Cafe Ma Maison

Cafe Ma Maison

Described by the cafe to be made from top quality Thailand mango with a Creme Brulee Base, this tart shares a common characteristic with Mangoesity. That is, the mango is really sweet and offers generous chunks of mango. The pastry base is closer to that of a puff with a chewy interior. Sad to say, the initial bite was heavenly but you will find it oily on the second bite.


As for the Mont Blanc tart, this uses a thin crust with a domanda cream as its base, and is topped with creme de marrons, fresh chestnuts and gold flakes. Similarly to the Mango Brulee Tart, the Mango Brulee Tart is too sweet and has a similar puff-like tart shell. No doubt the chestnut cream is smooth but sad to say the sweetness is just not for me.

Interesting combinations but only recommended for people with high sugar tolerance.

Cafe Ma Maison
Parco Millenia Marina Bay
9 Raffles Boulevard
#P1-27
Singapore 039596
Tel: 6336-8260

Operating hours:
11am to 9:30pm
Website
Facebook Page

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Macarons from ET Artisan Sweets

Macarons from ET Artisan Sweets

Henry's Park Apartments is a good place for chocolate fudge cake fix and macarons given how near Vicky's is to ET Artisan Sweets.

Apart from macarons and cupcakes, they used to have a list of cakes posted on their website and I recalled emailing to them to ask them about it. Should you see this list of cakes once more, the shop requires pre-ordering for whole cake orders and do not have sliced cakes for sale due to their small production kitchen.

The other niche that ET Artisan Sweets has is the lovely customized cakes which you can view on their facebook page. Be warned, you will be blown away by their beautiful collections.

Anyway, back to the macaron talk, personally, I thought that the colour was way too vibrant. Available in a good range of flavours such as rose, mocha chip, summerberry, lemon raspberry, vanilla, peanut butter, chocolate hazelnut, mint, raspberry, etc, these macarons are sold in boxes of 5 ($11), 9 ($19), 15 ($30), 18 ($36).

Made from 100% Californian almonds with either 70% chocolate ganache or whipped cream, the general texture of the shells is coarse and just slight chewy. Resembles closer to a cookie with an extremely dense shells and when compared to the others, this is definitely an above average macaron.


Blackforest, a liquor macaron with generous servings of cherries was highly recommended by 8 days some time back (pitted against Jewels, Canele, Carousel, TWG and other big names), is outstanding for its good contrast of sweet, chocolate and liquor. However, for liquor macarons, Cream Cheese macarons remains our top favourite.

Vanilla Bean is lovely in its way for the crunchy bits of chocolate balls in its filling and it being the least sweet.

Finally, rose was ok in our opinion as we recalled the good old Canele (texture of macaron is very close to Canele's violette but the flavour of flavour is more outstanding, thereby leaving a deeper impression) and the recent Blush, Hilton Singapore's Valentine special leaving a deeper impression.

In summary, it still voices down to individual's preference and I would prefer a softer, chewier macaron with powering flavours.

ET Artisan Sweets
32 Holland Grove Road
Singapore 278807
Tel: 6468 6700

Website
Facebook Page

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Mangoesity

Mangoesity

Mango lovers will certainly be delighted to be overwhelmed by so many variants of mango desserts. In addition, this mango-themed bakery actually guarantees its mango to be sweet and will do a 1-for-1 exchange if their mangoes are sour.

They have quite a fair bit of selection with 12 of them being featured on their poster.

As I was there before noon, there was 7 mango items and I gladly take-away one of each to share with my family members. In general, the desserts are priced between $2.80 to $4.80. At the point of purchase, there was a 20% discount. So, $24.30 for a total of 8 mango desserts.


Mango Millefeuille ($4.80), my parents' favourite for the generous slice of mango. The sweet juicy fruit fits pretty well with the crisp pastry.


Mango Gelée Cake ($3.80) said to be Mangoesity's best seller, comprises of mango gelée, chantilly cream, sponge cake and fresh mangoes. The overall combination is refreshing with emphasis placed on the sugary sponge cake. Sliced mango and mango gelée finish the taste with a nice juicy punch.

