Simply Sweet

Celebrating Chinese New Year with a festive sweet treat. The Nian Gao Waffles ($6.80) is a waffle-y twist to the traditional rice cake (年糕) where a similar version has the rice cake layered and fried with yam and sweet potato.

This was definitely one of the best waffles I've ever had - crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside with a layer of sticky sweet middle layer. The soft chewiness of the rice cake added a distinct textural constrast with slight sweetness to it. Atop the waffles is a double scoop ($8) of ice cream comprising of Coffee Cold Brew with Cacao Bits and Earl Grey Lavender. The Coffee Cold Brew ice cream was absolutely delish like having an affogato. It was smooth, rich, creamy with a pronounced bitterness and slight sweetness to it, which paired incredibly well with waffle.

Located within the same place, Cafe Hachi is a Japanese speciality cafe renowned for their matcha desserts and drinks. The Matcha Basque Cheesecake with Matcha Ice ($16.80) was a nice sweet and cold treat to end a day. The matcha basque cheesecake was thick, creamy and rich that was best shared. It had a delightful balance of the cheesecake flavour, sweetness from the caramel and earthy bitterness from the matcha. The accompanying matcha ice cream was light, creamy and bittersweet with an authentic taste of green tea.

Made with Valrhona 66% Ariaga dark chocolate, the tart itself was rich, luscious and decadent. The accompanying scoop of lychee rose sorbet was light and served as a palate cleanser though perhaps something more tangy would be even better.

Yes to the pairing of exquisite desserts and bespoke cocktails for someone with a sweet tooth. The Strawberry & Cream Mille-Feuille ($18) was put together in a dainty and vibrant presentation. With a cloud of pistachio cream sat in between two crispy, buttery puff pastry sheets and topped with mango bits and strawberries, it was salty, nutty, and tarty. The berries sorbet and fresh fruit added an element of freshness that balanced the tartness and nuttiness.

Paired with Floral Fantasy ($24), the cocktail was light, zesty with hints of flora fragrance. I could taste hints of chamomile-osmanthus from the rum which was an absolute delight.

The Hojicha latte was as good as expected but what literally took the spotlight was the Matchaya Yuzu Cake ($10). The cake absolutely tingled my taste buds as it was earthy, bitter, sweet and sour all in one. The cake had a earthy bitter matcha chantilly with a nutty hazelnut base and covered with a layer of refreshing tangy yuzu honey jelly. It was so matcha-licous as all the components came complemented each other so well. 👍😋

A signature on the menu, the Crack of Dawn ($7.50), depicts a pretty sunset with its layers of strawberry coulis, orange juice, and butterfly pea tea. The refreshing, fizzy and citrusy soda was just what we needed on a hot afternoon. Not to mention it's one for one with Burpple Beyond.

And with a craving for chocolate, the Valrhona Chocolate ($8) tart just hit all the right notes. RIch and decadent, the tart was filled with smooth bittersweet chocolate ganache and topped with a layer of mixed chocolate and caramel crumble. The tart crust was crisp and buttery, and the crumble added complexity and texture to what would have been a good but normal chocolate tart. 😋❤

Back here again...and this time I had the desserts in a jar - namely Lemon Cloud and Midnight Chocolate. Both contained airy mousse with soft meringue, passion fruit curd and hazelnut cake pieces. They came with separate toppings of crisp hazelnut tuiles, dulcey pearls and chocolate pieces. My favourite was the Lemon Cloud as it accentuated the sour-sweet profile of the dessert, which was an absolutely love and instinctively triggering happy tingles from the tangy-ness. 😋

Re-inventing Danish butter cookies, the smakager are pretty and dainty with delicate toppings/fillings. These macaron-sized creations are considerably pricey at $2.80 a piece. Available in varied flavours, we had the Tasting Set 1 ($34) which comprised of a choice of 1 small bake, 1 tart, 4 smakager and 2 drinks. I liked it that the cookies had different texture with its own distinct flavour from chocolate-y to sour-sweet to tarty. I would recommend the tasting set if you like a variety of small sweet treats and is a good choice for sharing with friends over coffee/tea and conversations in a cozy setting.

Best of both worlds, these fried mini doughnut balls are filled with mochi and tossed in brown sugar; and served with a scoop of salted Hokkaido milk ice cream. Each small dough ball had a nice crisp on the outside while the inside was soft, airy and chewy. I would recommend having them on its own to enjoy the slight sweetness and texture from it.

Still one of the best places for creme brulee ($14). I could hear the crackle sound when my spoon tapped the crispy caramelised top. The custard had a medium firmness to it and not overtly sweet; and every scoop was creamy and filled with vanilla and caramel flavour. The Flan ($9.40) was surprisingly and unexpected good as it tasted like bread and butter pudding. The texture, the layers and the flavour just hit all the right notes of a bread and butter pudding. Hmmm yummzz!

Sadly the cup of classic hot chocolate ($9.70) did not live up to its standard and expectation, and I was left disappointed. It tasted different when I first had it as it was less rich, less creamy and less intense.

A pretty tea-based drink for non-coffee drinkers. Created with three layers of strawberry puree, black tea and house-made whipped cream.

A Korean lifestyle cafe with an extensive menu offering of bingsu flavours. Can't decide? Try a variety by having the Traffic Light Set that gives you the option to choose three different flavours served in small bowls (size of rice bowls). We had the watermelon, mango and cheese bingsu. The mango was the sweetest of the trio while the cheese version was slightly savoury as there was cheese on the ice. Other than I was amazed at seeing a cheesecake being shoved in shaved ice, my taste buds did not like this version of the icy treat. Bingsu is definitely a refreshing treat in hot humid SG. Highly recommend to share as the bingsu were really sweet.