Bonheur Patisserie

This place has been opened for a while but I have only been there 3 times.

Cakes aren't bad but the reason for my infrequent visits is really because there are so many good choices for dessert in the TP area. Also I find the cakes quite expensive.

Opera cake

I went for a opera cake this time. It is layers of almond sponge soaked in coffee syrup layered with cream and chocolate ganache. It wasn't bad but wasn't spectacular which is pretty sad as the small slice was $7.50. I found the coffee cream too buttery and it didn't meld well with the other layers.

What I like there are actually the hot drinks- yuzu tea and hot chocolate. The hot chocolate was thicker than I would have liked it but at least it was rich and luscious.

Location: 70 Duxton Hill
Website: http://www.bonheurpatisserie.com.sg/
Opening Hours: Mon- Thu: 10am- 8pm; Fri- Sat: 10am- 10pm
Contact number: 62211148

Antoinette (Scarlet Hotel)

A friend of mine passed by this place and suggested that we try this new spot for lunch.

This little cafe sits about 15-20 people at the most. The kitchen is small and can be seen through a small window from the cafe. I could smell oil in the air from the kitchen.

The cafe has a nice French style feel to it with beautiful wall paper.

Club Antoinette sandwich

I ordered a club antoinette sandwich which is a sandwich with crab meat and egg omelette.
This was really plain and unimpressive for $18. I felt quite cheated. The bread was plain white bread and the crab meat had dressing that tasted similar to the Delifrance tuna sandwich except that the crab meat is better. The crab meat would have shone better with a simpler dressing. I think what they were trying to achieve here was a high tea style hence the white bread. However, I always think that good bread is the base of a good sandwich. Other elements of a good sandwich are good fresh ingredients that classically go well together. Egg and crab is like a Chinese meal but I won't have considered it a classical combination.

My friend had the blinis with mushroom sauce and a sausage. Hers was about $16.50. I forgot to take a picture of the meal. The menu had a couple of blini dishes which is a good idea as it means that you can cut down on ingredients and do variations of the same dish. The problem with the dish was execution. The blini wasn't too badly done. But the sausage was ordinary (better than the normal Ntuc sort though) and the mushroom sauce was too watery and too milky. The mushroom flavor was not the dominant rich flavour of the sauce and did not meld together with the blini. I think something like a duck sausage would have gone better with mushroom sauce.

I think instead of a sauce, they should have done the mushrooms more like a topping like in this website.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/22/health/nutrition/22recipehealth.html. I haven't tried the recipe in the website before but it was what i imagined a mushroom blini should be. I think blinis are best used as a base to make it work like a bruschetta.

Nougatine Ice Cream

I had a nougatine for my ice cream. It looked impressive. This was praline ice cream with hazelnut nougatine, salty caramel and caramelized filo pastry. However, it was too sweet for me and also the ice cream was a bit grainy.

Other Cakes

My friend had a mont blanc which she mentioned as well was too sweet and did not have the predominant chestnut flavor. Fortunately we had ordered tea that could wash the sweetness down.

We spent about $40 per pax for lunch, dessert and tea. The setting of the place is quite pretty but for that sort of price, we could have had a weekday set menu at a nice restaurant somewhere in the area.

I was quite surprised to find out behind the menu that this was part of a chain which had 4 outlets in all. I'm not sure why it is so popular.

Website: http://www.antoinette.com.sg/
Location: 33 Erskine Road #01-02/03 The Scarlet Hotel, Tanjong Pagar
Opening Hours: 11am- 9pm
Contact Number: 64386455
Prices: We spent about $40 per pax.

Selfish Gene

This opened sometime last week. I was quite bewildered by the name. Why would anyone call their cafe Selfish Gene?

A couple of black boards in the cafe gave the hint. Gene is the owner of which he is selfish because… I will let you go there and find out for yourself.

Unimportant details aside, I was pleasantly surprised by this new find.

 Cappuccino

The coffee was really quite good. It was light and smooth. My only slight complaint was the froth. Upon speaking to the owner and barista, I was told they used Green Fields milk. This is the same problem with many other cafes that use Green Fields milk (look at Oriole) The barista said they also use Highlander Coffee Beans of which Green Fields milk work best with. Maybe this is so because the beans don't seem to be that strong and using a lighter milk will be better with such beans. I'm not completely convinced though. I like my froth with more robust texture.