At the point of my visit, there is a 15% discount for pre-ordering of whole cakes and the pricing is attractive.
400gm - $15.80 $13.40
600gm - $23.80 $20.20
1kg - $39.80 $33.80
2kg - $79.80 $67.80


Mango Pavlova ($3.80) turns out to be Yuan's favourite. This meringue-based dessert is not overly sweet and the idea of using a crispy meringue as a tart shell to house a generous serving of fresh mangoes makes this the most creative treat among the 7.


Mango Tango Cheesecake ($3.80) is slightly disappointing when compared to the rest. It has an oreo-base tart shell paired with cream cheese (flavoured with orange juice) and fresh mango. Don't be misled by the lonely mango ball placed on top of the creation as there is a generous slice of mango sandwiched within the cheese cake.


A slight variant to the Mango Tango Cheesecake ($3.80) but instead has a thicker bitterish chocolate shell.


I didn't get to try the last two desserts but my sister described the Mango Panna Cotta ($2.80) to be light and not cloying.


As for the Mango Yogurt Cheesecake ($3.80), my sister summarized it with a nod in her head.

Pretty impressed by the variety this shop has put up and the effort the shop has placed to ensure the mangoes to be fresh and sweet. Definitely recommended in our humble opinion, particularly when a good mango creation is so hard to come by. Apart from the mangoes being fresh and juicy, my family members pointed out that the mangoes aren't fibrous.

Mangoesity (closed)
Lot 1 Shoppers' Mall, #B1-K1
21 Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4
Singapore 689812

Operating hours:
11:30am to 9pm daily

Website
Facebook page
Email address: enquiry@mangoesity.com

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Vicky's Chocolate Fudge Cake

Vicky's Chocolate Fudge Cake

Chocolate Fudge Cake is one type of cake that I started to enjoy only after the birth of this blog and prior to that, I simply cannot understand how these one product shops (or rather close to) can survive on just selling chocolate fudge cakes.

Searching through the internet, forums will mention big names such as Lana Cake Shop, Jane's Cake Station, Choc.a.Bloc, Awfully Chocolate when asked for recommendations for chocolate fudge cake.

I can't remember the details of each cake but for sure, I am one that fancy soft and moist chocolate sponge so Lana Cake Shop is the least favoured among the four but that is also one cake shop whom many has grown up with and has stirred a fair bit of rebuttal in the internet community.

Whenever, Lana Cake Shop is mentioned, Vicky's Chocolate Fudge Cake will definitely be seen somewhere in the same post and it is also through the comments on my Lana Cake Shop that makes me purchased a cake from them.


Now I know why, apart from Lana Cake Shop adopting a rectangular shape for their Chocolate Fudge Cake, this is the other that is in the same shape.


As described by most, this is extremely soft and moist with a smooth chocolate fudge. Comparing this with Awfully Chocolate's All Chocolate which Yuan had on the same day, he felt that Vicky's sponge is slightly salty and chewy while he described Awfully Chocolate's to be a sweeter and more moist variant.

To me, my preference inclined more towards Vicky's and this is definitely a good alternative to my favourite Choc.a.bloc for both convenience and pricing. While Choc.a.bloc priced its 800gm cake at $32 and Awfully Chocolate selling their 1kg All Chocolate at $51.60, Vicky's 1kg Chocolate Fudge Cake cost merely $35. In addition, with Vicky's pleasant service as what most has highlighted, this definitely worth a trip and many thanks to my readers for recommending their Chocolate Fudge Cake to us.

Vicky's
28 Holland Grove Road
Singapore 278805
Tel: 6466 4000
Website

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Sour Sally

Sour Sally

Before Sour Sally, my knowledge of frozen yogurt is only limited to Yami Yogurt and Frolick. It was only after this media invite from Sixth Sense Communications then I realized that frozen yogurt has been the latest trend. While others may have think that Sour Sally is joining in the frozen yogurt fever, this yogurt brand has a very strong foothold in Indonesia with 27 outlets from cities naming from Bandung, Surabaya, Bali and Medan.


