Dolce Vita

Dolce Vita

My birthday meal for 2010 and yes, an entry which I fail to get it published shortly after the meal. Not that the meal was not memorable but rather January has been a busy month (In fact the 1st entry of Jan was actually a Chinese New Year Special).

I haven't been to many Italian restaurants so I can't comment much about the food. All I can say is that I love the ambience of this place and that the service was fantastic with a good selection of food.

For evenings, the interior of Dolce Vita is warmly lit with white ceiling and an open kitchen at the other end of the restaurant. The full height white trimmed window presents a view of the poolside that is set against the stunning views of the Singapore Flyer and Ritz Carlton Millenia. Since it was near Christmas at our point of visit, the entire restaurant was decorated with a huge Christmas tree, a vintage ham cutter and lots of poinsettia.



Tartare di manzo ($28++) caught me by surprise as I didn't know what tartare was. Anyway, this finely chopped raw Angus beef tenderloin surprised me with the absence of the "bloodly" taste. I am not sure how to describe it but I recall voluntering to finish the raw beef with the finely shredded purple potato chips.



This was served to everybody prior to the main course and I appreciated the simultaneous serving of the appetizers, main courses and desserts (respectively) to all diners at the table. The warm and attentive service makes me feel like a privilleged diner but yet not feeling stressed at all.



Merluzzo al pesto ($38++) was what I have ordered since I was craving for Chef Sandro's risotto. The prime seafood-saffron risotto was not as good as how I wanted it to be but the roasted cod fish (served with sauteed baby spinach and homemade basil pesto) was a delight for the succulent texture. My only complain? The fish is a little salty.



Branzino alla griglia ($38++) was Yuan's order. A grilled whole sea bass Italian style with baby spinach, sauteed potatoes and natural jus. The fish has been deboned and the meat has been well-seasoned with herbs. The concept is lovely but the meat becomes mashy without the bones, making it a messy affair. Yuan would have preferred the beef tenderloin which one of my friends have ordered and the pan-fried foie gras that came with it was good.



In a way or another, I had birthday celebrations in 3 of the restaurants of Mandarin Oriental last year, namely Cherry Garden, Melts - the World Cafe - and Dolce Vita. The hotel does serve a complementary chocolate praline cake for dine-ins.

Apart from the chocolate praline which I have shared among my friends, we have ordered two recommended desserts, namely the Torta die Mele and the Italian tiramisu.

This slow baked golden apple with puff pastry is something that I will order again for the strong fragrance of the caramelized apple. Unlike the regular crisp pastry, the puff pastry tart shell is soft and when eaten together with the calvados ice-cream and Tahitian vanilla sauce, the overall combination with the alcholic kick was simply ectastic.



Italian tiramisu is a simple espresso soaked sponge with mascarpone cheese filling, coated with dark chocolate. Simple as it looks and the overall combination was well-liked by Yuan.

I am eyeing at this place once more for our 11th anniversary.
YUAN, saw my hint?

Dolce Vita
Mandarin Oriental, Singapore
5 Raffles Avenue
Marina Square
Singapore 039797
Tel: 6885 3551

Operating hours
Lunch - Noon to 2:30pm
a la carte Brunch (Weekends) - Noon to 3pm

Dinner - 6:30pm to 10:30pm
Website

For my own information, this post was only typed on 17 February 2011 but I have decided to publish it on my birthday itself.

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L’Entrecôte

L’Entrecôte

This is an invited tasting and personally we are glad to accept it. In normal circumstances, we wouldn't have visit French bistros on our own accord as we fear for our pockets.

A newcomer at Duxton Hill, L'Entrecôte is a single main course bistro that brings in the L'Entrecôte's signature Steak Frites. Apparently this is a Parisian gastronomic concept first established some eighty years ago and Singaporeans are privilleged to enjoy this imported time-tested recipe, brought in by two accomplished restaurateurs, Olivier and Loic and rest assured this is the same recipe as the one found in London and Paris.

Apart from the one main course concept, the other unique factor of L’Entrecote is that they do not take reservations, so if one arrives at L’Entrecote and that there is no table free at that time, they have a great seating area outside to allow one to enjoy a glass of wine whilst waiting.