Pesto with poached egg and toast ~ $10

This was pretty good as well. The poached egg gave the dish texture. Pesto came on a crunchy piece of toast. I'm not sure what the red stuff is and if it is necessary….

Banana cake with peanut butter sauce and crumble ~ $7

This was pretty yummy. The sweet cake with the salty peanut butter sauce. Again, there is a play with textures with the crumble. The owners here just understand textures which is something most places lack in cooking. My only suggestion to the owner was if the banana bread could be warm or toasted. I'm used to eating my banana bread warm. 

I spoke to the owner and found out that he and another staff used to work in the St Pierre's Kitchen. This is the fine dining restaurant by chef Emmanuel Stroobant. Its quite a good restaurant (although I would say too over hyped). So its no surprise then that the food in this place is quite good and the use of textures in food is understood here.

Subsequent visits

The barista did 2 lattes for me to compare. One latte used Green fields milk and the other Pura milk. Green fields milk is used generally as the barista feels that it suits the highlander beans better in terms of taste. After tasting the 2 lattes using different milk, I still like Pura milk better. Pura milk is from Australia and provides a richer foam and a creamer latte. Highlander beans produce quite a mild coffee and perhaps from that angle Greenfield does blend well with the coffee made from those beans.

I was quite touched that the barista made me 2 coffees to try and made an effort to see what I preferred as a customer.

Other dishes I have had there:

Lemon Meringue Pie

The crust of this was good although I would have liked it more crumbly. Lemon curd was nice and tart. The pie had a nice meringue burnt top. Most places only make lemon tart and not the Meringue Pie so this was quite nice. 

The desserts in this place are a good size.

Bread and Butter Pudding

I don't like bread and butter pudding unless it is a good one. This is good. Creme anglaise makes the pudding richer and cuts through the sour berries. Good combination of flavors and well thought through.

Website: http://selfishgenecafe.com/

Location: 40 Craig Road

Opening hours: 10am- 6pm except tuesdays

Contact Number: 64231324

Chef Icon

Chef Icon is another gem in Kampong Bahru.
I only discovered it through a friend who bought me the cheesecake for my baby shower. We all raved about the cheesecake and I decided that I had to check it out. Especially since it is still considered to be in the vicinity of Tanjong Pagar.

I had a chance to speak to the owner of the bakery who has worked in the industry for 20 over years. He is passionate about his craft and natural baking techniques. Hence, his products do not have chemicals or preservatives unlike most bakeries.
This isn't necessarily commercially productive but having tasted his products I can say that it creates premium products.
Being an artisan bakery, they only do a certain amount a day so I suggest that if you want to try these cakes and breads, go in earlier in the day.

Baskets of bread

This place only has a few dozen bread rolls in a day. This is a pity as they really do make good bread rolls that are crusty on the outside and soft within. There is texture to this bread and none of the terrible oily flavor that cheap bread shops use. I would love to be able to order this for a party but they simply don't do this to maintain the quality. The only thing I would like in this bread is a bit more sweetness to it but perhaps this is hard to achieve through natural baking techniques.

Hokkaido cake with Mocha centre

This is a wonderfully simple and delicious cake. The owner said that the difficulty of baking a good cake is to make a cake moist and yet firm enough to have texture and bite. A lot of cakes I have eaten have problems in balancing the two. This one is very good. The flavor is also not too sweet. A lot of sweetness comes from the cream in the centre that is eaten with the cake.

Iced Tea

There are iced teas, coffees and sandwiches in the shop that one can have. The sandwiches are really good as they use the bread baked in house- clubman bread.

I love this shop and wish that it was even closer to my house so I could frequent it more often.

Website: http://www.cheficon.com/cakes.html
Location: 5 Kampung Bahru Road
Opening Hours: Mon - Sat 8am- 8pm, closed on Sun and PH
Contact Number: 9337 3900
Prices: About $6.5 per slice of cake

L'entrecote

One of my favourite things to do in the evening after dinner on some occasions is having a sinful after dinner dessert at L'Entrecote.

L' Entrecote is at Duxton Hill which is a lovely little cobbled lane lined by trees and shophouses.

Salad with walnuts and light vinaigrette dressing

Medium rare steak and fries

The restaurant only serves one main. So if you are not a steak lover, this isn't the restaurant for you.

