Chef Yamashita : my birthday cake

I ordered a Mont Blanc from Chef Yamashita, again. The shop is nestled amongst the others at Tanjong Pagar Plaza, helmed by Chef Yamashita Masataka. He was trained in Tsuji Culinary Institute, a well-known culinary institute in Osaka, Japan. He worked at different patisseries in Japan and started his own in Nara before moving to Singapore. He took charge of Glace Patisserie and Flor Patisserie before starting Chef Yamashita. 

There are a few sizes and this is 17 cm x 12 cm for $45, for 4 to 8 pax. I ordered it online and indicated the message to be displayed on the cake. It tasted fresh and good, it has never disappointed. A simple but well-made cake can bring so much joy and happiness. 

I am another year older, wiser, and definitely more grateful.  

CHEF YAMASHITA

Block 1 Tanjong Pagar Plaza #02-44 SINGAPORE 082001

Operating Hours: 10.00 am to 6.30 pm (Closed on Mondays)

Niche Savoureuse : nice cake, unresponsive on social media

This cafe has been around since their opening in 2014, nestled in the residential area of Toa Payoh Lorong 1. It is mentioned on their Facebook (FB) page that they have always taken pride in all their authentic handmade bakes. They emphasized strongly in the quality, taste, and affordability in their food as mentioned there.

I visited for the first time quite a while ago, I ordered their signature Ondeh Ondeh Cake and Iced Matcha. I was asked to take a seat and they will serve it to me. The Ondeh Ondeh Cake came first followed by the Iced Matcha at about 5 minutes later. The Ondeh Ondeh Cake reminded me of Pandan Chiffon cake and it tasted quite similar, there was gula melaka mixed with whipped cream spread in between the layers and topped with shredded coconut. It was quite nice.

I wanted to order a birthday cake and sent a private message to their Facebook page, asking about the price of a 5 inches Strawberry Field with handcrafted roses. The message was read but they did not reply, there is still no reply even after a few days. I guess they are just not interested in making such a small cake. This has ended on a bad note as such unresponsiveness is quite unwanted. I ended up ordering a Mont Blanc from Chef Yamashita for my birthday cake again.

A reply was received on 18 October likely from Melvin Tang, the owner. Apparently, their reason for not wanting to reply to my enquiry is that I have been making enquiries on a few occasions on prices but did not order from them so far. The owner seems to be quite short-sighted. He deemed that I am not worth his time in responding as I have not ordered from them so far. Let's see how far would such short-sightedness and arrogance go?

Another reply was received on 19 October.

Anyway, I did not compare them with Chef Yamashita. Their cakes are nice but not as nice as those from Chef Yamashita yet.

NICHE SAVOUREUSE

Block 128 Toa Payoh Lorong 1 #01-833 SINGAPORE 310128
Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 9.00 pm (Mon to Thu) / 11.00 am to 10.00 pm (Fri) /
10.30 am to 10.00 pm (Sat) / 10.30 am to 9.00 pm (Sun) (Closed on Tuesdays)

Keong Saik Bakery : a East-meets-West cafe

Yu Zhong, 29 and Soon, 29, both of them used to work at Baker & Cook prior to starting this bakery. All the bread and pastries are made in-house daily with no preservatives added. The bakery is located along Keong Saik Street and is directly opposite of the famous Kok Sen Restaurant. 

Sor Hei ($3.20) was recommended when I asked for a recommendation. Another recommended item is XO Lup Cheong ($2.40). I was also offered some sample of Sour Dough bread to try, but I was just too full to eat it right after dinner at Kok Sen Restaurant before walking over. I asked, "Do you have iced coffee?". And, I was served Kopi Susu with ice ($3.30). A pager was given after proceeding with the payment, the 2 buns were warmed up before serving it. 

Sor Hei, a black and white danish pastry is one of their signature items. It is named after the Cantonese name for a traditional ceremony held for the Ma Jie (妈姐), which is known as 梳起 in Chinese. Ma Jie, a group of women who worked as domestic helpers usually in expatriate or wealthy families, between the 1930s and 1970s in Singapore. They were easily identified by their plaited hair or hair bun and their distinctive black and white samfu outfit. This group of women had taken a vow never to marry. One of the former owners of the shop house that they occupy happened to be a Ma Jie. 

The chocolate chips that embedded in between those layers were nicely melted, giving it a chocolaty taste with a mild sweetness. Its texture is light with a buttery flavor, it was crispy on the outside and airy within. Charcoal powder is added to give the pastry the shade of black. It was warmed up before serving to me and it tasted particularly good. 

The XO Lup Cheong is an interesting creation, the slices of lup cheong and mozzarella cheese are served on french bread. We did not like this as much, somehow those lup cheong slices tasted a bit out of place but the bread was nice though. 