The elongated bistro may appear to be cramp and lack privacy as the tables are placed very close to each other but upon taking a sip of a complimentary glass of Kir, a refreshing white wine lightly sweetened with blackcurrant liquor, one will naturally unwind.


From the vintage mirrors lining the walls to the wooden banquets and the unique paper tablemats from France, the set-up is designed to mimic a traditional French bistro. In addition, the key highlight of this place lies in a light well near the end of the bistro, which is simply captivating, be it during the day or night.


The only main course offered in this place is none other the legendary Parisian steak and fries. We were sold by the combination of the slight tangy sauce, fries, the salad (served with mustard dressing and walnuts) and the complimentary glass of Kir.

The entrecôte steak is doled out in two servings with the second kept warm on burners. The refill of fries are served hot too. The highlight of the entire steak lies in the secret sauce, poured generously over the trimmed and tender slices of steak.


Other than the single main course offered, L'Entrecôte also features a range of entrées and a 15-strong dessert menu. We took Chef Olivier's recommendation; and Vacherin du Bistrot, a delightful combination of meringue, vanilla ice cream and hot chocolate sauce, deserves a thumb ups for the melt-in-your-mouth meringue and the hot chocolate sauce neutralizing the sweetness splendidly.

We have never expect ourselves to enjoy this place so much. For such a huge serving, the pricing of the steak and desserts is reasonable. Moreover, friendly staff and its fantastic ambience sums it all up. Sure glad to know about this place and one can be very sure we will come back again.

Many thanks to David from ATE consulting for the invitation and due to the lighting and space constrain, the photos posted on this blog were provided by L'Entrecôte.

L’Entrecôte – The Steak and Fries Bistro
36 Duxton Hill
Singapore 089614
Tel: 6238 5700

Operating hours
Noon to 10:30pm (Mon to Fri)
6pm to 11pm (Sat and P.H)
Closed on Sundays
Website

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D24 durian Christmas log cake

D24 durian Christmas log cake

Ever since we started the blog and have tried Goodwood Park durian creations, we have been returning for more. Consistent has always been in all our Goodwood Park's durian entries and their signature log cake makes no exception.

While the Durian Profiterole Christmas Tree ($68+) caught the attention of many, it is expensive when the portion and weight is factored in. Moreover, based on what we have seen on the display upon collecting the cake, the former has shrank in its size.


Having a gathering of 10 people, a log cake ($58+) sounds more gentle on the pocket and having left at room temperature for more than 4 hours, the cake is nicely thawed and the vanilla sponge intertwined with durian mousse won the hearts of durian lover.

Comparing this with the durian mousse cake, this has more cake content, slightly coarse to hold the structure of the log but the ultimate winning factor lies in the creamy D24 durian mousse. No doubt, a signature of all times.

All Christmas delights are available from 1st Dec 2009 to 26th December 2010 at the Deli. Do note that the last order date is 23 December 2010.

For more details, refer the promotion page of Goodwood Park Hotel. Order form is downloadable from here.

Goodwood Park Hotel
22 Scotts Road
Singapore 228221
Tel: 6730 1867 / 1868

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Mango and Yoghurt Log Cake

Mango and Yoghurt Log Cake

To most, log cakes are often chocolate and it has become a boring flavour if it is going to be the same every year. As I always mention in my previous posts, I prefer to order my pastries from hotels for their reasonable pricing, prompt services and also the new flavours introduced every year.

This Christmas, Shangri-la combine these Yuletide traditions with fruity flavours, introducing new flavours such as Chestnut and Apple Log Cake and Mango and Yoghurt Cake. Judging from my pool of friends, apart from chocolate being an all-time favourite, mango seems to be second to most liking.


Basically, this cake has 3 major components, yoghurt mousse, mango mousse and vanilla sponge. While the mango mousse wins everybody's heart, the yoghurt mousse, though moist and soft, fall short on its flavour. Most commented that the mousse was bland and is akin to eating plain cream.

Priced at $48+ (i.e. $51.35), I would say this can be considered as a good non-chocolate log cake is relatively hard to come by.

The Line Shop
Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore,
22 Orange Grove Road,
Singapore 258350
Tel: 6213 4377
Dining Website
Electronic version of Indulgence

Do note that the last order date is 22 Dec 2010, and the form is downloadable from here.

