Yuan's comments

This buffet offers a wide range of variety. Though not as much as The Line or Melts, the food quality here is good. What left the deepest impression was the chicken rice balls. Seldom would you crave for rice but this one will leave you wanting to eat more. The other item that left a deep impression was their selection of shell fish. I am amazed that the taste can vary from sweet to salty. (I always thought shell fishes are just chewy and do not fall into either salty or sweet unless you dip them into sauce)

Anyway moving onto desserts, it seems to me that buffet desserts are usually sub standard. All those cute glasses of pudding you see are either too sweet or too sour. What was worth trying are the Apricot tart and Apricot Crumble. I must say that Carousel's crumble and tarts are really not bad.

For the buffet on the whole, I think it is worth the $41(Including GST) which I paid. But I would say that Carousel lose to The Line on variety.
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Carousel
Royal Plaza on Scotts
25, Scotts Road
Singapore 228220
Tel: 6589 7799
http://dining.royalplaza.com.sg/

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Strawberry Vanilla Streusel Cake

Strawberry Vanilla Streusel Cake

Although we don't drive, we seem to have the hang of walking along orange grove road to Shangri-la and back to orchard. It just proves how good their food is. Our first visit to Shangri-la was during 2007 Quest for a good chocolate cake for daddy, with us walking from Delfi Orchard to Shangri-la and hitching a ride from the hotel to Delfi Orchard.

Our second visit to the Line for their International buffet whereby Yuan walked from Orchard MRT to the hotel and we walked from the hotel to Cineleisure while today was getting a birthday cake for my best friend, in which we walked from Far East Plaza to the hotel and back to Orchard MRT...

Got her a Strawberry Vanilla Streusel Cake since my target was a good strawberry shortcake.

A delicate combination of chantilly cream & french vanilla mousse surrounded with strawberries & topped with freshly baked streusel...
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Fen's comments

I didn't regret coming to the Line for this cake. In fact, from the description I was alittle skeptical on how good it will be... cream + mousse + streusel... hmm...

Anyway, this cake is generally very light and considering we are all overloaded from the buffet lunch, we are able to finish the cake and find it so nice, I guess this is definitely a thumb ups. The vanilla mousse has a slight jelly texture with a refreshing after-taste and the crumbles on the cake makes it very light. The strawberries are not sourish and they are pretty generous with the strawberries. The crumbles has a similar sweetness and fragrance as honey oats clusters. The bottom layer is a layer of tartlet pastry, soft and fluffy...

Recommended if you like crumble or pies and that you want something different from a conventional japanese strawberry shortcake.
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Yuan's comments

Overall this isn't exactly a cake. It is kind of like vanilla mousse with bread crumbs. You would love this cake if you like tarts or crumbles. Coupe with rich vanilla mousse and strawberry, the effect is heavenly. In sum, I would say this is worth the walk in considering that I was craving for more despite me being bloated after buffet.
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The Line Shop
Shangri-la, Singapore
Orange Grove Road,
Singapore 258350
Tel: 6213 4377
Email: theline@shangri-la.com

[ ... ]