The Kopi Susu was served in a nostalgic metal cup with just enough ice cubes to chill it without diluting the taste. Their coffee is brewed using traditional coffee beans, the same type that is for the local coffee. It is freshly ground and is brewed using an espresso machine upon order. And, they are using milk instead of condensed milk for a robust yet familiar flavor. 

There is an All-Day-Breakfast set at $5 which consists of 2 soft-boiled eggs with Kopi coffee O or Teh O and a choice of the bun like Oyster Mushroom, Sardine Cheese, XO Lup Cheong, etc.

This is an interesting place to check out for their coffee and fusionised cakes as well as pastries.

KEONG SAIK BAKERY

41 Keong Saik Road SINGAPORE 089146

Operating Hours: 8.00 am to 8.00 pm (Daily)

Lady M Confections : A So-so Experience

It was raining afternoon, a heavy torrential downpour actually. I decided to take it slow and do something that i do not quite usually do, like spending a lazy afternoon in some cafe, having coffee and enjoying cakes. 

Lady M has recently opened in Westgate at Jurong East.

I decided to have Strawberry Shortcake ($9++) and Iced Cafe Mocha ($6++). Apparently, the service staff mixed up the order. I was served the hot Cafe Mocha instead, when i highlighted, the female service staff referred to the order chit, and said, 'He must have made the mistake.' She changed it and served right after. I was a bit surprised that they served the cold version in a plastic cup for that amount charged. I guess they must have recycled the hot one by pouring it into the plastic cup then added ice cubes to make it cold as the presentation seemed a bit too messy. This has somewhat discounted my first impression of their service standard.  

The classic Strawberry Shortcake was quite nice though not particularly outstanding as i have eaten some better ones. The vanilla sponge cake was light and fluffy with a couple of strawberries sandwiched in between the layers with the whipped cream. The texture of the whipped was perfect and nicely sweetened to give just the right sweetness.

The overall experience was just so-so.

LADY M CONFECTIONS

. 3 Gateway Drive #02-25/26 Westgate SINGAPORE 608532

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 10.00 pm (Daily)

. 1 Fullerton Road #01-10 One Fullerton SINGAPORE 049213

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 11.00 pm (Sun to Thur) / 11.00 pm to 12.00 am (Fri & Sat)

. 181 Orchard Road #01-27 / #02-07 Orchard Central SINGAPORE 238896

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 10.00 pm (Daily)

THE BAKERY CHEF : An afternoon of nothingness

It was raining very heavily on that day and i badly needed a place to wait for the rain to stop. And i happened to be in the vicinity of this one of the most talked about cafes in town and i thought of their beautiful rainbow cake from this cafe and decided to drop by. We were greeted upon entered then asked to take a seat. The order has to be made at the counter and i offered to pay after it was done but i was asked to do so later. Their attentive service has definitely left an impression. 

Their beautifully done Rainbow Cake ($5.80) is a must try. The taste aside, the prettiness of it has already brightened my gloomy day. I was really eager to have my first bite at that moment. The Red Velvet Cream Cheese Cake ($5.80) came next. It was another piece of really pretty cake. Then, came my Cuppuccino ($4.90). 

It was a squarish piece of cake in 6 different colors that is topped with a delicious layer of fresh cream and nicely decorated. I enjoyed what i tasted, the sponginess was pretty distinctive though i could not quite make a comparison with other rainbow cakes as this was my very first piece.

The Red Velvet Cream Cheese Cake is another excellent choice. The fresh cream did not taste really sweet but delightfully well-balanced.

This heartland cafe is definitely worth a revisit. I would even purposely make a trip to here for good cakes. It was such a perfect afternoon and i really could not ask for more.  

THE BAKERY CHEF

Block 161 Bukit Merah Central #01-3711 SINGAPORE 150161

Hours: 10.00 am to 9.00 pm (Friday to Monday ) 10.00 am to 7.00 pm (Tuesday to Thurday) 

Disappointing Experience with FLOR PATISSERIE

I was a fan of Flor Patisserie. I used to be a royal customer that truly enjoyed their cakes. You must be wondering why am i using the past tense in the above sentences? Well, i am their fan and royal customer no more.

I have decided to share my unpleasant encounter with FLOR PATISSERIE recently. 

This was not the first time that i went to take away their cakes and have it at home. I have always trusted them to pack it nicely so i would have all the cakes in good shape when i gotten home. It was not the case recently. The cakes were in quite a mess this time. It happened when they just packed it all in an oversized box without any dividers in between to close up the spacing to hold them well. 

I was disappointed so i left a message on their facebook page. 

