Lychee Kirsh Mousse

Lychee Kirsh Mousse

The outer layer of the Lychee Krish Mousse is made up by white chocolate, the inner layer contains blueberry jam pudding (very similar to Hi-Chew), Lychee Mousse and sponge cake. Personally, I felt that this was a pretty awkward combination, none of the flavours stood out. Though the lychee mousee in the middle was light and refreshing, it was too weak and mild.


Senses Patisserie
Marina Mandarin Singapore
6 Raffles Boulevard
Marina Square
Level 4 (Outside Aquamarine)
Singapore 039594

Operating hours - 10.30am to 10.30pm (Daily)
Website for Senses Patisserie

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Once Upon A Milkshake

Once Upon A Milkshake

Located in the colonial building along the bustling streets of Tanjong Pagar, this place provides a casual and light-hearted place for the sweet tooths to gather.


The niche of this place, not just lies in the beverages and bites served but also the decor the owner has put up. Using purple and white as the theme, this place does emit a magical and whimsical feel. It is no surprise this place is booked for birthdays and even wedding proposal.



Alright setting aside the ambience, now the highlights. Apparently the formula to OUAM's good shakes lies in them being hand-churned with an optimized composition of in-house ice cream and low-fat milk.

Frankly speaking, all their flavours sound tempting and I am glad that they have it in 2 sizes (mini @ $3.30 and regular @ $5.50). Settling with 3 minis, we have decided with
- Agent Strawberry (100% fresh strawberries)
- Nutty Peanut Butler (Smooth & creamy peanut butter with crunchy peanuts)
- Sir Cookies & cream (Rich vanilla with good old Oreo cookies)

The uniqueness of each flavour is the topping which adds the additional crunch. For Agent Strawberry, fresh strawberries are added giving a sourish yet refreshing taste. Peanut Butler generally tasted like vanilla milk shake with the slight hint of peanut butter taste and of course crunchy peanuts. Sir Cookies and Cream on the other hand has a distinctive strong vanilla base with a nice after crunch of Oreo bits.


A mini cup of chocolate chip cookies is available @ $2.50 and what we liked about the cookies is the home-baked taste, not-too-sweet. While Fen felt that it was addictive, Yuan felt that it crumbles easily and the chips were not generous enough.


Anyway, if you are wondering where is Maxwell Chambers, this former goods and customs building is located between Tanjong Pagar MRT station and Red Dot Design Museum. The distinct colonial building is not easily missed if one comes out from the right exit.


P.S. We dropped by OUAM yesterday and tried their Chocolate Truffle Castle (Chocolate with truffle bits) and Cerious Maple (Maple syrup with crunchy maple cereals).

Chocolate Truffle Castle initially tasted ordinary but subsequent slurps made us realize its rich chocolate content, giving a slight heaty feeling. Fen did mention about the slight powdery aftertaste, thereby preferring Awfully Chocolate's/Tom's chocolate ice-cream.

As some has pointed out, Cerious Maple is alittle sweet but as one drinks further, the fragrance of maple syrup becomes more prominent and shares the same effect of Movenpick's Maple Walnut.

Also, Agent Strawberry continues to steal the show as I bought some minis home. Did I mention that my sister feels that one mini is not enough for her and that my dad prefers more strawberries in the milkshake but all of them gives its rich texture a thumbs up.

Once upon a milkshake
Maxwell chambers (a.k.a. white house)
32 Maxwell Road
#01-08
Singapore 069115
Tel: 9823 3779

Operating hours: 11am to 11pm (daily)
http://www.onceuponamilkshake.com/

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Strawberry Tart @ The Line Shop

Strawberry Tart @ The Line Shop

The Line Shop situated in Shangri-La Hotel provides a quiet and excellent environment for afternoon tea and its wide array of desserts will leave its customer spoiled for choice.


Apart from sliced cakes, this is one place Fen will recommended for birthday cakes due to its reasonable pricing and reputation.

Most of the 0.5kg cakes are priced at $24+ and one will be amazed by the selection offered. On our visit last Saturday, the entire shelf is filled with whole 0.5kg cakes ranging from The Line Shop's bestseller, the Chocolate Truffle; local favourite, the Durian Cake; fruity selection such as the Fruit Flan and Strawberry Pistachio Shortcake; the classic Blackforest and many more.


For non-cake lovers, the array of muffins, doughnuts and tarts is bound to tempt any walk-in customers.


This tart is a simple combination of a tart pastry base, custard and a generous toppings of berries. The Strawberry Tart pastry is slightly different from the usual tart base due to its ëgg-y taste", similar to eating egg rolls. To some, this taste maybe ordinary for its price tag, $6.75+ but for Fen, she likes it this way that she gobbled the entire tart on her own.

