I was seriously intrigued by the selection of desserts in their lunch menu. Although there were only four to choose from, each one of them seemed interesting on its own.
We all know that chilli and chocolate could create sparks if done well. And that was what this Chilli Crack Cake (S$16.00) was all about. Yes, for a dessert that came in this size it was not so pocket-friendly, but I was really nodding with approval when I tasted the chilli in the predominantly-chocolate dessert; there were spicy notes but no burn involved.
While the alcohol was hardly noticeable within the chocolate mousse by the side, this was a good dessert that rounded up my meal with a pleasant and positive touch.
I was seriously intrigued by the selection of desserts in their lunch menu. Although there were only four to choose from, each one of them seemed interesting on its own.
We all know that chilli and chocolate could create sparks if done well. And that was what this Chilli Crack Cake (S$16.00) was all about. Yes, for a dessert that came in this size it was not so pocket-friendly, but I was really nodding with approval when I tasted the chilli in the predominantly-chocolate dessert; there were spicy notes but no burn involved.
While the alcohol was hardly noticeable within the chocolate mousse by the side, this was a good dessert that rounded up my meal with a pleasant and positive touch.
While I wasn’t exactly sure if I would classify Meating Place as a café, they do serve some interesting protein-based mains and a relatively nicely-done coffee.
The Wagyu Tender (S$25.00) was a Japanese-inspired rice bowl that came with horseradish lemon cream, Onsen egg, shredded crispy potato and a generous portion of sliced beef. The best way to take this dish was perhaps to mix everything together to get a balance of flavours and textures.
I felt that it was quite a saucy dish with the short-grained rice well-covered with sauce and runny egg. Although all the ingredients could be savoured without being overpowered by one another, I did appreciate having that glass of water after this just to wash everything down and cleanse the palate a bit.
This combination was like a meat galore above a red sauce base, with the standard pineapple and ham on one side and the meatballs, pepperoni and bacon on the other.
It was one of those best comfort foods that I would order through Deliveroo, and while the pizzas here were at a premium price, I would really vouch that Peperoni Pizzeria served really scrumptious pizza with that crust that I absolutely would not say no to. So for those who do not like to eat the pizza crust when they go to a pizza restaurant, I would advise you not to waste the dough here and finish even the last crumb that you could find.
If I had said that this whole set here could be purchased at under S$20.00, I might not even believe it myself.
But the fact was that during the circuit breaker period, Collin’s did try to keep themselves competitive by offering bundle meals that could make your money work really hard. This was undoubtedly a very filling meal especially with all the meats and the pasta, but I was most pleased with the short ribs that was so well-seasoned and easy to eat.
Some of my colleagues who had visited Hong Kong often talked about the baked pastries from Hong Kong Flaky Lotus. During the circuit breaker period, we coordinated a group buy for delivery to our vicinity.
While they offered a range of breads that looked really attractive, I on the other hand had my eyes glued on their pastry menu.
The Egg Tart (front, S$1.30) had a very flaky tart shell, and as far as I would have loved it to have more egg custard that came with it, I had friends whom had no disagreement towards the ratio. On the other hand, the Red Bean Pastry (left, S$1.30) and Yam Pastry (right, S$1.30) had a more balanced pastry-filling ratio, with the filling being sweet enough to my liking.
As of all pastries, it was best to taste them fresh or within the day of purchase.
It was one of those days where I was looking for a cake to to perk me up, and by far the Rainbow Cake was one that could give a visual pleasure as I sought a dessert fix.
While the Rainbow Cake was not flavoured at each colour, the consistency of the cake layers was not bad. And I supposed the buttercream had this subtle salty touch to balance the sweetness of the cake. On the whole, the Rainbow Cake might not be the best in terms of taste, but could surely lift moods as it had somewhat crossed the passing mark.
A very localised tart by Tarte, their Coconut Pandan (S$8.00) exuded this mild fragrance from the roasted desiccated coconut, but packed intense flavours from the pandan custard from beneath. As much as everything appeared plain and simple, what made this tart noteworthy was that it would make a perfect pairing with white tea!
They also have a larger version of about 12cm diameter that would go at S$18.00, and I would think I might want to try ordering that next time. That was somewhat the immediate thought after I had my first taste of this, and perhaps that spoke volumes of how I favoured this.
Honestly, I would not go for angel hair as my top choice of pasta because I always thought that it lacked the volume for the “al dente” finish that I would expect from pasta dishes. However, the Cold Angel Hair Pasta with Yuzu, Salted Seaweed & Ikura (S$18.00) was an item in their takeaway menu that sort of changed my opinion.
The choice of ingredients gave the pasta a savoury, umami finish that very much resembled an oriental dry noodle dish, less the Kecap and chilli. Although served cold, the pasta did not turn clumpy after packed, and it was easily mixed and tossed upon serving.
Duke Bakery had been in the market for a number of years now, and they had their fair share of ups and downs in their innovation and sales. No doubt that they still had some of their all-time favourites, but unfortunately a few of my top picks were phased out over time.
Phased in last year, the Tiramisu bread (S$6.00) was more of a cake-in-a-bread creation that had chocolate cake inside the chocolate chip bread that sandwiched a generous amount of cream cheese. A pretty straightforward approach to incorporate cheese, cake and bread into one piece, but it was also sufficient to make this one here likable.
I would have loved to redeem the Burpple Beyond deals here, but since I am just buying this for myself, it was a better idea to order a Medium size healthy food for me.
Of course, the advantage of getting customised açaà bowls was that I got to choose my own combination of fruits and supplements. I would, however, recommend getting the açaà and chia pudding as the base, simply because it adds a lot more texture to the bowl on top of all the benefits that these superfoods would provide.
I strongly believed that I am very late to talk about Basque cheesecakes, likely because I wanted to make sure that the first try of this trending cake to be a good one.
When I opened up the takeaway box to reveal this slice of Kaya Burnt Cheesecake, I was really surprised to see that there was still a portion of molten cheesecake in the middle (not exactly lava, just not fully solidified). What was most beautiful about this dessert was that the flavours were not overpowering, in the sense that there was still a good balance of the cheesecake and kaya flavours, without either side being too dominant.
However, I must say that the cake could be on the richer (read: heavier) side overall, so I would think that it would be best enjoyed with some tea and definitely not after a heavy main course.
