No. 17 - Swiss Rolls from Rich & Good Cake Shop

No. 17 - Swiss Rolls from Rich & Good Cake Shop

When I first saw the 50 yummiest cakes article, this didn't come across my mind to pay a visit. First, I don't know where is Kandahar Street and thought it would be somewhere in the East. Second, to make me travel for swiss rolls, I am pretty skeptical. It was only recently when I did my usual internet search on food blogs and cakes that I came across several entries on their Famous Kaya Swiss Roll.

Located in one of the restored, refurbished old shophouse in Kampong Glam, this Muslim quarter was once a historic seat of Malay royalty in Singapore. The former Sultan’s palace has been converted into a Malay heritage centre to showcase the rich history and culture of Singapore’s Malay community. Also located in close proximity of the heritage centre and the confectionary, the Sultan Mosque (or Masjid Sultan), being largest mosque in Singapore, is a landmark one won't miss.

Surprisingly, apart from shops selling Muslim men’s headgear (or songkok), the holy Quran, prayer mats and textiles, the place houses a wide array of eateries, with the bulk of it being Muslim food. I would say it is an eye-opening sight since these heritage places has been overshadowed by the city-life and shopping malls in Singapore.

Despite located in an area that is not easily accessible on normal days, we do see a fair bit of customers walking into an old shop to purchase their swiss rolls. The shop is pretty simple, with a standing fridge filled with boxes of the swiss rolls and nothing much on display but the smell of baking and its stacks of trays and boxes.

As described in the article,

"The name of the shop says it all: Rich and Good. These delicious rolls come in seven flavours: durian, kaya, mango, blueberry, strawberry, chocolate and coffee. All are excellent."

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Fen's comments

Whenever, I come across recommendations on magazines or newspapers, my first impression is that this place must be new and trendy or something unique and different. This definitely comes pretty out of place when placed on the same article with hotels and pâtisserie. In addition, from the information I have collected from various blogs, this seems to be a must-try and thus I have decided to lay my hands on the durian and kaya swiss rolls.

As most described, the swiss rolls are long (i.e. 30cm) and thin with pretty swirls of its filling and moist and soft chiffon. What is good is the overall springy taste without a strong taste of eggs, and usually cakes that are soft are just plain porous. In addition, the amount of cream is not alot and thus, one can easily munch the entire roll without feeling cloying nor sin.

Setting aside that it is nice, but pardon me to say that I wouldn't travel all the way for a slice of swiss roll. With early closing hours (closes before I am off work) and located deep in Kampong Glam, I would gladly drop by Breadtalk to curb my swiss rolls carvings.

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Yuan's comments

This is one of the best swiss roll I have ever eaten. Dense and moist, especially the kaya-flavoured one. What I particularly like about the kaya swiss roll is that the kaya tasted very traditional, reminds me of my childhood days. Highly recommended.

As for the durian swiss roll, it was a total disappointment. The texture of chiffon was there, dense and moist. However, it was just cream with durian essence and barely have the taste of durian pulp (even though it is present in its filling).

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Rich & Good Cake Shop

24 Kandahar Street
Singaopore 198887
Tel: 6294 3324
Operating hours - 8am to 5pm, closed on Sun and PH

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Pandan Kaya Fudge Loaf from Prima Deli

Pandan Kaya Fudge Loaf from Prima Deli

You can say I am a rather persistent person in any aspect and here I am on my 4th attempt on a Pandan Kaya Cake. For those who dunno what was going on, we have already tried the similar equivalence from Hans cafe, Bengawan Solo and Q Bread. This time round I got it from Prima Deli, at S$4.60, good enough to cut 3-4 slices depending on how greedy you are.

This baby has the thinnest amount of pandan kaya and the moment I lift up the plastic lid for photo-shoot, the pandan smell starts to diffuse out from the cake. Reminds me of Bengawan solo. In comparison to Bengawan solo and Q Bread, the pandan kaya is very soft, which makes it good. By now, I can hardly remember the taste from Hans cafe but I think the coconut taste or rather the kaya taste is stronger than Hans. In terms of chiffon, you will be surprised that Q Bread is softer.

Anyway, bottom line is, since this is a pandan kaya cake, the overall combination is just right. The pandan kaya is soft and has a tint of coconut taste with a slightly denser chiffon base.

P.S. At least I am not disappointed at all...

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Yuan's Comments

Among the 4 pandan kaya which i tried so far, i think this one is the best. When i took this cake out from the plastic bag, it already has this strong pandan fragrance. The kaya bit on the top is soft and the texture is a little like custard. (Compared to those hard jelly sort) The pandan sponge is about the same for all 4 pandan kaya but i guess the difference lay in the kaya bit. The point is the kaya bit cannot be too thick or jelly like.

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Prima Deli (West, Choa Chu Kang)
21 Choa Chu Kang Ave 4
#B1-13 Lot 1
Tel: 6760 7231
http://www.primadeli.com.sg

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Bengawan Solo Pandan Kaya

Bengawan Solo Pandan Kaya

Pandan Kaya ($2.40 per slice): I ate this within the same week as the pandan kaya from Han's cafe. On the first bite of this cake and the verdict was that Han's is much better. The main reason is that the layer of kaya tastes really like jelly (Agar Agar).

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