Canele Patisserie Chocolaterie: My No. 1 favorite patisserie

Mention Canele and I can spend conversations after conversations relieving all those bitter happysweet memories I had licking chantilly cream off my fork, nipping colourful meringues and munching macarons the Parisian way! I wouldn't mind declaring Canele as my No. 1 favorite patisserie after all those wonderful dessert experiences! 

It's as though you can't call yourself a dessert fanatic without ever paying them a visit, grabbing something sweet off the glass panels or something better, if you know what I mean...

I just love to sneak a glance every time I walked pass the elongated glass shelf housing a series of wonderful if not splendid and sweet things in life. That was until my sweet tooth got the upper hand and before I could even contemplate reality, I grabbed my cousin quite literally, one of those high tea converts ever since she got to have tea with me to accompany me for tea.

So when I got to know she missed lunch just to come out with me, I felt kinda bad and told her to get a main course courtesy of my wallet. She skimmed through the menu and decided on a nicely bowled Carbonara ($16.00) which came with strips of bacons, parmesan cheese and a huge poached egg sitting above. It was nice twirling strands of pastas but we thought it could have been worth the money if it was creamier.

There's a reason why Canele is called a patisserie and a chocolaterie. Although I can't remember the name of this dome shaped dessert, I sure remembered working my way through all those bittersweet dark chocolate casing only to be greeted by fruity, sort of like cherries hidden within. It was like eating a blackforest cake that's frozen. Pretty interesting that is only if I would remember it's name...

Cheese and Bacon Sandwich was a no-brainer. Just your ordinary finger food you find during tea session.

Parisians love their macarons and especially those of Ladurée and Pierre Hermé which is said to churn the finest macarons in Paris if not the best in the world. I didn't quite believe in the best until a friend of mine bought a tub from Pierre Hermé for me. Nothing needs to be said about Parisian macarons. They are just freaking darn good!

Sadly, I don't live in Paris so I just have to make do with somewhere renowned for their top notch quality macarons in Singapore. Rose and salted caramel are my all time favorites so what's yours?

I wonder if there's salted egg flavor, you know Singaporean style? Wonder how would it taste like...

One can never have enough for desserts. I gestured the cousin to grabbed another cake of her choice. She went out to the counter and make some tough decisions and before I could even hassle a guess what she got, a Strawberry Shortcake ($6.50) was served. "A block of strawberry delight!" I hummed at the back of my mind. Light and delightful was the whole experience, make sweeten with sugar crystals hidden at the foundation of the cake. That's one strawberry shortcake for you to know and for me to know it's the best!

Since it's a delight for two and we have no mood for coffee, she opted for Velvet Earl Grey while I regretted picking Chamomile Flowers as it created a whole lot of mess despite sifting the liquid. Tea is refillable over at Canele and so we end up sharing one pot of Earl Grey with two. Joy of sharing. Priceless.

If good things come to those who waits then surely, good things often comes at a price. Canele isn't your typical no-frill, no GST/Service charge, simple dessert patisseries like you find along Duxton. The desserts at Canele always come with class, with a certain elegant aura enjoying them and it's clear cut to robbed your money kind of patisserie but for the best strawberry shortcake in town and the even more perfect macarons (after Ladurée and Pierre Hermé), it's definitely worth swiping the card for that wonderful if not seemlessly flawless afternoon tea session...

Canele, I will be back.

Raffles City Shopping Mall #B1-46/47
252 North Bridge Road, Singapore 179103
Tel: +65 6334 7377
Website: http://www.canele.com.sg

Raindrop Cafe II: Our first gathering

Photos taken co-jointly with EY, ZX  & thedessertprince.

It's a you, you and me relationship. It's hilarious how three different individuals decided to come together and acknowledged one another as friends...

I guess affinity brought us together and voila! We decided to have our first official gathering at Raindrop Cafe. Official because ZX has countless meeting with her older sibling, EY before but it doesn't matter how many times we meet because we never grew tired of each other silliness. 

ZX (left) & EY (right).

