The Marmalade Pantry @ Fairways Drive – CLOSED

Marmalade at the stables

Earlier we traveled the longest distance to TCS for dinner. Thereafter, we decided to drop by TMP (founded in August 2009 at Ion Orchard though this outlet was set up in September 2011) – by far the most secluded spot we’ve ever gone for desserts. Indeed, K remarked that this place was right in the middle of nowhere, and it’s accessible only by car.

I half expected the air to smell of dung due to the stables so when it finally hit me (that typical zoo smell) I wasn’t very shocked. However, since we arrived late at night the horses were most likely already asleep. Still, they made their presence felt hence we chose to sit indoors.

We took some time going through the beverages. Alcohol and caffeine were out so we settled on a freshly squeezed juice – delight (watermelon, orange, honeydew $8). No doubt it’s the most expensive dose of liquid Vitamin C we’ve ever drunk, but at least it’s pulpy and refreshing.

From the list of tempting cupcakes we ordered limonata (tart lemon glazed cake $4.50). We enjoyed the moist and soft vanilla cake, while the layer of frosting was tangy enough to induce a mild jolt but not too strong for us to scrunch up our faces.

There were a couple of puddings I wanted to try but in the end went for sticky date and toffee pudding (with vanilla ice cream $12). Sitting on a mound of crumbled honeycomb, the scoop of ice cream was rich and creamy (with black specks of vanilla beans). The pudding was served warm and drizzled with toffee sauce. It’s moist, fluffy and it offered a slightly bouncy bite. Every mouthful was a sheer delight.

It’s a pity we didn’t have a chance to appreciate the lush green surroundings but we liked the tranquil and warm ambience inside the restaurant (tight seating wasn’t a problem since it’s empty). We’d certainly be back in broad daylight next time, perhaps for afternoon tea.

Total damage: $28.80

Andersen's Of Denmark Ice Cream @ Jurong Point

Dine-in discouraged!

We were planning to have some ice cream before dinner at Carl’s Jr and in the process received a shock at what certain ice cream parlours do to earn more profits.

Initially we wanted a waffle bowl but were told that a minimum of five scoops was required for dine-in, while two were allowed for takeaways. We couldn’t have finished five scoops of ice cream between the two of us so we ditched the waffle bowl. Instead we chose to have two scoops, while dining-in.

After our purchase was rung up, we were upset to find both service charge and tax levied on the original amount. For that extra charge, our ice cream was served in a bowl and dressed up with a dollop of whipped cream, a lashing of chocolate sauce and a face-cringingly sour strawberry! We also got cups of lemon-flavored iced water.

Both the blueberry and bailey’s scorched almond ($8.90) came in sufficiently intense flavors but the texture wasn’t the dense and sticky kind that I would’ve preferred.

It’s unlikely we’d repeat this experience, since it’s grossly overpriced. Furthermore, a foreign staff gave us wrong information and her accent was difficult to understand.

Total damage: $10.45

Pique Nique @ JCube – CLOSED

Not much of a picnic

After passing by the tempting pastries numerous times, we finally had the opportunity to check out some of the desserts.

Like Antoinette, Pique Nique is under the Sugar Daddy Group. The restaurant exudes simple rustic charm with wooden furnishings, pastel colors and potted plants. It’s undoubtedly more down-to-earth compared to Antoinette and we liked its laid-back atmosphere.

As I stood facing a wide range of pastries, I had a little trouble making up my mind. In the end, for the sake of variety, I chose a cake, whoopie pie and macaron for our post-dinner sweet treat.

The raspberry angel foodcake (vanilla angel foodcake, raspberry cream, chantilly frosting $7.50) was disappointingly dry and rather tasteless. In fact, it’s a tad weird with a somewhat artificial aftertaste. Also, I was expecting a burst of fruity tang from the raspberries but that didn’t happen. It’s too mild and soon it just faded into oblivion.