Whole tarts (500gm, Apple Crumble or Strawberry) are also available at $18+. There is no credit card discount but a 30% discount for whole cakes and 50% discount for sliced cakes after 6pm everyday.

The Line Shop
Shangri-la, Singapore
22 Orange Grove Road,
Singapore 258350
Tel: 6213 4377
Website for The Line Shop

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Tiramisu @ The Line Shop

Tiramisu @ The Line Shop

You won't miss this unique pryamid shaped tiramisu at The Line Shop.

On first bite, you may easily mistaken this to be coffee mousse cake however the sticky texture is a giveaway of mascarpone. What I particularly liked about this tiramisu is the kahlua-soaked, espresso-dripped savoiardi in the middle (note that we are refering to the top layer, not the bottom layer of sponge) for its "expresso oozing out" effect.


Something different from a conventional tiramisu since the coffee is also infused in the mascarpone layer and given the densely soaked savoiardi and moist sponge, it is a refreshing treat when served chilled.

Each slice of tiramisu costs $6.75+. There is no credit card discount but a 30% discount for whole cakes and 50% discount for sliced cakes after 6pm everyday.

The Line Shop
Shangri-la, Singapore
22 Orange Grove Road,
Singapore 258350
Tel: 6213 4377
Website for The Line Shop

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Chocolate Truffle @ The Line Shop

Chocolate Truffle @ The Line Shop

The Line Shop's bestseller and also the hotel's recommendation for a chocolate cake. This dark chocolate sponge base with chocolate mousse, coated in smooth dark chocolate and raspberries, will impress most chocoholics for its velvetly smooth dark chocolate mousse. With a layer of chocolate fudge and chocolate sponge, the entire experience was like eating a superior chocolate ice cream cake.

Each slice of chocolate truffle costs $6.75+, a 0.5kg cake $24+ (can serve up to 6 people) and a 1kg cake $48+. Although the 0.5kg cake is available off the shelf, The Line Shop would need 3 days in advance for cake booking.

There is no credit card discount but a 30% discount for whole cakes and 50% discount for sliced cakes after 6pm everyday.


The Line Shop
Shangri-la, Singapore
22 Orange Grove Road,
Singapore 258350
Tel: 6213 4377
Website for The Line Shop

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One Caramel - Bloggers Outing

One Caramel - Bloggers Outing

It was another fantastic gathering. A chance to meet new friends and exchange pointers. Organised by Harris and attended by Kaelyn, Elaine, Angeline, Janelle, Michelle, Fen and myself, Yuan.

Readers would probably noticed that we already have quite a comprehensive list of cakes from 1 Caramel. Nonetheless here are some others which we have yet to try. As with other Bloggers Outing, this was a tasting session, hence I must first give the disclaimer that it may be a different verdict if I were to have an entire slice.


Strawberry Shortcake, $8.90++
"Layers of fresh juicy strawberries, vanilla genoise and strawberry creme coated with puff pastry flakes baked to a golden brown perfection."
This is a very unique variant of the strawberry shortcake. Unlike the regular chiffon and chantilly cream, 1 Caramel adopts the use of strawberry cream and pastry flakes. The choice of pastry flakes adds a slight crunch while the usage of strawberry cream makes it less cloying as compared to fresh cream. The overall feel is closer to eating a strawberry sundae and is definitely a light and refreshing delight. It is no surprise that this cake wins the hearts among the female diners.

The only setback is that some of the puff pastries that are in direct contact with the cream are alittle soggy.


Carrot Walnut Cake, $5.00++
"Moist carrot cake with Californian walnuts, topped with a smooth cream cheese icing"
As the description given the menu, this carrot cake is slightly moist, not sweet and has mild cinnamon taste.


Midori, $7.90++
"Matcha Sponge and azuki bean complete layers in a yuzu infused bavarois"
Green tea is one unique flavour which no two pâtisseries will have the same combination. Apart from the regular azuki, 1 Caramel presents its green tea creation with yuzu.

Since yuzu resembles closely to a grapefruit, with overtones of Mandarin orange, one can expect to feel the contrast between the sweet red bean, slightly sour yuzu and bitterness of matcha. This variant of the Matcha cake definitely scores in my opinion.


Brownies Almond Cake, $4.50++
"A delicious pairing of moist chocolate and almond brownies"
Generous chocolate mousse on the top however in contrast to the description, I thought it was kind of dry. For $4.50 it is nonetheless a good deal.