When Lumix 5 meets ZX. Trust me, she can be extremely silly if she wants to. If I could show you the number of photos she took of me with Lumix 5. Nope! I'm not gonna show all of them here but just a few maybe?

See what I mean!? She always has Lumix 5 on her hand, fingers ready to spam those snapshots of unglamness! As much as I hate you (ZX), I forgive you okay!?

EY on the other hand takes better shots. Here's Yours Truly in a more refined manner. I thought it was a nice portray of me though my hair was rather messy...

Smoked Salmon Pizza ($20.00) was more than enough for three like-minded individuals to share with. A little crushed black pepper and a little tabasco sauce goes a long way to spice thing up a little. See those greens strips of leaves? I didn't know what they were called until EY told us they are called wild rockets. Being a foodie is a constant learning process. A valuable learning point taken!

The classic Fish N Chips ($15.00). To be honest, I've tried better ones but I find Raindrop rendition, less oily and therefore healthier. Nothing worth talking about if the batter and the fish was fried to such perfection.

It was a table full of food and let's not even talk about the heap of Truffles Fries ($10.00) sitting right smack in the middle but nothing could be quite satisfying as compared to Light Brown Beef Pasta ($18.00); essentially fettuccine doused in brown sauce hidden with thick strips of beef cuts. I think pastas are one thing apart from pizzas Raindrop does it wonderfully.

Peach Martini ($10.00) & Cosmopolitan ($10.00).

Cocktails are great over conversation. A pity EY couldn't drink alcoholic beverages. Best stick with strawberry scented water I guess? Yup, you didn't read wrong, water served at the cafe is lace with the sweet taste of the red petite fruit.

Personally, I prefer the Cosmopolitan to the crisp peach martini. It was more refreshing but I have better impression with Strawberry Margarita ($10.00) which was sweetest of all, just like my two lovely friends...

It was a great night having nice food/drinks/company. I just wished time could stop just for the three of us, all in the name of fun, joy and laughter. Somehow, I also remembered spending a wonderful time with a bunch of friends almost sometime ago. Another great memory forged and cast in history for reference sake...

We are each other's friends. We are each other's confidante/confidant and I foresee many happy days to come in the following years to come.  

Scape Shopping Mall #02-38

2 Orchard Link, Singapore 237978

Tel: +65 6834 4951

Chums Steakhouse: Steaks in Toa Payoh

Toa Payoh has become one of those favorite place that I enjoy hanging out. The estate is literally sprawling with hawker food/cafes/restaurants only if you know where to find them since most of them are quite hidden especially if you're the type that don't travel and explore places like I do.

Who says being a food blogger means I have to lead a bunch of foodie(s) out? I could always appreciate fellow foodie sharing their experience with me and on one such expeditions, Mr Q & Miss L lead a group of us to Chums for dinner, citing their lip-smacking, irresistible and let's not to mention mouth salivating steaks that comes with free flow salad that comes with no additional cost as the main focal point. 

Of course, if bloody beef steaks doesn't sound appealing to you, there's always the poultry and seafood section to look for out for but personally, when I'm at a steak house, I just prefer having steaks than other meat but that's me...

Basically it's an eat all you can array of veggies/pasta/meat cuts/fruits to pick from. Even the dressing to go with is pretty extensive, with six to douse your greens in. I personally love the tangy taste of the French dressing. Not sure why though, maybe I just have a love for all things French. 

I love my greens, purples and reds...

Mushroom or Pumpkin? For those who can't endure spicy broth, just stay clear from Tom Yum. It's seriously spicy!

I'm a steak lover and so when I ordered my Black Augus Steak ($30.60), instinctively I would opt to have my steaks medium rare where the slab of beef is just seared on the outside but tender and succulent inside if not bloody red as well. If you're daring, opt rare for your steaks like the carnivorous Miss L but I just like mine, medium rare. 

If not, how about Black Pepper Steak ($25.90)? I presume my friends ordered medium rare as well? 

Lamb Racks ($29.90) was nicely plated, siting in a pool of brown sauce. I can't comment on it since I didn't try it personally but it sure got me salivating while blogging about it!