Another letdown was the classic chocolate whoopie ($2), which was dry and bland with an uninspiring filling. Whoopie pies originated from the US but this soft cake-like cookie seriously lacked chocolatey richness.

By this time I was beginning to wonder why my selection turned out so bad but at least the cookies & cream mint macaron ($2) fared better. There’s a distinct minty flavor, and the delicate shells, sandwiching a creamy filling, were slightly crispy.

It’s just too bad our first experience at PN fell below expectations. In addition, our bill was wrong but we’d paid before realizing that our lousy foodcake was rung up as chocorocco at $8. We made an enquiry and a staff clarified that both cakes were of the same price. Clearly that’s impossible. The cashier then approached us with a 20₵, saying the cake was $7.80. Again, I wasn’t convinced so K went to check the price tag. The same staff followed, retrieved the tag and handed it to the cashier, thus settling the confusion once and for all. K was refunded a further 35₵.

So much for first impressions! Luckily we weren’t in a rush.

Note: Cash only for spending below $20.
Total damage: $13.55

Jun 28, 12

I decided to give PN a second chance and three days later, we popped by for an afternoon tea before moving to another place for dinner.

The hot chocolate with marshmallow cloud ($7) was an excellent choice, being thick and gooey with a hint of bitterness. Absolutely satisfying for a chocolate addict like me.

Sadly, the blackout chocolate cake (chocolate fudge $7.80) wasn’t fantastic. Even the layers of chocolate fudge couldn’t salvage the dry sponge. Then, there’s an unpleasant aftertaste to the cake as well.

However, the red velvet cake (cream cheese frosting $7.80), which I noticed was popular, was surprisingly (yeah… after all the dry cakes I’d tried) moist and soft! The vibrant color was certainly eye-catching but I was just glad to have a decent cake at last! Moreover, it wasn’t too sweet and the frosting wasn’t cloying.

After our second visit, I had a nagging feeling that perhaps those dry, odd-tasting cakes had previously been stored in a freezer and weren’t exactly fresh anymore. Anyway, the hot chocolate might lure me back but then I’d have to play tikam tikam with the cakes.

Total damage: $26.60

L’Espresso @ Goodwood Park Hotel

Durian Fiesta!

We made a pilgrimage to the hotel for the annual Durian Fiesta after our early dinner at Wild Honey. Wondering where we could eat the pastries if we ordered takeaway, K suggested we chill out at the cafe and we ended up spending a couple of hours simply relaxing and savoring our desserts.

For a start, I wanted to try the hot chocolate ($8, UOB 15% off – $6.80) but was disappointed with its taste. Very much like milo and I expected it to be so much richer. Similar to the one at The Fullerton Hotel, it’s too milky and lacked chocolatey goodness. Seriously, I’ve got to stop thinking that hotels would serve awesome hot chocolate.

This year’s new innovative creations included durian macadamia nut crumble tartlet (2pcs $10.80) and durian banana chocolate mousse cake (slice $10.80).

durian macadamia nut crumble tartlet – tartlet cradled with creamy D24 durian pulp filling covered with a crunchy macadamia nut crumble.

The tartlets were a little lacklustre due to the slightly soggy base, but the nuts kinda made up for it. The crunchiness contrasted beautifully with the creamy durian puree, which exuded a heady yet unmistakable fragrance unmatched by any other fruit.

durian banana chocolate mousse cake – cake filled with sensational layers of D24 durian mousse and pulp, rich chocolate mousse, chocolate sponge and caramelized bananas, then enrobed with dark chocolate powder.

As for the mousse cake, I was initially skeptical of the durian-banana combo but it turned out surprisingly compatible. A thick layer of pulpy durian mousse took centre stage, which was accented by luscious chocolate mousse with embedded slices of caramelized bananas. With such a thin layer of chocolate sponge separating a huge amount of mousse, it’s no wonder the cake was extremely moist and rich.