Hazelnut Pear Torta, $6.90++ (top); Peanut Butter Cheese Tart, $6.90++ (bottom)
"Crunchy hazelnut cake with caramelized pear slices";"Peanut butter cream cheese tart with a hint of lemon and a crunchy layer of hazelnut praline"

As opposed to the last time we tried the pear tart, this time it has a better texture; to be more precise, more moist and softer.

As for the Peanut Butter Cheese tart, it is another unique combination. However I would have liked it better if the peanut butter was strong, the mixture with cheese gave the peanut butter a rather different smell which the peanut butter lovers may not like.

Apart from the mentioned cakes, we had the Red Miso Souffle ($12.90++), Lychee Rose ($7.90++) and Chocolate Praline ($7.90++). Red Miso Souffle continues to steal the limelight for being the "titantic" during the photoshoot, sinking every minute while the camera clicked; and once the phototaking affair is over, you can see everybody nodding their heads in sync to enjoy a lovely pairing of salty miso and sugar.

I have lost count of eating Lychee Rose and by far remains the top of my list at 1 Caramel. In short, imagine this cake to be a lychee refreshing treat with rose fragrance.

As for Chocolate Praline, our expectation for this cake has gone up during our cakes blogging. This is one cake which most hotels (e.g. Sheraton Towers, Goodwood Park) has featured as their signature, even similar counterparts from CentrePs, Canelé Pâtisserie Chocolaterie and SomethingToGo have made their appearance to the 50 yummiest cakes. Ask me which is the best, I am as confused as you.

For similar posts,
The simplest aphrodisiac by Harris, Blogger Outing: 1 Caramel
SistaFood by Angeline and Janelle, 1 Caramel - Food Bloggers' Sensual Sweet Indulgence
My Food Sirens II by Kaelyn - 1 Caramel
Never Trust a Scrawny Foodie by Michelle - 1 Caramel

1 Caramel
The Luxe
6 Handy Road
#01-01A
Singapore 229234
Tel: 6338 3282

Operating hours -
11am to 11pm (Sun to Thurs)
11am to 1am (Fri and Sat)
http://www.1-caramel.com/

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Strawberry and Mango Cream

Strawberry and Mango Cream

Apart from Simply Chocolate, Strawberry and Mango Cream is another bestseller. Pretty understandable as the combination of strawberries and mangoes wrapped between layers of chantilly cream and vanilla sponge makes it easily acceptable to most.



The pricing of the cake is at $40 (8") and $50 (9"); pretty reasonable to be shared among colleagues.

When I first had this cake with my colleagues, the impression gotten from all of them were postive. However, do note that this cake uses butter cake instead of the regular sponge and hence some may not like the buttery aftertaste of the cake. Apart from that, this cake scores a thumb ups from most of the people who has tried.

Yuan is one of the few that dislikes eating butter cake with fresh cream, thus he felt that Strawberry Shortcake from 4 Leaves was a better alternative.


I always find it difficult to make a recommendation as there is no such thing as the "best" cake since taste is preferential. This is one cake which is positive for me but negative for Yuan.

Decadence cakes by Victoria (Closed)
http://www.decadencecakes.sg/

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Chocolate Praline Tart by The Dining Room

Chocolate Praline Tart by The Dining Room

Chocoholics will prefer this over a conventional chocolate tart. Instead of a buttery tart base, Sheraton Towers replaces it with a chocolate boat. Hence apart from the raspberry and praline, everything else is chocolate.

Within the boat is smooth and rich chocolate mousse with thin layers of sponge and praline. Over the top you have crunchy chocolate balls with chocolate fudge topped over it.

Personally, this is really all that a chocolate lover could ask for, everything chocolate within one tart.

Just in case you are thinking of purchasing a whole cake from Sheraton Towers for a special occassion, the hotel's signature is the chocolate praline cake. Based on our experience with this tart, we can understand why it is popular among Sheraton Towers' dining guests.

For cheesecake, Sheraton Towers has the options of Strawberry, Baileys (this month special), Oreo and Mocca in a whole cake. Lastly, a whole Tiramisu cake order requires 4-days in advance.

The Dining Room
Sheraton Towers Singapore Hotel
39 Scotts Road S(228230)
Tel 6737 6888
Website for The Dining Room

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Vanilla White Chocolate Tart

Vanilla White Chocolate Tart

As mentioned before, hotel tarts tends to have varying layers. This is no surprise, which comprises of vanilla white chocolate mousse, sponge cake, white chocolate custard and a tart base.

Very simple combination yet delicious. Fragrant vanilla mousse with vanilla beans pairs perfectly with the milky effects of white chocolate. The tart pastry and cake sponge lightens the overall texture making it a nice dessert after meals.

