Carousel at Royal Plaza on Scotts : Halal Lunch Buffet

Despite the latest korean bingsu food dad, the yoghurt craze seemed to have taken Singapore by the storm, to the extent that even buffet now includes a self-service yoghurt soft serve section. 

It has been years since my last visit and Royal Carousel has undergone some renovation to sport a new modern chic look. With less than an hour to eat during my lunch visit, I wasted no more seconds and dived straight to the buffet section. 

The green tea yoghurt is refreshing and tangy, though the green tea taste is just as elusive as the green tea chocolate mousse which is less of a mousse than a sweet and rich ganache. 

Yet some of the creations piqued my inner curiosity as they seemed to be different from the typical squares of lackluster petit mousse cakes for buffet. For example, both the Coffee Cream Cheese Mousse Cake and the Citrus Honey Gateau assumed a stunning air of sophistication, just like sculptures on display at modern art museums.

The mousse was silky smooth and indisputably a mark of technicality, with the surface being glossed by a thin sheen of chocolate air. However, they repeated the same old tale of mousse and sponge cake, unable to match the initial expectation of a multi-textural delight. 

Yet, there were still little pebbles of gems that one would chanced upon along the dessert trail. Take for instance the Semolina Cake with Coconut Curry Chocolate Frosting transformed a dull floury cake into a gorgeous exotic beauty.

The Pavlova here is a solid interpretation of the classics; as light and dexturous as a ballet dancer lifting her feet into the air. 

Sauteed Fine Beans, Beef Bacon and Walnut Crumbs

Of course some might be eager to find out the buffet spread. Sashimi and sushi from Japanese counter; fresh seafood on ice, meat carvings section; live kitchen counters dishing out hot food from all over the world such as Indian curries, chicken rice, pasta; bread counter with cheese; soups; salads......I doubt any photo is necessary since one can easily imagine the wide spread of variety. 

Yet with 4 separate dessert tables, I think one has to revise the buffet strategy to try some, if not all of the desserts. I managed to relish a serving of their signature bread and butter pudding, made better on top of some gooey molten lava from the hot chocolate pudding next to it. 

Carousel at Royal Plaza on Scotts

25 Scotts Road, SIngapore 228220
Lunch 12noon-2pm
Weekdays Adult $52++ Child (4-11yr old) $32++
For full pricing, visit here
http://www.carouselbuffet.com.sg/

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Shinjuku Station : House of Two Matcha Shops

In the busy Shinjuku station which sees the most number of commuters each day, few may know that there are actually TWO matcha shops that serves takeaway sweets. The first is Mame Torou which specializes in using tofu with tea. This offshoot sweets outlet is produced by Saga Par, a soft serve shop along Arashiyama streets which claimed to be the first shop that sells soy bean soft serve. 

True or not, the triple soft serve (500 yen) does a good job with leveraging the nutty soy qualities of the bean but for a stronger matcha kick and a creamier mouthfeel, I prefer the one from Cha no Ikedaya (below), a shop which has been around in Shinjuku station area for more than 70 years. 

In fact, the latter focuses less on their sweets as their main business is focused on the retail of tea leaves, coffee and seaweed. This is a highly convenient place to stock up green tea from regions all over Japan as there is so many variety to choose from. You can even fill up your mineral bottle with their green tea with just a small charge.

From the retail side, there are also assorted matcha snacks that are supplied from different sources. The best way to kill all birds with one stone is to get their matcha/houjicha soft serve and topped with any extra ingredients you prefer. 

That said, Mame Torou isn't a shop that deals only with soy bean. This tofu cheesecake anmitsu, for example, is an amalgation of different beans; soy, tora Mame, uguisu Mame, azuki. 

It is also a value-for-money choice if you want to try everything (i.e tofu cheesecake, two flavors of soft serve of your choice, kuromitsu, assorted sweet beans). That said, I think it's sufficient to try once as this is decent but not over-the-top delicious. 

Anyway, there are already green tea shops in Shinjuku area for matcha lovers to hunt down so don't be in a rush. Take your time and savour them one by one. 

Mame Torou 豆とろう

Nishi-shinjuku 1-1-2 新宿メトロ食堂街 B1F

http://www.donsarya.co.jp/mametrou.html

Cha No Ikeda Ya 茶の池田屋

Odakyu Ace South

Daily 10am-10pm 

http://www.odakyu-ace.jp/shop/index.jsp?bf=1&fmt=6&shopid=37

Nearest Station: Shinjuku

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Maison Kayser Singapore: Classics Reinvented

Yogurt soft serve or whatever Bingsu won't get me excited as much as the classic pastries. 