On top of the durian desserts, we also ordered green tea passion fruit timbale ($6.80). It happened to be the last one standing and I couldn’t resist due to the fact that the pretty cake had green tea in it. Topped with a piece of chocolate and raspberry, the green tea sponge was moist and delicate but sadly, I found the flavor a tad muted when eaten with the zesty filling of passion fruit. Even so, the cake was delectably refreshing.

With customers chatting away in the brightly-lit cafe, which featured an open concept, the ambience was decidedly casual and energetic. Service was brisk, and our evening was made even sweeter as a pianist treated us to some delightful jazzy tunes.

Total damage: $41.45

Coffee Lounge @ Goodwood Park Hotel

a gantea @ Blk 135 Jurong East Street 13 (阿甘绿茶) – CLOSED

阿甘正传

a gantea, hailed from Taiwan, uses specially selected tea leaves from the high mountains of Alishan to brew its wide range of green teas, fruit teas and herbal teas.

Before Suntec City started renovation, we’d walked by the stall numerous times but had never stopped to buy. Though I was tempted to try, the idea of drinking an icy beverage in the already freezing shopping mall just didn’t appeal to me.

Then, one fine day, I spotted another outlet at Jurong East Central. When the weather turned oppressively scorching a few days later, we had a perfect excuse to make a beeline for the store.

阿甘绿茶… a gantea

The choice of sugar level was different from that of other popular Taiwanese bubble tea chains. As “8分糖” was equivalent to full sugar, “5分糖” (half sugar) would be 62.5% sugar.

Our first drink was 紫芋恋奶 (taro milk tea – medium $2.90) at half sugar. It’s fragrant yet not overly sweet. Mixed with 芋香寒天 (taro-bits), the small pieces of taro provided an interesting texture while the agar jelly was soft and chewy. There wasn’t a lot of ice cubes even when we didn’t specify the amount of ice and presumably were given “normal ice”.

紫芋恋奶 (芋香寒天)… 5分糖… taro milk tea (taro-bits) @ half sugar

Jun 11, 12
姜汁奶茶 ($2.90)

We planned to eat roti prata for dinner and thought ginger milk tea would be an appropriate accompaniment, just like teh halia.

This drink only came in hot version in one size without any choice of sugar level. Very warming to the tummy especially with the strips of ginger floating around in the strong tea but mostly, they settled at the bottom of the cup.

姜汁奶茶… ginger milk tea

姜汁奶茶… ginger milk tea

Jun 14, 12
奶盖绿茶 (medium $2.40)

The milk-lid green tea at half sugar had just the right sweetness and the drink was refreshing with a light fragrance. The sweet frothy cream wasn’t overpowering and it provided a hint of vanilla.

奶盖绿茶… 5分糖… milk lid green tea @ half sugar

Jun 17, 12
QQ 奶茶 (黑珍珠 + 椰果) (medium $2.40)

The QQ milk tea was actually milk black tea with black pearl and coconut jelly. We enjoyed the aromatic tea, which wasn’t too sweet at half sugar. The black pearl was soft yet chewy, and it’s not as large as other brands. As for the coconut jelly, it’s refreshing with a sweet-sourish taste. Our food from 桑林海鲜 took so long we finished our drink way before we could start eating.

qq奶茶 (黑珍珠 + 椰果)… 5分糖… qq milk tea (milk black tea with black pearl and coconut jelly) @ half sugar

Jul 13, 12
高冷茶 + (纤)纖紫苏 ($1.90 + $0.50 $2.40)

The gao-shan iced tea (medium $1.90) was lightly fragranced to which we added basil seeds ($0.50) and half sugar was just nice. The slimy little seeds were a bit awkward to ingest though. It’s easier to swallow them whole along with tea but I managed to chew a few, and they didn’t provide much taste.