Teriyaki Chicken ($21.50) was kinda pricely considering that it was just a slab of marinated poultry with a pineapple ring sitting on it. I might order pastas if it's really good but a slab of chicken? Maybe if it's recommended by the chef then perhaps?

I love sweet and fruity cocktails just like I love sweet and fruity desserts and popping those lychee just reassured me that Lychee Martini ($10.00) will always remain my second most favourite alcholic drink with first being the tropical Singapore Sling.

Desserts came in the form of soft ice cream. They were pretty tasteless to be honest but I can't find any fault if you have toppings to play with!

All in all, I thought the beef steaks were great although they seemed rather petite when it was plated on a huge plate but was still reasonably priced especially with the salad bar. Just two of three maybe four is enough to keep your tummy filled to the brim! 

Toa Payoh Lorong 6 

Block 190 #02-516, Singapore 310190

Tel: +65 6358 2998

Website: http://chums.sg/toa-payoh/

PS: Thanks to Mr Q & Miss L for the recommendation.

Smoulder: Not just your mainstream Lava Cakes

Photo by ZX. Words by thedessertprince.

Flowing Molten Dark Chocolate. That's what I would usually think whenever I yearn for lava cakes. My impression of lava cakes was all about to change when I found a shop that specialize in nothing but lava cakes...

Drop by Smoulder and be surprised to see an array of nine different flavors along the shop's heat insulated counter. Signature Dark Chocolate, Intense Dark Chocolate, Dark Chocolate Black Forest, Milk Chocolate Mocha, Milk Chocolate Rum & Raisin, White Chocolate Matcha, White Chocolate Raspberry, White Chocolate Pistachio and White Chocolate Lemon.

Wait a minute. White Chocolate and what?! 

Yup. You didn't read wrongly. I got the same reaction when co-owner, Peida briefed me and my partner about their nine different flavored lava cakes. Initially, I was skeptical but once I tried them myself, I was amazed by the rich and unique experience Smoulder has to offer. 

On its own, white chocolate is creamy, milky if not overtly sweet even for a dessert fanatic like me but the unison with Pistachio brought the molten dessert to a whole new level. Basically you get the sweet consistency from the white chocolate and the subtle nuttiness of pistachio all in one. I don't know about you but personally, this was love at first sight taste. White Chocolate Pistachio is clearly my personal favorite!

Petite girly/office lady delight. That's how I like to think of White Chocolate Raspberry. Not being a sexist here since pink is my favorite color.

Looking for refreshments? How about giving White Chocolate Lemon a go? It's almost like having lemon curd in it's molten form! 

If you're daring, pick the subtle but rich flavors like Rum & Raisin or the equally rich but bittersweet Mocha. Trust me, you'll be surprised by the experience each flavors imparts. It's almost like eating a chocolate dessert that doesn't taste like anywhere near chocolate.

If you're haven't had any experience in lava cakes then my personal advice would be to try their Signature Dark Chocolate which is your mainstream lava cake first before venturing to the more exotic ones. As mainstream as it might be, Smoulder's Signature is an assurance of employing top notch Belgian Chocolate.

Oh if you're those kind of chocolate fan that loves bitter chocolate, then the Intense Dark Chocolate might be your preferred choice. I can't speak much of it yet since I didn't give it a try...

Hovering at $3.90 and situated just opposite China Square aka CBD, these bite-sized pleasures ain't your average student kind of dessert and more for the working adults looking for something sweet to pamper themselves after a simple budgeted lunch/rough day at work. But like MOST expensive desserts, it's an assurance of employing top quality ingredients in the making good quality lava cakes.

These softcore bakers might be new to the industry but they are definitely look into experimenting with new flavors, expansion and I'm looking forward to that day where I can have lava cakes for tea. I think I will drop-by soon and pick up the remaining flavors (Intense Dark Chocolate, Dark Chocolate Black Forest, White Chocolate Matcha) thereby completing my smoulder experience! 

China Square Food Centre #01-04

51 Telok Ayer Street, Singapore 048441

Tel: +65 6225 6422

Website: http://www.smoulder.it/

PS: This is an invited media testing and thank you Smoulder and co-owner Peida for the hosting!