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Strawberry Napoleon

Strawberry Napoleon

Came across several Napoleons (i.e. Flor Patisserie, Patisserie Tony Wong, Zoe Patisserie and Patisserie Glace) but most of the time, the puff pastry is thick to withstand the pastry cream from softening the pastry; or that the filling catches the bulk of the attention.

As for this one from Something To Go, the puff pastry is easily the thinnest we have come across so far.

Priced at $28 nett for a 500gm, this is available off the shelf and I would say the pastry remains light and crisp until the cake is cut (i.e. puff pastry became soggy after several minutes upon cutting). Custard is of the right viscosity, not cloying nor overly sweet and the strawberries make it a light and refreshing treat. From a 5-star hotel, the price is reasonable and is recommended provided you have people to finish everything in a go.

SomethingToGo
The Regent Singapore - A Four Seasons Hotel
One Cuscaden Road
Singapore 249715
Tel: 6720 8000

Operating hours - 9am to 9pm (daily)
Website

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Strawberry Mousse Tarts

Strawberry Mousse Tarts

In my previous post on ToTT, I vaguely mentioned my interest in baking tarts and getting tart rings was a headache for me so for those who are looking for 3-inch tarts rings with a height of 1-inch, ToTT does carry these tart rings (8cm x 2cm). Alternatively, Lau Choy Seng do have the copper ones (Cat. # 26-35S-CR71) of the same dimension.

Do note that the recipe is taken from Tartlette’s Strawberry Lime Tartelettes and Raspberry Mousse Tartelettes ; and I have made some amendments and mix & match the components. There are a few things which we have observed after baking 3 batches of tarts.

- Short notes on the almond short dough -
I have difficulty rolling the dough proper after chilling it for 1 hour, overnight and 2 nights respectively. After chilling for 1 hour, the butter was still very soft and hence, I spread the dough onto the pastry cutters. For my second attempt, the overnight chilling helps but after rolling the dough, it became soft and (without dusting of flour) I end up pressing in the dough. Finally, decided to chill the dough overnight, roll the dough and then chill again for one more night. With some dusting of flour (which helps a lot), I managed to cut out 3-inch rounds and fit them at the bottom of six 3-inch tart rings; and press in the dough to form the sides of the tart shells.


Other mistakes I have made was not to blind bake and over bake it for an additional 10min. Together with the use of cake flour (not sure), I end up with an extremely hard tart crust.

I used cake flour in my first two attempts and plain flour in my third attempt; and I am not sure how important gluten is in the context of making tart shells. After experiencing problems of rolling and molding the dough onto the tart rings, I realize it might be due to the type of flour used. Apparently, all-purpose flour has moderate gluten content while cake flour has little gluten content. To cut things short, gluten is formed when wheat flour is mixed with water and this forms a network of elastic strands which traps and holds air bubbles. During baking, these air bubbles expand and as the moisture evaporates, it coagulates and stabilizes the structure. On the other hand, chilling relaxes the gluten and helps the dough to roll out better and not becoming tough.

For those who are keen to read more, here is the link that talks about the chemistry of baking.


Blind baking firms up the pastry base, making it a little crustier and stronger; it also prevents the crust from puffing while cooking. I did experience huge air pockets when I didn’t blind baked, leaving less room for the tart filling.

- Short notes on almond cream -


This is pretty foul-proof, just mixing all the ingredients in order. The only thing we notice is that, the tart shells cannot be filled to the brim as the core remains molten after baking for 20min.

So the morale of the story is not be to greedy.


- Short notes on Strawberry Diplomat Cream Mousse
Note that the original recipe calls for Lime Curd Whipped Cream .

Since we wanted to have some experience in making mousse, we replaced this component with the diplomat cream mousse (recipe from Raspberry Mousse Tartelettes ). As the tart is topped with sliced strawberries, we replaced raspberry jam with strawberry jam.


On our second attempt, Yuan poured the sugar, egg and egg yolk mixture directly to a saucepan and end up with scrambled eggs. At that time, we didn’t have any jam and hence we replace the vanilla extract and strawberry jam with 1 tablespoon of rose water. Somehow or rather, after stirring continuously and folding in the cream, we ended up with a rose flavoured egg custard, which goes pretty ok with the tart crust and almond cream.