高冷茶 + (纤)纖紫苏… 5分糖… gao-shan iced tea with basil seeds @ half sugar

Jul 19, 12
奶盖抹茶 (medium $3.50)

The milk-lid matcha was intense with a little bitterness and the drink had a mild powdery mouthfeel which was thoroughly enjoyable. However, it’s sweet at half sugar.

奶盖抹茶… 5分糖… milk-lid matcha @ half sugar

奶盖抹茶… 5分糖… milk-lid matcha @ half sugar

Jul 22, 12
抹茶红豆 (medium $3.50)

The matcha red bean wasn’t impressive due to its weak matcha flavor, and it’s tricky to suck red beans through the straw. For this drink, there’s no need to adjust sugar level.

抹茶红豆… matcha red bean

Jul 27, 12
奶盖抹茶 (medium $3.50)

In a bid to increase the matcha flavor, we started to experiment with the drink. We ordered milk-lid matcha without cream with quarter sugar (3分糖) but our plan backfired. Instead of preparing the drink from scratch for the milk-lid version, we were given a ready-made tea for matcha red bean. Thus, in essence, it’s matcha red bean without the beans. Needless to say, the drink was unremarkable.

奶盖抹茶… 3分糖 无料… milk-lid matcha @ quarter sugar with no cream

Jul 30, 12
奶盖抹茶 (medium $3.50)

We ordered the unadulterated milk-lid matcha this time at quarter sugar (3分糖) and were glad the bitterness was back!

奶盖抹茶… 3分糖… milk-lid matcha @ quarter sugar

Aug 17, 12
奶盖抹茶 (medium $3.50)

To maximize the intensity of the matcha flavor, we customized the drink to omit sugar entirely with less cream (sweet) and ice.

奶盖抹茶… 无糖 少料 少冰… milk-lid matcha @ no sugar, less cream and ice

Aug 22, 12
奶盖抹茶 (large $4.80)

The only drink we’d upsize to “large”. We omitted both sugar and ice, as well as greatly reduced the amount of cream.

奶盖抹茶… 无糖 少料 去冰… milk-lid matcha @ no sugar, less cream and no ice

Aug 23, 12
奶盖抹茶 (medium $3.50)

The same combo but it’s medium – the size we usually order and share so I can sleep.

奶盖抹茶… 无糖 少料 去冰… milk-lid matcha @ no sugar, less cream and no ice

Aug 28, 12
奶盖抹茶 (medium $3.50)

After trial and error we finally decided the optimal matcha flavor can be achieved by eliminating everything – sugar, cream and ice.

奶盖抹茶… 无糖 无料 去冰… milk-lid matcha @ no sugar, no cream and no ice

Aug 31, 12
榛果奶茶 (medium $2.90)

Not too thrilled after our first sips of the hazelnut milk tea. There’s no need to adjust sugar level but the taste was artificial with nary a hint of nuttiness.

榛果奶茶… hazelnut milk tea

Sep 24, 12
仙草冻奶茶 (medium $2.90)

The grass-jelly milk tea was basically milk black tea with herbal jelly and it wasn’t overly sweet at half sugar. The jelly came as one big block at the bottom of the cup instead of broken into small pieces.

仙草冻奶茶… 5分糖… grass-jelly milk tea (milk black tea with herbal jelly) @ half sugar

Drink Tea @ Jurong East MRT Station (水研社)

The color of water?

That’s what the Chinese name sounds like. For a more sophisticated take on it, the name means an institute for water research but really, it’s just a bubble tea store.

水研社… drink tea

First established in 2006 in Taiwan, the chain has since expanded overseas with four stores in Singapore at the moment.

For our initial cup of bubble tea, we chose 台湾高山绿茶奶盖 (green tea special – medium $2.40) at 70% sugar level. Most notable about Drink Tea was the pearls. It wasn’t the usual black tapioca pearls but roselle pearls (洛神珍珠). The fruit extract gave it a natural light pink color and best of all, it’s free!