The only downside is that the tart is not small and gets alittle sweet when one attempt to finish it on its own. Nevertheless, this baby worth sacrificing some calories.

The Dining Room
Sheraton Towers Singapore Hotel
39 Scotts Road S(228230)
Tel 6737 6888
Website for The Dining Room

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Durian Cake by The Dining Room

Durian Cake by The Dining Room

On appearance, one can easily mistaken this as the Durian Mousse Cake from Goodwood Park since both hotels have their durian cakes served with bits of sponge cakes layered generously with durian mousse.

But despite the generous layers of durian pulp, the satisfaction level was not there which might be due to the choice of durian cultivar. Unlike the bitterish rich texture which durian lovers adore, the mousse is lighter and lack the punch and fragrance.

For whole durian cake order, Sheraton Towers requires only 3 hours in advance to prepare a whole cake and is available everyday. Lastly, each slice of durian cake costs $6.00+.

The Dining Room
Sheraton Towers Singapore Hotel
39 Scotts Road S(228230)
Tel 6737 6888
Website for The Dining Room

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Tiramisu by Aroma

Tiramisu by Aroma

Last year in our tiramisu special, we gave Aroma top spot for tiramisu. This year we revisited Aroma. Will our verdict remain? Read on...


Appearance wise,the tiramisu looks pretty consistent apart from using white chocolate sheets instead of milk chocolate. The miniature tiramisu and "chocolate well" remains.

Tastewise, I think the standard is about the same however it does not seem to have any alcohol content as opposed to the last time we tried. Slightly sweet and you will feel the expresso from the soaked savoiardi sponge cake. I guess it's still nice except that I would have prefered them to soak the savoiardi cake in liquor.

Nevertheless it does remind us of BakerZin's tiramisu and I would say it is still the better few but having read the comments and reviews on tiramisu, I guessed the general public would prefer stronger liquor content in this classic Italian dessert, which this tiramisu is lacking.

Note that the sliced cakes are sold at $10 for every 2 slices from 5pm to 9:30pm and half price from 9:30pm to 10pm.

Aroma
Intercontinental Singapore
80 Middle Road
Singapore 188966
Tel: 6825 1058

Operating hours - 7 am to 10 pm (daily)
Website for Aroma

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No. 7 Banana Chocolate Cake by Aroma

No. 7 Banana Chocolate Cake by Aroma

Although the Sunday Times' 50 yummiest cakes article has been published quite some time ago, and that Fen has blogged about this cake before, I thought it is interesting to share my opinions towards this cake (close to what Fen has shared a year ago).

As quoted in the article...
"This sugar-free cake, made with the sugar substitute maltitol, will make you go bananas with slices of the fruit sandwiched between layers of banana sponge and chocolate cream"

This is really a dream combination for banana lovers.
"Chocolate cream, Banana slices and Banana sponge"


I liked the cake for 2 areas. First, it is not sweet and second the banana slices really made my day (I am a banana lover).

However as a chocolate lover as well, I felt that a richer chocolate cream would have been better. More chocolate content rather than a creamy texture.

Further, I would have prefer a softer banana sponge as the base. In short, plus points for the banana mousse layer but not so, for the 2 layers accompanying it.

Note that the sliced cakes are sold at $10 for every 2 slices from 5pm to 9:30pm and half price from 9:30pm to 10pm.

Aroma
Intercontinental Singapore
80 Middle Road
Singapore 188966
Tel: 6825 1058

Operating hours - 7 am to 10 pm (daily)
Website for Aroma

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Fruit Tartlet

Fruit Tartlet

Hotel tarts are often more expensive than stand-alone pâtisseries and bakeries but are layered exquisitely with varying layers (e.g. Chocolate Banana Tart from Goodwood Park, Pear with Almond Cream from Regent Hotel) . This fruit tart ($8.00+) has 4 layers, namely the crispy tartlet base, a thin layer of sponge cake, custard and a generous topping of fruits.

The overall combination is predictable judging from the combination and personally I prefer the Delifrance's mixed fruit tart more than this. Although the custard is pretty much the same as Delifrance, the tartlet base lacks the fragrance and the fruit toppings is very sour, particularly the mango and kiwi cubes.

Despite my preference inclining towards Delifrance's fruit tart, I have to admit I do enjoy this dessert completely but I don't deny that I expect more from hotels, given its more expensive price tag.

Note that the sliced cakes are sold at $10 for every 2 slices from 5pm to 9:30pm and half price from 9:30pm to 10pm.

Aroma
Intercontinental Singapore
80 Middle Road
Singapore 188966
Tel: 6825 1058

Operating hours - 7 am to 10 pm (daily)
Website for Aroma

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