#CookForFamily: The blogging community's initiative

Say one fine morning you take a sip of your favorite Earl Grey tea, checking your mail box like every other morning and among all those junk mails you received, you saw an email sent by a fellow blogger. Doesn't it excites you?! I was super duper excited and when I read the contents, even more so...

#CookForFamily. To cut a long story short, I'm letting the man behind blogger's initiative to do the "opening speech".

This is Daniel from Daniel's Food Diary. I am starting a little blogger's initiative and wondering if you want to be part of it. More details below:

Join in the #CookForFamily Initiative

Most would agree that eating together with the family brings indescribable joy, along with bonding, quality time together and better relationships. And as what most moms would say, "Home-cooked food is always healthier."

However, many have moved from cooking and eating together at home, to eating out because we are just too busy. (For me, It's plain laziness to do the dishes.)

The #CookForFamily is a bloggers-for-blogger initiative. No competition, sponsers, or hidden agenda involved. It was created with a simple objective of getting more bloggers, and hopefully their fans and followers, to start cooking and bonding with their families.

How #CookForFamily Works

Here are some simple steps:

- Pick any day in July to cook a meal for a single member of your family, entire family or loved ones.

- The meal does not have to be anything fanciful, as long as it is cooked from the heart.

- Remember to take photos of your cooking. (If possible, members of your family, but we perfectly understand if they are shy.)

- Blog about your cooking, the experience, your thoughts, what your family thinks of your cooking, and encourage others to #CookForFamily too.

- Publish the blog entry on the week of 6th – 10th August 2012. You are encouraged to post your entry on 6th August Monday itself to generate more online hype.

- Hash-tag the different social media channels (eg twitter, instagram) with #CookForFamily.

Be Part of #CookForFamily

When bloggers unite, We can make a difference. For the 1st round of this initiative, we are targeting at 100 bloggers to be part of it.

A few FAQS

What should I blog about?

Recipes, experiences, reflection, event – I would leave it up to you as all of you have your own style. Our main objective is to encourage readers to cook for their own families.

Why 6th August Mon?

It is a purely random date. No rocket science behind the logic. I was hoping if everybody posts, say between 10am-12pm on 6th Aug and RT everybody else, we may stand a good chance to be trending.

Why am I wasting time doing this?

There is a long story behind. Long story short – many of us bloggers (I am so guility) spend so much time outside attending events, eating all the good food, that sometimes we just forget about to share some time with people who care most about us.

Some bloggers have also suggested that we bloggers should come together to do something meaningful, rather than just rant and b**** about others. So this is it – hopefully this is a start to more initiatives in the future.

I can’t cook! How? 

I really don’t think it is about cooking something fantastic. Sometimes, I believe our loved ones would appreciate a simple toast & ham in the morning, a fruit juice we blended, anything. It’s always the thought that counts.

Who are involved in this initiative? 

There are 83 Bloggers in #CookForFamily! They are:

365days2play (Dawn Huang), A Juggling Mom (Susan), A Winsome Life (Melvin & Jacqueline), A&W Couple’s Blog (Abbey & Will), Acquisition of Taste (Andy and Ashley), AiMakan (Hazel Tay), Alvinology (Alvin Lim), An Escape To Food (HL Tay), AnythingAlsoEat (CY), AromaCookery (Julia Khoo), AspirantSG (Wee Heng), Calvin Timo, Celestial Delish (Celes Fernandez), Cheekiemonkie (Kelvin), Cheryl Wee Xin Hui, Chrispytine (Christine), Cookieologic (Huijin), Cooksnapeatlove (Jacob Leong), Cuisine Paradise (Ellena Guan), Danny Love To Eat (Danny Tan), Darren Bloggie, Delicious Soup Recipes (Dominique Goh), Dream2breakaway (Ying Zi), Fighting Fires & Baking Buns, Flora Yeo, Food Friend Or Foe (Brenda), Food.Recentrunes (Ivan Ng), Foodie Ah, Foodie’s Kitchen, Foodoshoot (Charlene Chew), G.Nome Chromosome, Gastronautdiary (David Yip), Gninethree (Charleen), HazelHearts (Hazel), HazelNutLife (Hazel Lam). HisFoodBlog (Rayner Ng), iisjong (Joey Ong), J Babies Dad (Isaiah), Jessie Food Trip (Ong Meng Ching), Justin Daniel Pereira (Gourmetestorie), Keropokman (Philip Lim), Lady J’s Musings (Joanne), Le Petit Connoisseur (Stargirl), Lobster Paints (Shi Ting), Lovin Greens (Huiyuan), Maameemoomoo (Sherie), Mamawearpapashirt (June), Melicacy (Melissa Koh), Memoirs Of Food (Daniel Hung), Mint Leong, Miss Tam Chiak (Maureen Ow), MissyGlutton , MoonBerry (Irene), Ms SkinnyFat (Cheryl Ng), Msfoodaholic (Karina Lee), Mummy Blogs (Sandra Tan), Perhaps Always (Samuel), Pling Thinks (Tracy Chua), Priscias (Priscilla), Raising Rock Star, RubbishEatRubbishGrow (Nathanael Ho), Rynaque, Sarahs Loft (Sarah Khaw), Seng Kang Babies (Andy), SgFoodonFoot (Derrick Tan), Slurp (Jason), Smithankyou (Smith Leong), Story of Bing, Superfinefeline (Karen), Teru2xBozu Goes Hungry, That Silver Girl (Silver Ang), The Dead Cockroach, The Dessert Prince (Edward), The Dining Table (Javan), The Dirty Stall, The Food Canon (Terry Wong), The Gingerbread Mum (Adora Tan), The Hungry Cow (LeRoy), The Love of my Life, Little DinoEgg (Jenn Lim), You Got Me Blogging (Razlan), Yumyumformytumtum (Peter Oh)

If you are interested in joining, leave me an email (DanielFoodDiary@gmail.com) with your email saying “Yes, I Want To Cook For My Family!”

***

Saw my blog and name in bold? I'm definitely participating in this meaningful blogger/social/online movement. I think it's totally awesome! Don't get the wrong idea thinking that this is only for bloggers only. I believe that the blogging community comprises of bloggers and readers alike! 

Now, If I didn't have an FYP to manage, I would be on my baking spree, churning cupcakes, muffins and whatelse already. Guess a simple meal would do but anyway just keep a lookout on this space and spread the news around! 

Once again, a huge thanks to Daniel for the invitation. Hope you wouldn't mind me lifting the whole chunk from your email/blog. 

PS: Junk mails does not including mails related to school work. I don't want my two beloved lecturers who frequent my blog, going away thinking I don't take my school work seriously and twist my head the next time they see me. Of course, they're very kind individuals!

Victor's Kitchen II: A case of wrong recommendation?

Siew Mai ($4.00).

I'm not sure about others but ever since I "market" myself as a food blogger/foodie, Yours Truly realised his fellow readers, mostly family and friends have been asking/texting/requesting him of a good/nice/splendid place to dine. Well, I don't know about you. Maybe you think it's tedious or dumb but I consider it as a great privilege to be able to make suggestions and recommend difference places according to my knowledge and personal experience.  

But just as the process is fun, it doesn't always end up well and one particular story goes like this...

Har Gau ($4.50).

Friend KW texted me on one of those Sunday morning, asking me if I know anywhere in central Singapore that has good if not affordable Dim Sum brunch. To be honest, I'm not really familiar with places in central, preferring to stay in my comfort zone in the east but that's a lousy excuse for a foodie like me right? So I searched online and I thought my first-time experience with Victor's Kitchen was a rather fair deal, meeting Friend KW's requirements.

Steam Spare Ribs with Black Bean Sauce ($3.00).

Somehow just somehow, Friend KW and her family didn't have the same enjoyable experience as I had previously. Citing no ventilation, long queue, crowded if not hectic and cramp the place was and a lack of service as the cause for the bad experience. The food if I could quote her would be "soso only".

Char Siew Pau ($3.50).

Since then, I've felt kinda bad for causing such a bad experience for Friend KW and her family. I said countless sorrys, promising a make-up meal for her but I just can't help but to wonder if I really had made a wrong recommendation to her?