We enjoyed the tea, which was fragrant and strong, while the thick layer of frothy cream accented it with a mild saltiness. The pearls were soft and suitably chewy to add texture and interest though its taste was too bland to be noticed.

台湾高山绿茶奶盖 + 洛神珍珠… green tea special with roselle pearls @ 70% sugar level

台湾高山绿茶奶盖 + 洛神珍珠… green tea special with roselle pearls @ 70% sugar level

Jun 7, 12
茶花绿茶 + 寒天 ($2 + $0.50 $2.50)

The camellia green tea (medium $2) was extremely aromatic. We tried han tian jelly (寒天 $0.50), also known as “kanten”, and I liked its gelatinous and soft texture. With a high fibre content, it’s said to be good for weight loss. The drink was refreshing and not too sweet at 70% sugar level. Even a “normal ice” order didn’t come with an excessive amount of ice cubes.

茶花绿茶 + 寒天… camellia green tea with han tian jelly @ 70% sugar level

茶花绿茶 + 寒天… camellia green tea with han tian jelly @ 70% sugar level

Jun 12, 12
水研社烤奶茶 + 椰果 ($2.40)

I was curious about 水研社烤奶茶 (roast milk tea – medium $2.40) and ordered it at 70% sugar level. Since roselle pearl was sold out, our replacement of coconut palm jelly (椰果 $0.50) was free.

The tea was a little bland while the coconut palm jelly was slightly sweet and sourish. I was disappointed since there wasn’t any smoky flavor to the tea.

水研社烤奶茶 + 椰果… roast milk tea with coconut palm jelly @ 70% sugar level

Jun 19, 12
芋香奶茶 (medium $2.90)

We omitted all extra ingredients including the free pearls for yam milk tea and though the flavor of yam was strong the drink was too sweet at 70% sugar level.

芋香奶茶… yam milk tea @ 70% sugar level

Jun 20, 12
洛神冰茶 + 洛神珍珠 (medium $2.40)

This refreshing cup of roselle ice tea with roselle pearls didn’t need to have sugar level specified and it’s tangy and sweet.

The roselle plant (Hibiscus sabdariffa) is a species of Hibiscus, and it possesses anti-hypertensive, diuretic and mild laxative properties. The calyces are harvested to make drinks believed to have a cooling effect and reduce cholesterol. Good for health since it’s high in Vitamin C and flavonoids.

洛神冰茶 + 洛神珍珠… roselle ice tea with roselle pearls

Aug 1, 12
奶酪奶茶 (medium $2.90)

The custard milk tea came with milk custard and sweetness was alright at 70% sugar level. The milk custard had a faint milky sweetness and it’s soft and smooth (like tau huay).

奶酪奶茶… custard milk tea with milk custard @ 70% sugar level

Aug 6, 12
布丁奶茶 (medium $2.90)

The pudding milk tea came with pudding (duh!) and the drink wasn’t too sweet at 70% sugar level. The pudding was firm yet smooth, and slightly sweet.

布丁奶茶… pudding milk tea with pudding @ 70% sugar level

Stick House @ JCube

il gelato artigianale su stecco

Italian handcrafted gelato on a stick, so it’s just like licking a popsicle. Only I have the habit of biting off a chunk and letting it melt slowly in my mouth. Sorbets made with fresh fruits are also available.

Located at the basement of the shopping mall, this takeaway stall offers quite a number of flavors.

For added taste and texture, there’s an option of embellishing the stick of icy treat with chocolate coating or nuts topping.

Choice of chocolate coating includes white, milk or dark chocolate. And dipping is either half or full. As for nuts topping, there’s desiccated coconut, almonds, peanuts and pistachio.

We decided to try pista ($4.50) with half dip dark chocolate ($0.30). It’s creamy but flavor wasn’t intense. In fact, the blandness was made even more evident by the chocolate coating.

Our experience was lacklustre but we wouldn’t mind trying the other flavors. However, the price was a bit steep for such a small stick of gelato.

