From Hong Kao Liao Li
蔓越莓蛋糕
They offered to slice it.
A handcrafted treat for $6.
Not bad.
This tart has a very fragrant and buttery cookie base! Was quite surprised cuz usually neighbourhood bakery cookie tarts aren't very fragrant, but this was really nice.
There were only about 5 candied walnuts on top tho, which you could easily just remove from the tart and eat separately so it doesn't feel much like an actual walnut tart. Nevertheless, the walnuts were really delicious.
While it definitely tastes good, for the size, I dont think it's really worth $1.60 but good to try.
⭐ Rating: 8/10 tiny sugared nuts
🤑 worth the price: could have more nuts
🦖 would I buy again: if there were more nuts
💍 would I marry: I would date
The bakkwa in this is just a single slice and it's those cheap kinds of bakkwa, which is expected. It's pretty sweet. There's not a lot of floss inside, sadly :( I could taste it but there was really a lot more pastry than filling, which was sad. Really wish there was more filling! I find it a bit pricey, with all these things considered, so while it was nice to try, I don't really find it worth a repurchase.
⭐ Rating: 7.8/10 skinny pigs
🤑 worth the price: no
🦖 would I buy again: no
💍 would I marry: I would date
Saw that the Yishun HKLL outlet was finally selling a mochi pastry and got it immediately! I was expecting there to be yam, black sesame and plain mochi inside, but it's actually yam-flavoured mochi and black sesame filling :O
Ok straight away. Maybe it's just my tastebuds, but THIS IS NOT REAL BLACK SESAME. At first, I couldn't taste that signature, gritty, bitter black sesame and thought that maybe it was because the mochi was overpowering it. But as I kept eating and scooped out a bit of the black sesame on its own to taste it, I honestly feel like that is DEFINITELY NOT BLACK SESAME. It tastes like AKK mung bean filling, right down to the soft and smooth texture 😡 I don't know if HKLL is trying to cut costs and just dyed some mung bean filling black, or if they blended it with a few black sesame seeds, but seriously, not black sesame.
The yam mochi was pretty generous at least, but quite bland and the yam taste is really slight. It's sticky and chewy. Wish the taste was more prominent.
Overall it's still a good pastry but I feel so cheated by the fake black sesame (ok there's a chance that it's not fake, just not good or proper bssm), if I wanted a mung bean pastry, I would have gotten one 🤦♀️ I wouldn't buy this again though, unless I get my proper black sesame.
⭐ Rating: 7.4/10 impostor sesame seeds
🤑 worth the price: sure?
🦖 would I buy again: no
💍 would I marry: I'd feel too catfished
Oooh this was great! Loved the texture esp the chewy mochi and the flavours went well with one another :-) both the black sesame and yam were super fragrant and didn’t overpower each other, and wasn’t too sweet either.
We wanted the sweet one but the cashier gave us the wrong one so oh wells. I personally prefer salty TSPs to sweet ones and this hit the right notes for me :-) the skin was buttery and flaky, and the filling was salty enough (yknw how some salty TSPs feel like it’s lowkey sweet?) and had the right amount of oil to balance with the grainy texture!
Not sure if I tagged the right location but we bought this from the Yishun branch :-)
This has overtaken proofer bakery’s banana cake as my fuss free banana cake.
Moist and soft and studded with lots of crunchy walnuts .
The best part is you don’t get that distasteful baking powder / soda taste ( like hiap Joo and proofery) or that fake banana Essence taste like most banana cakes outside have .
The best part is that it is only 2 dollars and such a huge portion .
A must - have !
Way to go ! Hdb type bakeries !
their banana cake is moist, soft and sweet and also really affordable!!! Their other cakes are also really good - tried the carrot one and loved it too
Expect to find pastries like 老婆饼, yam pastry etc. They have very interesting flavours too like lotus / pumpkin etc. There were also big chocolate chips cookie / almond biscuit at only $1.20!! But what struck me the most was the cakes they sell!!! To just name some of them: banana cake, banana walnut cake, lemon orange cake, brownies and even carrot cake- all at very affordable price!! This slice of carrot cake without cream cheese cost only $1.60!! Inside is filled with nuts, raisins and ofc carrots! It isn't too sweet which is rly good!! And cake is slightly on the moist side rather than being crumbly dry! Very worth my moolahhhh 🤪❤ not the best but srsly rly GOOD for $1.60! :-)
Another of their sweet tart flavour was pumpkin seed with assorted nuts. This is less sweeter than their walnut rendition that i have tried before. Love their hard tart crust, crumbly and nice buttery fragance!
Wasn’t moist and was a tad dry and other than the chocolate on top. However the chocolate was chocolatey enough for you to satisfy your craving.
Base of the tart is hard crust filled with sweetened walnuts. Very light on the palate, nice crunch from the walnut and the tart base. The white sesame seed enhance the fragance of the tart! Good snack to go with a cup of tea.
Topped with pumpkin seed, the yam filling is on the sweeter side. Love the flaky pastry skin. Yam is also not too thick and not too sweet.
Hong Kao Liao Li
Clementi Ave 3
01-241D
Nestled in the Hdb shophouses within the clementi central enclave is this relatively new bakery that has pretty nice bakes and tarts.
The banana cake was very moist , soft and flavourful and the best part is that it wasn’t too sweet and I didn’t get any accent of the overuse of baking powder / Soda flavour which I detected from the crazily hyped up hiap joo. A perfect banana cake in my opinion 😍.
I say , skip the queue and the hype and just come to this place for your banana 🍌 cake fix . At 2 dollars , the portions were generous but they were so good , I finished the entire loaf on my own even after dinner .
They also have interesting tartlets like their mixed nuts tart which are so packed with nuts at an unbelievable cheap price of 1.60.
I have set my eyes on their fluffy kaya cake next .. .....