Lau Sha Pau ($4.00).

I knew I just have to pay Victor another visit to justify my previous review. I managed to squeeze some time out of my busy weekday and volia! Found my way back for Dim Sum, this time for dinner! Before I even typed this post, I actually did a detailed read-up on other people's opinions of the Dim Sum.
Minced Pork with Dried Vegetable Porridge ($3.50).

I understand everyone has their own definition of good service. Although I can't give you an universal definition but the least I could share are my impression of Victor's Kitchen as well as my definition of good service. Fair enough right?

Har Gau, round 2.

First of all, my impression of Victor's Kitchen.

I think every individual that ever dined at Victor's Kitchen would know that it's not  your typical Xin Wang Hong Kong concept cafe or the high class Yan Ting @ St. Regis Hotel. One shouldn't even compare Victor's with fine-dining Royal China @ Raffles Hotel. Essentially, what we have is your typical authentic Hong Kong Cafe with a Chef from Hong Kong possibly making almost every Dim Sum himself or at least with a bunch of other chefs?

One could be assured of hand-made authentic Dim Sum instead of eating machine-made ones. Trust me, you can tell one that is hand-made from a machine-made. It just taste different and it looks different too. I mean comparing the difference between my first basket of Har Gau from the second basket. The second basket looked much bigger at least to the three of us who were dining at that point in time.

Yu Tiao Cheong Fun ($3.50).

Like I said earlier, there's no way one should compare Victor's Dim Sum from those served at Yan Ting or even Royal China (My #1 favourite place for Dim Sum!). What's there to compare? In terms of quality of ingredients or presentation of the dishes? Just having your Dim Sums at posh restaurant is gonna have an effect on your mood and taste palate right?

Personally, Victor's Dim Sums might not be the best I've tried but you can't deny it's decent to make a good meal and I could always appreciate hand-made Dim Sums to machine-churn ones. For the kind of price in central area, I think it's a challenge to even find another one. If you do, please share alright?

Jade Dumpling with Fresh Prawn and Spinach ($4.00).

There's always bound to be hits and misses. It's something that can't be help. Just like I mention in my Ethical Guidelines. Taste is a personal preference. What I like might not be what you enjoy and vise versa but hey! No one can fault you if you still didn't enjoy it after giving it a try. Just like how we didn't enjoy our gelatinous  Jade Dumplings as much as the translucent white Har Gaus.

Double-boiled Egg White with Fresh Milk and Almond Juice ($3.50) (20 minutes waiting time).

Lastly about their service. From my two visits, I have yet to seen any action or behavior that would constitute as a bad service. My food came promptly and my Double-Boiled Egg White came even before the 20th minute mark.

To be honest, I wouldn't mind being asked/requested to collect my own utensils if I'm told where to collect which I always found the elderly staffs doing so. Like hello? You aren't paying any service charge here?

I understand language is often another barrier to good service. The staffs they hired are mostly, aunties and uncles whom I suspect might have never spoken a single English (Maybe apart from please and thank you?) in their teens compared to youth these days? But if you're a Chinese, can't you apprehend your own mother tongue? If you can't then shame on you! It would be bonus if you can speak their dialect, Cantonese. You know? Converse with the staffs or the lady boss in their language and who knows? You might make a friend or two?

Last but not least, the timing often decides the experience. I realised if you dropped by on the weekends for brunch, there's bound to be a queue and same goes to the going after 6pm on weekdays. If you ever wanna enjoy your meal quietly, just try to go before the peak periods and you're safe.

Do note that peak periods = lesser attention from staffs.

I know I know no matter how much I say, it might not change your stance on revisiting Victor's Kitchen. I believe my role as a foodie/ food blogger would be to showcase you my personal experience and opinions so that you can make that informed decision yourself to go or not to go.

To Friend KW:
I'm so sorry for your bad experience, do allow me to make it up to you alright? Say a meal at Royal China @ Raffles Hotel ought to do the trick yah? How about Man Fu Yuan @ Intercontinental? It's your "favorite hotel" afterall!