Sour Sally adopts a different concept from the other new frozen yogurt outlets for Sour Sally is a name of an adorable quirky girl and the concept of this yogurt chain is to allow their yogurt fans to associate themselves with the character, Sour Sally whose persona showcases a fun-filled panache for life. In addition, Jocelyn and Donny, the owners of Sour Sally aims to bring in Sour Sally merchandise ranging from dolls, T-shirts, shawls and stockings, EZ-link card stickers, notebooks, Tote bags and more.


Apart from Sour Sally merchandise, here comes the main highlight. Complementing the four different flavours of U.S. Premium Non-Fat Frozen Yogurt, Sour Sally offers 24 exciting toppings, with hot favourites such as Mochi Mix and Sally's bubbles.


A tasty attraction at Sour Sally's is the Shaved Iced Escapade which is made of smooth layers of shaved ice (with condensed milk) crowned with a choice of yogurt and three toppings. Priced between $8.80 for a Shaved Ice Escapade in original yogurt flavour to $9.80 for a Candy Mix Yogurt flavour, the idea is inspired from the local Ice Kachang.

Another interesting item of Sour Sally is the thirst-quencher, Sour Sally's smoothies ($5.90). This is made with Sour Sally's yogurt, blended with fresh fruit such as Mango, Strawberry, Longan or even a blend of two. We tried the Longan and when consumed back to back with their yogurt, this is slightly more milky and watery. However, for Singapore's hot weather, it is a healthier alternative to soft drinks.


Candy Mix - Pinklicious and Melon Mint (with Nata De Coco and Granola)
Yuan fancy this more than me for its texture is creamier and the flavour is more intense.


Twist - Original and Green Tea Yogurt (with Sally's bubbles and Mochi Mix)
Comparing with the regular Green Tea Soft-Serve, one can expect this to be weaker in this flavour. Comparing this with Yigloo's Green Tea Yogurt, I prefer Sour Sally more but for ice-cream lovers like Yuan, his choice would be the latter.

As for the original, this is alot lighter and tangy than both Yigloo's and Sogurt's, preference depends greatly on whether you are a yogurt or soft-serve fan.

But I have to emphasize the the mochi mix offered by Sour Sally is alot more addictive than Sogurt for a chewier texture. Sally's bubbles is even more interesting as each "bubble" contains mango syrup, literally pairing its yogurt with a bursting effect.

Last but not least, many thanks to Shauna for inviting us to try Sour Sally's media event.

Sour Sally
Wisma Atria
435 Orchard Road
#B1-47
Singapore 238877

Operating hours: 11:30am to 9:30pm
Website

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Valentine's Day Special - Hilton Singapore

Valentine's Day Special - Hilton Singapore

Saint Valentine's Day is just a week away and I still remember the good old days in school where the boys appeared in schools with chocolates and flowers while among the girls, there were exchanges of handmade gifts and gerberas.

In addition, as I grow older, I came to realize that February 14th is not the only Valentine Day. To the Chinese, the seventh day of the seventh lunar month is also known to be the Chinese Valentine's Day (i.e. 七夕节 or Magpie Festival).

Whichever the case, pastry lovers will be delighted that this is the time to go dessert hunting as cakes, chocolates and macarons start appearing in the form of pink hearts.

Valentine comes early for us as Hilton Singapore has generously delivered Executive Chef Christophe Grilo's Valentine's sweet pastry creations to us.


Our favourite among the three, Two's A Company, a duo of heart-shaped passion fruit, banana and caramel cake. As we have always highlight in our previous entries, Chef Christophe has never disappoint with his use of ingredients and it is an understatement to say that this is beautifully executed.


Light banana sponge cake is glazed with tangy homemade banana-passionfruit jam, and filled with white chocolate mousse and passion fruit-banana caramel. The fruity caramel is a delicious marriage of caramel cream, banana puree and passionfruit puree. A layer of blush-hued white chocolate dust on the outside mirrors the warm and fuzzy feeling of love.