On our third attempt, we whisked the mixture over a water bath and added the jam. The original recipe requires to whip heavy cream to stiff peak but for convenience, we skipped the whipping and folded in Sweetened Whipped Light Cream and the resulting factor is acceptable.

Recipe (For 6 -7 8-cm tarts)
Almond Short Dough: (half of Tartlette’s original recipe)
Ingredients needed:
95 gm plain flour
10 gm cornstarch
45 gm icing sugar
65 gm unsalted butter
18 gm almond powder
A pinch of salt
1 egg

Steps
1. Sift the flour with the cornstarch and icing sugar
2. Add the almond powder and rub in butter with fingertips until coarse crumbs is achieved
3. Add the egg and the salt
4. Mix using a spatula (do not over mix as texture will toughen)
5. Wrap the dough using a cling wrap and refrigerate overnight
6. Roll the dough between two sheets of plastic or parchment papers
7. Preheat oven to 175°C
8. Dust some flour and cut out six 3-inch rounds
9. Fit in the cut dough inside six 3-inch tart rings to form the base of the tart crust
9. Press in some dough at the side of the tart rings, patting the dough with fingertips
10. Blind bake for 10 minutes and allow it to cool completely

***
Almond Cream: (quarter of Tartlette’s original recipe)
25gm softened butter
25gm sugar
25gm almond powder
1/2 egg
12.5ml heavy cream

Steps
1. Place the butter, sugar, almond powder and egg in a large bowl and whisk until smooth
2. Fold in the cream and refrigerate for at least an hour.
3. Divide the cream evenly among the rings and bake it for 20 minutes at 175°C
4. Allow it to cool completely

***
Strawberry Diplomat Cream Mousse: (half of Tartlette’s original recipe)
3/4 teaspoons of gelatin
1/2 tablespoon of cold water
125ml of full cream milk
1 tablespoon of vanilla bean extract
1/2 egg + 1/2 egg yolk
25gm sugar
13 gm cornstarch
1/6 cup St. Dalfour strawberry jam
1/2 cup Qwip Pasteurized Sweetened Whipped Light Cream

1. Add gelatin to the water and set aside
2. Whisk sugar, egg and egg yolk together
3. Add the cornstarch and vanilla extract and continue mixing till it becomes a smooth paste
3. In a saucepan, heat the milk on medium heat until boiling
4. Add the heated milk slowly to the egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent curdling
5. Place the egg mixture back over a water bath and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly
6. Once the mixture has thickened, add the jam and cook for another 30 sec
7. Remove the mixture from the heat and add in the gelatin, stir until it dissolved
8. Cling wrap the bowl to prevent the formation of a skin as it cools to room temperature
9. Fold in the whipped cream into the mixture and spoon the mousse immediately onto the tart crust (baked with almond cream)

- Ending Note –
I have to admit that I like the tart crust and almond cream and that this recipe is foul-proof and easy to follow. For the remaining almond short dough, we put it in a waffle maker and it turned out to be crisp biscuits so do bake the remaining dough and it is good on its own.

Although Tartlette’s recipe did call to “seal” the crust by spreading a thin layer of jam to prevent the pastry cream from softening the crust over time. We skipped this step as we didn’t want it too sweet and our guinea pigs were ok with the slight softening of the almond cream. Nevertheless, the tarts remain delicious despite being in the chiller for 2 days.

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Gingerbread hands-on @ ToTT

Gingerbread hands-on @ ToTT

Apart from the retail store, ToTT offers cooking classes in two formats, demonstration and hands-on. The 64-seater demonstration studio has televisions and cameras placed above the front counters allowing participants to get up close while the hands-on studio has 12-counter to provide an intimate learning experience. Details and pricing can be seen on ToTT's website.


Received an invitation to attend a cooking class of my choice and being newly set up in 23 October 2010, the selection is pretty limited at the moment. What caught my attention was a baking hands-on and since Christmas is coming soon, Yuan and I have decided to learn how to make Gingerbread snowflakes and men.


The chef that taught the class was Chef Celeste Chew who has attended various culinary and baking courses in famed culinary schools, such as Culinary Institute of America, French Culinary Institute, Le Cordon Bleu, Bally Maloe in Ireland and Tante Marie for Spanish cuisine. A chef with lots of experience and for those who are keen, the profile of the chefs are available on ToTT website.