I gotten their reply a few hours later. Apparently, the person that replied trying to protect the reputation of their shop by shifting the blame to me. This person mentioned that 6 slices of cakes are enough to fill the entire box thus there is no need for dividers as there is little space for the cakes to move around, provided that there is no violent movement of the box. 

I am offended. Did the person suggest that it happened when i handled the box roughly by creating violent movement to cause those cakes to shift and collapsed? Some of those cakes are in irregular shapes thus their sizes are not enough to fill up the whole box as clearly shown in the picture? Didn't the person at least make an effort to study the picture carefully before given such a reply? or did the person simply assumed and based the judgement on their packing policy? Example, no divider is needed for the number of cakes in a particular size of box. 

Oh Yeah! The person did not have the courtesy to even spelled my namely correctly. If he/she is not even observant enough to spell my name right, how much accurate could his/her judgement be in assessing the space in the box between those cakes?

Then the person continued to suggest that the box has been outside the fridge for more than 40 minutes and has been through a rough ride. The person emphasized their cakes are very delicate and sensitive to heat as they use minimum or no setting agent in their cakes. Then, the person mentioned ice packs are provided for free if the going back journey is more than 30 minutes. Then, why didn't they have this clearly stated somewhere prominent so their customers could based on that to decide whether they need the free ice packs to be provided when they are transporting the cakes? Or, why didn't their Staff go the extra mile by reminding their customers and offer the ice packs if the journey is more than 30 minutes or the weather is extremely hot on that day? 

I replied by stating this was not my first experience and i did not go through a rough journey to reach home within 30 minutes.

They posted another comment today by asking which outlet the purchase was from. And, in the initial message they even suggested that i leave my mobile number openly on the comment box so they could contact me on the replacement of the cakes.

They edited the comment about 2 hours later after posted it. They decided to remove the 'replacement of the cakes' from the comment. It appeared to be as follow:

The comparison between their original comment and the edited one.

I replied their comment with, "This was from the duxton outlet. The purpose of highlighting this issue is not asking for replacement of cakes (you needn't have to edit it away) but your mindfulness and flexibility in putting extra care when packing the cakes for taking away. Having been your customers for the last 4 years, such standard is not quite acceptable."

There is no further comment after this. I guess they decided to ignore me for good. 

To review all the cakes that i eaten this time, the taste and texture were somewhat compromised. It definitely did not taste as good as when Chef Yamshita was still there. By the way, the shop is still using the name of Chef Yamshita to sell their cakes by having it prominently stated that Flor Patisserie is by Chef Yamshita. I just think this is not quite right. 

I have decided to stay away from FLOR PATISSERIE as i do not wish to be further disappointed again. Their standard had dropped significantly.

Matcha Cupcake - a new found love.

MY AUDACIOUS CAKERY

Block 2 Everton Park #01-61 SINGAPORE 081002.

Grandma's Birthday Cake

I wanted to surprise my dearest Grandma with a beautiful cake on her birthday. I went to Pine Garden in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10. I was told i have to select at least a 1 KG cake for approximately $42 or higher then to pay at least $15 for their workmanship to have basic design on the cake. I walked away without placing an order.

I was at AMK Hub just other day and visited Four Leaves. I saw the picture of this cake in their catalogue and i wanted it without much hesitation.  The price stated is $41 for 21 cm inclusive of the design work on the cake. The price is definitely much more reasonable as compared to Pine Garden for a similar cake.

I was told that i need at least 3 days in advance to place an order. I was given the selection of Strawberry Shortcake, Blackforest, Almond Fruits Top and Chocolate Classico to choose. I was told that i can choose to pay the total amount in full or partial. I chosen to pay the full amount and i was given the order chit.

I went back on Saturday to collect the cake. I was served by the same friendly assistant. She took out the cake from the fridge. She opened the box to show it to me though she did not pull it out as the cake occupied the entire box and it might not be too easy to put it back. She slotted in 2 pieces of disposable ice pads to raise the cake slightly so it would be easier for me to pull it out later. She asked me to handle it with extra cautious when she passed it to me. I truly appreciate such a good service provided by this assistant.

I could not forget the happy smile on the face of my Grandma when i presented the cake to her. And, she agreed that it was a pretty Birthday cake.

The Strawberry Shortcake tasted absolutely lovely. The sponge cake was very soft and fluffy with generous bits of strawberry sandwiched in between. The fresh cream was delicious with just the right amount of sweetness.

It was a Happy Birthday for my dearest Grandma and we enjoyed the cake a lot.

Costa Coffee

COSTA COFFEE
313 Orchard Road
313 @ Somerset #01-29
SINGAPORE 238895.