Bakeries

A nice cafe specializing in croissants, plus the fact that these viennoiseries are made with French butter? Putting it in my wish list immediately!

And so I finally put a tick on my wish list when I have to take last minute leave for the morning. With some time to spare before going to office, I speed down to this cool cafe with a cute mascot; I really love the squirrel logo. It is pretty early in the morning, where majority of the shops in the vicinity are not opened yet, so the cakes are not out yet. It's okay, I still get to try out the croissants.

As much as I want to try the Lychee Raspberry Croissant, it is not available yet, so I opt for Chicken Mayonnaise Croissant instead. Tucking into this, in between sips of refreshing Au Naturale Orange Juice, is truly one of life's little enjoyments. The croissant is amazingly crispy and full of buttery goodness. So good that one can eat it on its own without even any butter. My loved ones are even finishing up the croissant crumbs when I got them the plain ones! Yes, it's that good. With a generous dollop of chicken mayonnaise stuffed in the croissant, it's even better. The chicken meat is thoroughly shredded to fine strands so that every part of it is thoroughly–yes, I use this adverb two times–coated with the rich, creamy mayonnaise. The texture of the chicken mayonnaise is in perfect harmony with the croissant. The sprinkle of paprika adds a hint of zest. I'm glad I ordered this, and to add it on, this is sold out by the time I leave the cafe, and the place is not even crowded yet at this time of the day, imagine that.

I'm no big fan of chocolate, so I usually avoid ordering anything chocolate. But I like to try out the sweet option of croissant here, so I got Pain Au Chocolate, the only sweet option available at the moment. This croissant took me by surprise by how good it is. I can easily finish it in an instant. The molten chocolate adds that decadent cocoa butter intensity to the croissant without overwhelming the delicate taste of croissant. The ratio of chocolate to dough is done just right. I will definitely order this again.

The place is of minimalist, soothing theme, making it perfect for relaxing while enjoying good food. I like the little touches made around the place, like sights of the cute squirrel motif here and there, plus the cute acorn stickers on the table. The service of this tall young guy with short curly hair is excellent and thoughtful, to the point that I'm a bit surprised since it is above the standard of what I usually expects from cafes (I had been to many cafes, so I know. Lots of them are in the range of pretty efficient but super casual). From pulling out the chair for me, giving me complimentary glass of water without me asking for it, immediately stepping in to attend to me when his colleague at the counter is busy with other customers, I'm absolutely impressed.

By the way, the bag for Takeaway is so cute!
With excellent food, service and great ambience here, I'm all ready to go back again to try other items in the menu, like the Tiger Prawn Capellini, which looks promising, and the elusive Lychee Raspberry Croissant. Even if it is not available, I can always get Pain Au Chocolate instead lol

Thoughts: For that Tai Tai experience, or just enjoying the good things in life.

Update: Since the offerings here are too good, I immediately ordered takeaway from their online store. And the cakes arrive in perfectly pristine condition as if they are served straight from the cake counter. I'm really impressed. Highly recommended.

I love the beautiful florid design on this box. Ready to reveal the treasures inside ...

Lychee Raspberry Croissant (top right) really meets my expectations. The moment I pick it up, I catch whiffs of floral aroma of lychee. And the raspberry adds bits of tangy taste in the floral creamy goodness to spice things up.

Strawberry Cheese Croissant is definitely another favourite of mine. I love the creaminess of the cheese cream with that hint of saltiness and nutty flavour of cheese plus the strawberry jam.

Pistachio cream is pretty refreshing in taste that actually able to stand out amid the strong taste of chocolate in Pistachio Chocolate Croissant. A pretty interesting creation that works.

Peanut Butter Jelly Croissant is nice, but is not particularly memorable as compared to the other viennoiseries.

Ispahan is an absolutely beautiful creation. And the taste matches it. Rose and Lychee are match made in heaven due to their intense floral fragrances. I'm submerging in floral bliss when savouring this.

Mushroom is very interesting in taste due to Gula Melaka and pure coconut cream. The choux pastry adds a nice texture to this creation.

Truffle Mushroom Sausage is the one that took me by surprise on how good it is. I admit, my focus was on Lychee Raspberry Croissant, Strawberry Cheese Croissant and Isaphan. I ordered this for curiosity's sake. Thin laminated stretches of dough puffed up to hold the cheese peppered with the woody aroma of truffle, wholesome mushrooms and gratifying sausage pieces, I sure can eat more than one of this!