I have a "bad" habit of peeping at pastries whenever I walked past a boulangerie or a patisserie, just to see if there is any new creations. So by luck or by fate, I spotted some new cakes from Maison Kayser and they looked so promising that I could not walk away without buying them to try.

ALL were fantastic and the pastries, on the average, fared much better than my previous visit. This is especially true when it comes to THAT Royal Chocolate (Dark Chocolate, Hazelnut Mousse, Crunchy Feuilettine). Crisp yet smooth and fine, it is the perfect one that would beat Pierre Herme's Plasir Sucre and Four Leaves' Classic Chocolate.

And I was not the only one who thinks these are good. For the first time, both Pretty Mum and Little Sis raved so much after tasting them as well. 

Need I say more?

Must Try : Royal Chocolate (Dark Chocolate, Hazelnut Mousse, Crunchy Feuilettine) $7.30

Must Try: Paris Brest (Praline & Hazelnut Cream) $6.60

The choux is a far cry from the lackluster Ispahan previously

Exotic : Passionfruit Mango and Coconut Sponge $7.30 

Apricot and Pistachio Tart ($6.30)

I can't find much pistachio here but one can tell the prowess of Maison Kayser in the league of tarts as the base is solid

Maison Kayser Singapore

501 Orchard Road, B2-01, Wheelock Place, Singapore 238880

Hours: 8am-10pm daily

Other outlets: GrandStand and Scotts Square

http://www.maison-kayser.com/en/

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Espressamente Illy Tokyo : Italian Coffee and Tiramisu

A random coffee break landed us here in this chic coffee franchise along Ginza streets. Alongside with its coffee, there is also a wide  range of sandwiches and pastries. 

But one thing that is unique to Illy outlets is Japan is most probably the Tiramisu (580 yen).

Every season, they will change the flavour and thus I was lucky that I caught the winter Matcha edition.

Piped with little mounds of silky mascarpone cream that is dusted with bitter matcha powder, the tiramisu here was moist and rich in tea taste. Empty the mini saucer of Illy Espresso Sauce and there you have, a perfect tiramisu that actually surpassed the standard fare in Italian bistros.
How's the coffee? I don't know since I don't drink coffee. But I know one thing for sure. That this is one of the most unexpected place for excellent tiramisu.

Espressamente Illy 

Yurakucho Outlet

Chiyoda Ku Yurakucho 2-7-1

Yurakucho Itocia B1F

7.30am-11pm 

Various outlets all over Japan including Shizuoka, Kyoto Station and Fukuoka

http://espressamenteilly.jp/

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FIX Revisited : Same Old Choux and More

Nowadays, I feel that there are very few F&B shops that can sustain the interests of customers. Most people flocked to the latest openings in a bid to be the first to post the food photos on Facebook or Instagram. A hype is created but it often dies down in a couple of months. 

This trend is very much short-lived and most people hardly re-visit the places once they have "checked out" a place. One example, in my opinion, is FIX. I dropped by recently on a Sunday afternoon to purchase some take-away cakes but the area was barely filled and the service was rather sloppy. 


Fortunately, the standards of the pastries did not plunge significantly despite the fact that the former pastry chef has left this place. The Butterscotch Arabica Choux ($5.50+) was still light and crisp, with full bodied coffee buttercream and semi-gooey caramel within the center. However, I realized that it was not actually as amazing as I remembered it to be. Or maybe because they could not surpass the stellar works from Dulcet & Studio. Also, the crumble toppings were soggy.

The Matcha Opera ($5.50) looked decent but a closer inspection suggest hasty presentation works. The green tea jaconde were too sweet and the "UFO" aka unidentified foreign object on the cake turned out to be a marshmallow blob with one or two red beans?!?!

As such, it was a great relief when I finally came to the Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart ($4.50) I would say it's near perfect; a wonderfully crisp pastry that devoted equal love to dark chocolate ganache and caramel. The little piping of chocolate cream worked like inhalations of cloud puffs against a rich and gooey base.

Here is another reason why one don't necessarily have to pay more than $5 for an outstanding tart.