The cooking studio is well-furnished with sufficient ovens and mixing bowls within reach. Apart from sharing tips and learning, it is a good opportunity to have a feel of some of the kitchen appliances and accessories before purchase.


The maximum capacity of each hands-on class is 12 (i.e. 6 participants and 1 guest can be brought along) and hence allow direct interaction with the instructor. Each pair is assigned to a counter, fully equipped with cookware and kitchen utensils, allowing ample space to work around.


In general, the class is conducted in 3 segments, namely cutting the dough, preparing the dough and icing the cookies. Each segment has a brief introduction of handy tips and ingredients, followed by a demo and lastly allowing the participants to have some hands-on.


Often, the introduction and demo is done at the front desk; and with a crowd of 12, everybody including children do have a clear view of what is going on.


Hands-on session gets tricky when participants get confused with what to do or disorientated in the cooking studio. Hence, Chef Celeste made her rounds to ensure that all her participants can follow and work on their own at ease.


At $118, it is an enriching 3 hour session where we get to make and ice gingerbread folks and snowflakes. Of course, recipes are provided and the finished products can be bought home.

- Our thoughts -
Considering that this is one of the first few classes to be conducted at ToTT, hiccups are inevitable. While the instructions and pointers are explained clearly during the introduction and demonstration, it can be alittle chaotic during the hands-on. For instance, participants are not familiar with where some of the utensils or bakeware are kept and the operations of ovens and electric stand mixers. Apart from that, Chef Celeste has been very concise with her instructions and sharing with us some of her experience to overcome the regular mistakes or difficulties when handling the dough and baking cookies.

- F.Y.I. -
For those who are keen with ToTT's baking and cooking class, the ToTT cooking studio will be ushering in the festivities with a series of exciting cooking classes—not just for yourself, but for your family and other halves as well.

For Chinese New Year, chefs are arranged to come in for traditional goodies like pineapple tarts and dumplings, as well as dishes like fish maw soup, coffee pork ribs and yu sheng. As for Valentine’s day, a whole series of “Cooking to Seduce” meant for couples come in handy for those who want to impress their other halves. Some well-established culinary personalities who would be helming these classes include “Spice Queen” Chef Devagi Sanmugam and 2am:dessertbar’s very own Derrick Wong.

Many thanks to Danielle and Sihui from ate consulting for the invitation to ToTT and an opportunity to attend the Gingerbread hands-on class.

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ToTT store

ToTT store

After several attempts of cooking and baking in my kitchen, I looked at my empty kitchen, pondering where to purchase my bakeware and kitchenware. Particularly for baking, I realize different pastries require different bakeware.

Tarts is something that I have been wanting to learn and after looking through the internet for some recipes, I realized I needed pastry cutters or tart rings of a specific dimension. I thought these things were easily available considering my workplace is near Chip Bee Gardens with Poon Huat, Pantry Magic and Shermey's Cooking School within reach. I was wrong completely.

Pretty insistent on baking the tarts on that very day, I realize google wasn't of much help in identifying bakeware shops in Singapore and I only managed to call Sia Huat, Lau Choy Seng (劉再成), Spotlight and Ikea. Boy, I was so disappointed. Although Lau Choy Seng has what I want, I have two problems, first they close early (at 6pm) and second, these things aren't cheap.

In the end, I have decided to get a set of pastry cutters at $42 in one of the shops at Chip Bee Gardens and end up baking tarts of varying sizes that very night.

I don't know how many fellow newbies have faced this problem, at least, I did and when I got an invitation to visit ToTT Store and to attend a cooking class of my choice on the very next day after baking my first batch of tarts. I really appreciate this Kitchen Wonderland that houses a cooking school, a bistro and a retail area that stands at a massive 36,000 square feet.


Judging from the tone of my writing, one would have guessed that I have managed to get what I want at half the price and what surprises me further is that the similar set of pastry cutters I have gotten was sold for less than $30. You can imagine how excited I was after getting my tart rings and yes, I did make my tarts of the same size which will be published soon.


With a 20,000 square feet of retail space, one can imagine the amount of items sold here and having featured in the newspapers recently, one can expect a huge range of kitchen products and essential tools to aid one's cooking, baking and hosting endeavours.