The plus point, it comes as a pair and that this cake is sturdy enough to withstand our humid weather for more than 4 hours but yet the cake remains meltingly smooth and soft. The minus point, since white chocolate mousse is used, it might be alittle sweet to some.


Forever Yours, a chocolate creation consists of a heart-shaped chocolate shell encasing raspberry and coconut truffles. The use of homemade ruby-red raspberry dust made from real raspberries, provides a nice tang to neutralize the sweetness of the white chocolate and coconut milk ganache.


I have previously raved about Hilton's cream cheese macarons and this Valentine, Chef Christophe introduce Blush, a rose and raspberry macaroon. Instead of cream cheese filling or buttercream, white chocolate cream infused with rose water from Lebanon and tart raspberry marmalade is used as the filling to complement the light pink shells to resemble the glow of couples in love.

For those who are looking for set meals on this special day, Hilton Singapore is offering two types of dinner menu at il Cielo Italian Restaurant and Checkers Brasserie respectively.

Located by the poolside on top of the 24-storey hotel, il Cielo Italian Restaurant is an ideal choice to dine under the stars. With the menu designed by Hilton Singapore Executive Chef Sandro Flabo and Italian Chef Stefano Arrigoni, this $238++ five-course dinner includes,

An Antipasto Platter of Love -
Oysters, Caviar, Foie Gras and Crystal Bay Prawns.
***
Homemade Heart-Shaped Pasta filled with Alaskan Crab in aromatic Saffron Caviar Sauce
***
A Choice Of Mains -
Vanilla-flavoured Lobster and Rose Petal Potatoes and Seabass on Barley Risotto
or
Pan-fried Veal Tenderloin with Parma Ham, Porcini and Truffles
***
A Raspberry Vanilla and Rose Cake for two
__________
Alternatively, Checkers Brasserie offers a four-course Valentine's Day dinner for two ($188++ per couple). This menu features

Starter - Scallops and Salmon Carpaccio with Caviar
***
Mains -
Baked French Seabass
or Braised Lamb Ribs
***
Dessert - Bouquet of Roses made from a Raspberry, Vanilla and Rose Mille Feuille
Last but not least, we would like to express a big thank you to Marketing Communications Manager, Ms. Joyce Moo and Marketing Communications Executive, Ms. June Wong for the kind generousity for the Valentine pastries. Do note that 2 of the photos that are uploaded on this post is obtained from Hilton Singapore's press release and it is obvious which are the two. =)

Dining Under the Stars
il Cielo Italian restaurant
Five-course dinner at $238++ per couple
7pm - 10:30pm
For reservations, call 6730 3395

Valentine's Day Dinner
Checkers Brasserie
Four-course dinner at $188++ per couple
7pm - 10pm
For reservations, call 67303390

Valentine-inspired sweet pastry creations are available at Checkers Deli from 8 February.
Checkers Deli
11am - 9pm, daily
For orders and enquiries, call 6730 3392

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Mao Shan Wang Nian Gao

Mao Shan Wang Nian Gao

I guess I am probably late in posting this as today is already the 7th day of the lunar new year and the Mao Shan Wang Nian Gao from Peony Jade is probably sold out. Nonetheless, I thought I should still blog about it as it is worth considering for next year's CNY.

Durian lovers will love this as apart from thin layers of nian gao (年糕), you are essentially eating durian pulp. While the durian lovers rejoice, the nian gao lovers will probably be disappointed to find that it tasted more like jiu ceng gao (九层糕) rather than nian gao.

Peony Jade Restaurant @ Clarke Quay
Blk 3A Clarke Quay
#02-02
Singapore
Tel: 6338 0305 / 6338 0138

Peony Jade @ Keppel Club
Bukit Chermin Road, Keppel Club
Singapore 109918
Tel: 6276 9138

Website for Peony Jade Resturant

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