FIX (Halal-certified)

31 Ah Hood Road, HomeTeamNS-JOM Clubhouse

#01-06 S(329979)

6256 1484

Daily 9 30am - 9 pm

http://fix-cafe.com.sg/

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Park Hyatt Tokyo: Maple & Chestnuts

It's the time of the year again. Autumn, Maple, Chestnuts, Pumpkin....these evoked the nostalgic memories of cool winter back in Tokyo around 2 years ago. How time flies since my last X'mas spent in Tokyo in 2013. 

Speaking of the chestnuts, the first thing that comes to my mind is always Mont Blanc Cake. And out of the numerous chestnuts mountains conquered, this globe-shaped Mont Blanc left an indelible impression till today. 

There is none of that typical wiggles, only a clean smooth outer layer that wrapped a surprising fruit within - Apricot. 

Honestly, the pairing of a summer stone fruit with an autumn nut did not sound quite right to me at first. However, the resulting effect was a pleasant twist on things when the apricot merely added a very mild bittersweet jam taste and did not make this a sugar overkill

But what I love more is the award winning Maple Gateau (600 yen) created by Pastry Chef Katsuhiro Nakano for Competition de Gateaux a L'erable, a special maple cake competition. 

This is a delightful combination of apple cubes, hazelnut and maple sweetness, with smooth and crunchy textures all in one.  Nothing too aggressive here, just some sticky sweet autumn aroma that evokes nostalgic blues and remind me that the year is coming to another closure again.

Pastry Boutique @ Park Hyatt Tokyo

3-7-1-2 Nishi Shinjuku, Shinjuku-Ku

Tokyo, Japan, 163-1055

Daily 11am-7pm

http://tokyo.park.hyatt.com/en/hotel/dining/pastry-boutique.html 

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Dean & Deluca SG: Halloween Specials & Sweet, Sweet Brunch

I'm a big fan of quiches and pastries in D&D Tokyo but I have yet tried the food in D&D Singapore despite the fact that its flagship store at Orchard Central has opened way back since 2012. Instead of squeezing with the crowd in Orchard, I decided to visit the Far East Square outlet, which offers a quieter and more relaxed ambience to chill out on weekends.

Having encountered their huge American sized pastries before, I already had a mental preparation that the servings would be very substantial and none of them proved me wrong indeed. 

                
For instance, the Berries Flapjacks ($21) came in 4 fluffy rounds that were still emitting "smoke" as the top stack is lifted from the plate. These buttermilk hotcakes reminded me of the Ricotta Hotcakes by Bills in Omotesando Tokyo as they were tangy and slightly savoury, a perfect companion with the organic maple syrup.

The Belgian Stack ($18) looked like another thing that would cost anyone a sugar concussion. But if you ignore the super sweet vanilla ice cream, the waffles are pretty gratifying with toasty edges and chewy innards. I was even surprised that my waffle-loving cousin said that these were better than Creamier! Try it yourself to be the judge. 

The Sautéed French Brioche Toast ($22) was a case of "forgotten order" but I was glad it made it to our tables eventually. It was the most pricy sweet brunch item yet the most investment-worthy one. Sink your fork and knife beyond that crunchy oat coating and mop the salted caramel sauce as much as you can. This is probably the BEST French Toast I've had after the one from The French Kitchen. 

For the fact that these scrumptious all-day breakfast items are available in Singapore but not in Tokyo, I think Singaporeans need not always think that the grass on the other side is greener! 

Good to know also that there is no service charge and price reflected on the menu (inclusive of 7% GST)  is what we pay at the counter, be it for take-away or dine-in.    

From now till 31st Oct, D&D has also launched some Halloween specials such as Pumpkin Cheesecake, cupcakes and cookies. Stand a chance to win a $50 voucher when you post a photo of Halloween Desserts with @deandelucasg and #ddsghalloween on Instagram. Winners will be announced on 3rd Nov. 

Follow me on instagram @dairyandcream for details on the halloween treats.

Dean & Deluca SG
Far East Square Outlet
47 Pekin Street #01-01
Mon-Fri 8am-10pm
Sat 10am-8pm
Closed on Sundays/PH
For Orchard Central and HillV2 outlet hours, visit here
https://www.facebook.com/DeanDelucaSG

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Higashiyama Charyo 東山茶寮

You might be familiar with the more popular names such as Tsujiri or Nakamura Tokichi but in fact, these are just few of the many excellent tea houses in Japan. Another good example is Higashiyama Charyo, one of the tea sweets merchant in Kyoto. 

Very little has been written about their shop in Kiyomizu Gojyou because online retail is its main business line. Moreover, it appears more frequently as temporary pop-up sweet station in department stores in Tokyo or other regions in Japan.