With such a comfortable shopping environment, most would be wondering the pricing of the items and for those who have read my introduction, the pricing of the items are reasonable, if not cheaper than the major retailers.


My regular readers would have noticed us purchasing plates, cutlery and props to take photos of the take-aways. Since we do not have our own kitchen last year and that we are not buying in bulk, we tend to get these items from major departmental stores, ending with a huge burn in our pockets. As for Daiso, although the items are priced at $2, the plates aren't very suitable for photography, be it the size or contours.

So, when we saw such huge collection of plates, you can imagine the twinkle in our eyes. I was exhilarated when I saw the price tags.


The items available are so extensive that you can find almost anything of varying sizes and the clear signage of each section makes it easy to navigate. Ample space between each section makes it relaxing to browse through the items.


When you have everything under 1 store, it makes things alot more convenient. Not only do you save time, you also save money on transport and if you are a ToTT member.


The Bake & Go corner at ToTT is another highlight of ToTT. Often, parents are faced with a dilemma to get a baking oven for their children, in particular when they are introduced to cooking shows or Home Economics lessons. Somehow or rather, it seems to be a dream for most to have a personal baking experience.

No? At least, this is applicable to Yuan, he has baked 5 batches of cookies ever since his ribbon cutting ceremony for the oven and he enjoyed every single one of them.


Anyway, back to Bake & Go, this corner allows visitors and their children to experience the entire baking process without the fuss of cleaning up. Guests can purchase a can of dough at the corner, add in the cookie fillings, cut the dough into shapes, pop them into the ovens provided and enjoy piping hot cookies in 30 minutes.


As seen from the photos, ToTT is set to become a lifestyle destination for anyone that is interested in cooking, baking and hosting. As mentioned, there is a cooking school and bistro within the premises; and we will blog on our hands-on cooking experience in the next post.

Lastly, we did dine at the bistro but due to time constrait and our poor tummy, we have set our cameras aside and dig in. The bistro is headed by Chef Xu Tianmu with Chef Sam Leong as the consultant chef. Food-wise, they are rather decent and the concept is pretty similar to Ikea. The Poached Salmon and Chicken Leg priced at $7.90 each were decent in portion and taste. Durian Fritter might be a highlight to some and I enjoyed the Mushroom soup thoroughly.

Time to sign off as I am going to search for more recipes before dragging Yuan to sign his card for more bakewares and kitchenwares.

ToTT Store
896 Dunearn Road
#01-01A
Sime Darby Centre
Singapore 589472
Tel: 6219 7077

Operating Hours (for store):
10:30am to 9:30pm (Mon -Sun)
Website

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Wheat Baumkuchen

Wheat Baumkuchen

Wheat Baumkuchen, a casual cafe that sells freshly baked Baumkuchen, is one of the latest addition to Toa Payoh central. At first sight, Wheat Baumkuchen resembles donut factory due to the way which the baumkuchens are presented.


This is an invited tasting and we were honoured to be hosted by the boss of Wheat Baumkuchen, Edwin. Edwin explained that he chose "The King of Cakes" to be the theme of his cafe for the long history this cake has. Originated in Germany, Baumkuchen has gained a faithful following in Japan over a period of more than 50 years. Moreover, this labour-centric specialty with more than 200 years of history requires dedication and skills to perfect and hence, are not easily threatened by copycats. In other words, it is more than just a slice of cake.


When Wheat Baumkuchen first started out, they worked closely with chefs from Germany and Japan but realised that the original recipe was too sweet for the locals. After several rounds of adjustments, they managed to win the hearts of both the locals and Japanese. Apart from taste, Edwin specifically highlighted that each layer of batter is consistently 2mm.

The cafe provides dine-in area to allow the customers to enjoy the baumkuchens, served with Illy coffee and Gryphon Tea. The cafe adopts a very clean outlook using white as the main theme. Staff can be seen working behind the scenes, cutting the baumkuchens and decorating them with different permutations of the regular toppings (e.g. chocolate, fruits, nuts and buttercream).


