Croissand Cafe

Much like a wonderful cross between a classic Japanese-style soufflé pancake and Taiwanese castella cake, Croissand Cafe’s Fluffy Castella Pancake ($7) was perfectly sweetened. Super light and fluffy, the soft baked dessert had a very pleasant airy, pillowy, moist texture with a heady eggy aroma. Served with maple syrup, icing sugar, and a sizeable pat of butter, this was a dream to dig into (be sure to eat it quickly). The casserole dish can also easily feed two to three people and takes around 20 to 30 minutes to be served. A must-order if you are there but note that it is only available from 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm. Brewed from TWG Earl Grey tea and peach syrup, the Earl Grey Peach Foam Tea ($7) was a delicious thirst-quencher as well~

Went past the all new Croissand Cafe when the establishment has yet to open its doors and made a mental note to check them out once they had opened its doors — Croissand Cafe is located at City Gate Mall, which is a short walking distance away from Nicoll Highway MRT Station on the Circle Line. It takes over the premises that was one tenanted to a now-defunct Y-Tea near the taxi stand of the building along Jalan Sultan, though there were subsequent tenants that had moved into the space before it eventually became Croissand Cafe. It is a little easy to miss Croissand Cafe from the outside as one passes through the area; the glass facade facing the main road does seem a little reflective, and it is not immediately obvious despite a decal indicating the cafe’s name being stuck on the window to provide a certain degree of noticeability to passers-by in general. The interior space of Croissand Cafe can be said as simple and chic; it wouldn’t be quite right to say that they had went for a minimalistic look though there seems to be attempts made to align to that — what is more evident would be how it is made to look somewhat cosy, yet with the adoption of a largely monotonous colour scheme to keep things simple overall. The namesake of the cafe might sound cheesy without context, though it is likely referring to themselves and their focus on croissant sandwiches on the menu — a word play that fuses both the words “croissant” and “sandwich” into one. Apart from croissant sandwiches though, there are also section le in the menu at Croissand Cafe that are dedicated to Fusion Pasta (available only from 11am to 5pm), Overnight Oats, and Desserts. Beverages available at Croissand Cafe includes the usual range of espresso-based specialty coffee, a range of Iced Refreshers, and Hot Brewed Tea sourced from TWG Tea.

We have actually ordered one of the croissant sandwiches during our visit made to Croissand Cafe, but the item which ended up stealing the limelight of the show during the visit turns out to be the Fluffy Castella Pancake with Maple Syrup & Butter. This was an item which actually genuinely got us very curious on what exactly it was supposed to be, considering how it mentions “Castella” and “Pancake” in its name and was actually listed as an item on the Desserts section of the menu which mostly comprises of Buttermilk Waffles — the Fluffy Castella Pancake with Maple Syrup & Butter being quite the odd one out here. While we placed the order for the Fluffy Castella Pancake with Maple Syrup & Butter at the counter, we were told that the item would require a minimum waiting time of 25mins for it to be served. Patrons ordering the Fluffy Castella Pancake with Maple Syrup & Butter and the various Buttermilk Waffle items also do get a choice to add-on a single scoop of gelato or double scoop of gelato at an additional costs of $5 and $8 respectively. Turns out, this was a giant Castella Pancake that is only baked on the spot to ensure that the diners enjoy the item at its optimal quality. The Castella Pancake comes with a beautiful crack that is perpendicular to each other, forming a cracked centre that allows for a knob of butter to find home within; the maple syrup being drizzled all over the Castella Pancake, with the flow of it following the ridges formed by the cracks.

This was warm, jiggly, incredibly fluffy and soft; there is definitely quite a number of eggs that went into the preparation of the item for how it wafted of an eggy note throughout — does remind us of those wobbly Castella Cakes which was a trendy item a couple of years ago. The icing on the top of the cake here had to be the sweetness of the maple syrup and saltishness of the knob of butter here — a classic combination of flavours that no doubt is comforting; just the right elements to finish things everything off. To be really honest, Croissand Cafe is one of those spots where we did not really bear much of an expectation on their food and beverages before we had made our visit. That being said, their Smoky Masala Chicken with Emmental Cheese and Cherry Tomatoes Croissant was an item that actually impressed us a fair bit considering how we aren’t quite folks who like croissant sandwiches to begin with. Their croissant weeks to be light, flaky and buttery; roasted slightly for a bit of crispness as well — we particularly liked the Masala Chicken; some of the chicken chunks do come with a bit of light wok-hei somewhat, but it was the hint of spices for the masala that really worked for us here. The choice of Emmental cheese does seem to be a factor well considered as well; something that is more neutral tasting to bind all the elements together without adding an extra saltishness that would have made things taste too heavy. With prices ranging from $7 to $9 for its croissant sandwich offerings and all the way to $16 for their Fusion Pasta, patrons do seem to be able to have the ability to choose the items that best suits their budget at Croissand Cafe; an interesting spot in the area to check out.