If you are a steak lover, the meat is well cooked and goes well with a lovely acidic sauce and crispy fries. There is even a healthy salad on the side to complete the nutrition of the meal.

Profiteroles with chocolate sauce

Waffles with Caramel and Vanilla Ice Cream

The waffles are crunchy to bite and moist. Caramel is not overpoweringly sweet but with a hint of bitterness that adds depth to the sauce. Store bought caramel does not have this.

Crepes Suzette with Vanilla Ice Cream

 Seats outside L'Entrecote

Dessert can be served at one of the outdoor tables. When its a nice cool night, this is a pleasant place to enjoy conversation with good company. 

Website: http://lentrecote.sg/

Location: 36 Duxton Hill

Opening Hours: Mon- Fri noon to 1030pm, Sat & PH 6pm to 10:30pm

Price: $30 for steak and frites. Desserts about $15. 

Flor Patisserie

Flor is a fantastic little shop based on Duxton Hill.

The Cakes. Don't you feel hungry already??

Most people think that Sponge cakes are just Sponge cakes. Flor makes the ordinary sponge extraordinary.
The sponge is light and moist, eating it is a bit like floating on air. The cream also has the same lightness that accompanies it. 


Some Picks:

Waguri Millefeuille

French chestnut cream with layers of  crisp, flaky puff pastry and topped with  Japanese chestnuts. I love the taste of chestnuts in this one and the texture is excellent. Chestnut cream then crispy millefeuille layer, soft cream and then light sponge. Yum Yum.  Its a bit unusual given there aren't many chestnut cakes around. 

Earl Grey Chocolat

Earl Grey infusion is subtle. Bananas and cream are at the centre of the surrounding sponge that make up the base of the cake. Very yum. Texturally, the Waguri Millefeuille is better. 

Wakakasuyama is a very delicious green tea sponge cake with cream. Green tea was not overwhelming or powdery but melded well with the cake.

Flor has a couple of seats in the bakery to have afternoon tea

Website: http://www.cakeflor.com.sg/
Address: 01-01, 2 Duxton Hill
Specialities: Waguri Millefeuille, Wakakusayama
Business Hours: Mon- Sat 11am-7pm, Sun & Pub Hols 11am-6pm
Prices: About $6-$7 per slice. Tea/ coffee & cake set $9.

Restore

Restored Furniture Store and Cafe.
Nice spot for a chat and some tea.

Restored Chairs reupholstered with brightly covered fabric

Waffles with ice cream.

Cafe has excellent waffles and ice cream. I do strongly recommend the waffles with vanilla ice cream and homemade caramel. You can see the hints of black from the vanilla pod in the ice cream indicating the use of fresh vanilla pods.

Hot chocolate and Chai Latte with complimentary biscuits

I love the biscuits. Don't really recommend the chai latte though. I prefer the original indian chai latte made straight from boiling the spices.

Subsequent visit

Raisin Bagel with caramel cream cheese

This was a good sized bagel which was toasted nicely and came with a lovely caramel cream cheese. The salty sweet caramel cream cheese set this bagel apart. I wish this place opened earlier and did breakfast.

Website: http://restoreliving.blogspot.com/

Location: 124 Tanjong Pagar Road
Opening Hours: Tues- Sat 11am - 7pm. Sun 12pm- 5pm

Price: $12-$17 for tea and dessert

Sweety Moments

The shop just opened about a week ago. It replaced Pink which was a health conscious cafe.

In Tanjong Pagar, rental is high and so is the turnover. You constantly get new shops in the area that replace old ones.

My husband and I decided to try it on the first day.

Deco of the shop is plain compared to most places in the area. In fact, now I think it is quite strange given the fact that it is still hidden by the old Pink sign. It almost doesn't want customers to find the place.

We ordered a black glutinous rice with ice cream (about $5) and a fried mango ice cream (about $3.50).

Glutinous rice was tasteless and ice cream was melting when brought out

Fried mango ice cream was a sad looking puff with sour mango ice cream.

This is possibly the worst dessert shop I have been to in a while. I cannot take it seriously.

I have no pictures to prove it. But I'm NOT intending to go back as far as I'm concerned.

If you feel curious enough, you can find out for yourself.


Location: Ground Floor 4 Craig Road (this is so that you will not step into the place to try!!)
Prices: $3-$5 for dessert