At the other side of the cafe, rolls of baumkuchens can be seen rotating and apparently this is done to cool the cake proper. According to Edwin, this is crucial to maintain the circular shape of the baumkuchens. The constant rotation ensures that the cake will not collapse. Also, the displays are kept at 18°C to ensure that the cakes are not hard (as a result of chilling).


The interior of the cafe is made in such a way to mimic a train carriage traveling in Hokkaido and apparently, wheat fields are a common sight. Edwin do have plans to replace these static wheat fields with LED panels to make it more animated.


Prior to the invite, we have actually visited Wheat Baumkuchen and have tried the Valrhona Chocolate ($4.70) and Plain Green Tea ($3.80). Among the 2, we thought that the Plain Green Tea was more outstanding. On the other hand, we thought that the layers weren't as define as the one Yuan's mum has bought from Japan. It also lack the layer of sugar glaze.

***
1 month later, a second opinion? I guessed there is.

With Christmas just 3 weeks away, one will be overwhelmed by the selections available for the month of Decemeber, be it whole cakes, log cakes or individual sliced.

Log cakes would not have been more real than one that is made of baumkuchen for its layers give the cake tree rings appearance. With 4 diffferent flavours and designs, here they are...


Green tea baumkuchen with chestnut paste ($58)

Chocolate baumkuchen with chocolate cream ($58)

Classic baumkuchen with white chocolate & coconut flakes ($48)

Coffee baumkuchen with dark chocolate & raspberries ($58)
Apart from log cakes, there is also a special flavour for this festive period,

Classic baumkuchen with durian filling & covered with meringue ($78)
And for those who prefers plain baumkuchen with some decoration, these fondant cakes will bound to catch your attention.

Given the weight of fondant, most cake bases are the regular fruit or pound cake. Baumkuchen, itself being a heavy cake is an alternative for such creations.


Starting from front to back,
"Loving & harmony" where Santa hugging reindeer ($88)
"Santa got stuck!" which literally meant it that way ($88)
Classic baumkuchen covered with almond paste & fondant ($78)
Having introduced all the Christmas creations, here are our opinions towards the baumkuchens we have tried,


Chestnut on Green Tea baumkuchen ($4.80)
As mentioned earlier, this is our favourite flavour when plain baumkuchen is concerned and if one is observant enough, this is the sliced version of one of the log cakes. Despite using swirls of chestnut paste as its topping, one can still feel the goodness of the green tea. Since both flavours are relatively strong and rich, we personally prefer the green tea baumkuchen on its own.


Meringue filled with Durian($6.80)
Another individual portion of the Christmas special. Inspired by the durian cake from The Line Shop, the entire combination works beautifully. The sweet meringue, goes very well with the lightly sweetened baumkuchen, ending with a punch of durian. No doubt, one of our favourites.


Plain baumkuchen served with tofu ($4.20)
Another highly recommended flavour (IOHO) for its refreshing, light topping, derived from a combination of tofu, soya milk and cream. On top of that, almond nougat provides the extra crunch and the snow flour dusted on top provides an omph factor.


Tiramisu Dome ($6.80)
A combination of a coffee baumkuchen and a chocolate shell filled with coffee flavoured mascarpone cream, is more recommended to those who prefers their cakes to have a stronger taste.


Cherry Chocolate ($4.50)
As the name implied, this is a blackforest variant that uses chocolate mousse, tangy cherries to compliment the chocolate-flavoured baumkuchen. Kudos to the minimal use of gelatin in the chocolate mousse and similarily to the Tiramisu Dome, this flavour would appeal to those who prefers a heavier taste.

Personally, we find the sweetness optimum in all the baumkuchens and in general, the flavours used are relatively common and easily acceptable. Having tried a couple of baumkuchens with various toppings, we thought that a cake with body would be better eaten on its own or with light toppings such as tofu. In general, some may find the cake pricey but do keep in mind, the effort required to make this cake is pretty time-consuming.

As for those who are keen on the log cakes or other Christmas selections, do note that a 3 days advance booking is required. There will be a 15% discount if the order is placed before 15 December 2010.

Many thanks to Edwin for hosting us and sharing his vision and ideas with us.

Wheat Baumkuchen
Blk 190
Lorong 6 Toa Payoh
#01-530
Singapore 310190.

Operating hours:
10am - 9pm (Mon to Sun)
Closed on public holidays
Website
Facebook page

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