黒抹茶ロールケーキ

宇治茶の老舗　堀井七茗園の良質な抹茶を１００％使用しました

Sporting a trendy cool look, the Black Matcha Roll cake (¥1390) made with charcoal powder and filled with bitter matcha cream using the premium matcha powder from 堀井七茗園 (Horii shichimeien). 

This tea farm holds a special position in the history of Uji tea development as it is managing 奥の山, the ONLY tea farm still standing out of the 7 plot of lands that were initiated by General Yoshimitsu in the Muromachi Era for growing Uji Tea. The rest of the farms have given way to urbanization. While this is not too sweet, the roll layer could be moister. I should have picked the original matcha roll with matcha cream.

In fact, all their sweets are made with matcha from Shichimeien. My favourite is the most recommended item, Mizu manju (¥200 each) As the name implies, this traditional summertime Wagashi boasts a refreshing gelatinous texture. Yet, they also called it Yogashi洋菓子 (western sweets) because Nama cream (fresh cream) is hidden within the "shiro-an" (white bean paste) 

These treats might look simple but actually way more superior than any molten cakes or buns in my opinion as they are superbly light and delicate. Accompanied with an exhilarating moment as the smooth filling flows and envelops the palate. Have the best of both worlds by choosing both matcha-an AND kinako-an. I'm sure you won't regret. 
Surprisingly, the folks are even more generous with their tea dosage in baked sweets such as baumkuchen and cookies as these turned out to be even more intense than the previous sweets. It's good sometimes that there is no cream or whatsoever to mess with the taste as it ascertains that this shop does not fool around with their tea.

Higashiyama Saryo  東山茶寮

4-448 Gojobashihigashi 6-chome Higashiyama-ku Kyoto Kyoto

京都府 京都市東山区 五条橋東 4-448

7 min walk from Kiyomizu Gojo Station

Shop: 10am-6pm 

Cafe: 11am-5pm 

Closed on Wed

http://kyo-ohana.jp/about/

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Oriole Coffee + Bar (Capitol Piazza Neue)

Tucked in the corner of the second floor of this new multi-complex mall is the second outlet of Oriole Coffee + Bar, which boasts a homely atmosphere for anyone looking to sit back and enjoy a good cuppa or a quick bite. The menu has a smaller selection than the one at Pan Pacific but there are several items here that are exclusive to this outlet. 


The Warm Spinach Salad ($18) that came with cherry tomato confit and Parmesan shavings is one such example. The heady truffle balsamic vinaigrette brought the salad alive, and the sprinkled bits of crispy Serrano Jamon lent the dish a much-needed crunch and savouriness. The poached egg that topped the dish that day was, however, slightly overcooked.

For those looking for substantial meals, the Sandwiches section would be the best place to browse aside from the three Oriole Classics. With that said, I thought the new Portobello Confit ($17) came across as rather flat as it did not have any pronounced flavours aside from the sharp basil pesto. For the same price as the other meat-based sandwiches such as the Reuben or Cubano, this vegetarian dish would certainly disappoint an avid meat lover. 

From the all-day breakfast section that includes classics such as eggs, muffins and toasts, the Espresso Hotcakes ($12) stood out as the single sweet dish which turned out to be quite dry and lacking the fluffiness that I am accustomed to when I eat hotcakes. The accompanying Espresso Marscapone Butter was a nice idea, but it would have been more appealing if the butter had been more distinct. 

Fortunately, the Oriole's Angel Cake ($14), a dessert item that is exclusive to this Capitol Piazza outlet, was more promising than it appeared to be. Slice through the eggless coffee cake and you will find a small pool of bitter espresso creme anglaise trickling out from the core. The cake had seemed dry at first, but that was probably a good thing as it soaked up the sauce pretty well. I do wish that there had been more cookie crumbs though!  

Fans of Oriole's Signature cold brews will be delighted to know that the Taisho series—black, white or M.A.D milk—can also be enjoyed here, be it as a dine-in accompaniment to your meal or as takeaway at the Grab & Go counter where you can also pick up pastries, such as cookies and tea cakes. 

Overall, this outlet ticks all the right boxes for ambience but when it comes to the food, I think I'll stick to the Pan Pacific outlet for now.

Oriole Coffee + Bar (Capitol Piazza Neue)

13 Stamford Road #02-20/21

Singapore 178905

Tel: +65 63846495

Daily 10.30am-10.30pm

http://www.oriole.com.sg/

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