Jun 25, 12

The green tea ($4.50) was a better choice due to its rich flavor. We settled for half dip white chocolate ($0.30) and it complemented the gelato.

Gelateria Italia @ JCube

come nel 1962

Gelateria Italia offers low-fat handmade gelato in a mind-boggling number of tantalizing flavors.

We were spoilt for choice and had taken some time before settling on two for our “medio” cup (medium $6.90).

I was intrigued by caramel baileys but it turned out a little sweet and alcohol flavor was too faint to be noticeable. We both liked green tea as it wasn’t overly milky and it came with a tinge of bitterness.

Surprisingly, the icy sweet treat, while delectably rich-tasting, had a slightly sticky and chewy texture.

Free toppings at the condiments bar included chocolate rice and colorful rainbow bits but it’s impossible to pile them onto the gelato unless we demolished at least half of the creamy mound. However, we’d rather enjoy it without any embellishments.

Jun 5, 12

I couldn’t resist trying a couple of flavors more so K and I shared another medium cup ($6.90) of gelato. We decided on two popular nutty flavors this time – pistachio and hazelnut. Both were delightfully rich and intense.

Note: The gelato parlor has changed its name to Casa Italia.

Gelatissimo @ Shaw House

The real taste of Italia?

This Australian brand of gelato started in 2002 in Sydney and its offerings are made fresh daily in store. But what happens to the giant mounds of leftovers?

We didn’t fill ourselves up to the brim with mushrooms so we decided to stop for an icy cold treat.

Our regular cup ($7.50) of gelato began to melt right after it’s scooped into the cup, and we had to race against it dripping off the edge by eating really quickly.

The caramelized fig wasn’t overly sweet with tiny bits of fruit but the green tea tasted too milky to our liking.

Despite our best efforts, a portion remained behind in the form of a milkshake. It’s impossible to appreciate the texture since it’s so soft. In the end, I was the one who drank it all up.

** Unable to get last-minute movie tickets at Shaw, we went to Ion Orchard and chilled with the new mocha cookie crumble frappuccino at Starbucks.

nydc @ Holland Village

New York dessert café

We were planning to chill with some pastries after our dinner at Hatched but unfortunately had missed the chance for scones at Fosters.

I decided to introduce K to nydc’s awesome mudpies instead. I had to keep my fingers crossed though, since it’s been many years since my last visit. Seriously, nydc is synonymous with mudpies to me. I’ve absolutely no recollection of the other dishes I’d eaten.

For a while, I couldn’t make up my mind which to choose. So we went for the mudpie extravaganza ($11.80), which was a combination of cookie monster, jedi mudster and grandma goes nuts.

A sinful concoction of double chocolate chip, mocha almond fudge and macadamia nut ice cream (nutty nougat ice cream?) with cookie chunks sitting on a crisp oreo cookie base. Complete with chocolate fudge and whipped cream, every mouthful was a sheer delight. The velvety ice cream was studded with peanuts, almonds and marshmallows which added flavor and texture. Extremely satisfying for my sweet tooth, but its size no longer wowed me. It’d shrunk considerably.

The goldmine cheesecake ($7.20) was essentially ally’s new york cheesecake with chocolate chunks, slathered with chocolate fudge topping on an oreo cookie base. Rich creamy cheese with an equally rich chocolate to go along with. A goldmine indeed!

We spent a couple of hours getting high on sugar. The mudpie would’ve to last quite a while since it’s not wise to repeat this indulgence often.

Service was polite and efficient. Our cups were never left empty for too long.

cookie monster – double chocolate chip and mocha almond fudge ice cream with cookie chunks on oreo cookie base
jedi mudster – double chocolate chip and macadamia nut ice cream on oreo cookie base with homemade cookie chunks
grandma goes nuts – nutty nougat and macadamia nut ice cream on oreo cookie base, sandwiched with peanuts, almonds and marshmallows

Total damage: $22.35