Tag Archives: Chocolate
Canelé Pâtisserie Chocolaterie Christmas Memories 2012
The BEST part about Christmas is always PRESENTS! And while Christmas shopping for loved ones, friends and family does get stressful sometimes because you want to find the perfect present, somehow chocolates, sweets and special treats always seal the deal and makes any recipient very happy (especially if the recipient is a girl!).
Canelé Pâtisserie Chocolaterie has 15 new festive products just for you to select and pick for anyone special. The best part is that these lovely treats can be delivered right to their doorsteps, so you know for sure that they will receive it on the exact day you want them to!
Revolving around three very special themes- Relive, Re-create and Inspire, these festive goodies of gingerbread, truffles, logcakes and Christmas hampers are bound to bring some smiles.
The Limited Edition Christmas Macarons (1pc $3) from the Re-create series have been designed deliberately to bring some Christmas sparkle. With exotic flavours like Amedei Chuao Cassis, Chestnut Obsession, Cranberry Indulgence, Elder Flower Blossom, Gingerbread and Nougat Temptation, it is hard to not get into the mood especially with the chocolate snowflakes and edible glitter little touches on the macarons.
Restaurant Week ’12: Novus Restaurant & Bar
My second restaurant week reservation was for yet another DiningCity star-awarded restaurant. This time it was for dinner and hence the $20++ supplement. Located at level 1 of the National Museum, there was definitely a shared elegance in both the architecture and interior space between both the restaurant and the museum. With dimmed lighting that lent a subtle hint of romance and mystery, this modern-European restaurant was certainly stylish. I chose Novus mainly because of the much raved about Valrhona Chocolate Test dessert and also for their creative flair actualized in the food served here.
What is also unique at Novus is that the servers will put little placards on your table with a short description of the course that is to be served. Loved these thoughtful touches that provided a sense of anticipation during the meal. Unfortunately for us, perhaps due to the crowd for restaurant week, causing the servers to be a little overwhelmed, the placements of these placards stopped after the appetizers.
APPETIZERS
Tiger Prawn Salad
A mix of really fresh peeled prawns, cherry tomatoes, red radish with market lettuce, this salad was unfortunately pretty ordinary. I would have certainly preferred a tad more balsamic vinaigrette dressing as the overall texture of this salad was just dry and not tossed properly. Not exactly the start to the meal at Novus I was expecting…
French Onion Soup
This French classic on the other hand was something special. The beef stock that the onions were simmered in was flavoursome and tasty without being too salty. With the baguette nicely softened after being soaked in the soup and topped with that wonderful thick layer of melted gruyere…that was plain ol’ good authentic heartwarming and comforting French food served in a bowl.
SPRMRKT- Food. Retail. Art.
SPRMRKT which is actually SUPERMARKET spelt without the vowels, is a space that combines shopping, eating and even art appreciation all in one single visit. The brainchild of owners Joseph Yeo and Sue-Shan, SPRMRKT strives to provide you with a unique casual gourmet dining experience when you come here. The ingredients are fresh and dishes are made from scratch. And with a daily changing menu, you will definitely not get bored each time you visit.
We checked out their website for the menu before deciding which day we wanted to come down. After much deliberation (because there was something interesting served everyday), we decided on a Tuesday visit.
To start off, we had the Quinoa $11. The high protein grain which I grew to love back in Australia was tossed with a mix of french beans, carrots, garlic bits, mixed greens and extra virgin olive oil dressing. The crunchiness of the quinoa blended well with the garlic bits and dressing so well that a seemingly simple dish turned out so fresh, delicious and healthy tasting.
We were very fascinated by the Blackened Fish & Chips $17. Covered with squid ink batter instead of the usual white flour mixture, this was definitely eye catching with its jet black appearance. The batter was crisp and not oily at all while the white fish was so fresh. Accompanying the fish were some paprika seasoned shoestring fries as well that deserves a mention.
Two thumbs up for this BLACK Fish & Chips!
Sarnies @ 136 Telok Ayer Street
Sarnies- a Brit slang for Sandwiches, is a quaint little cafe located in the CBD area. Opened by a brother and sister team from Aussie, this sandwich specialty shop has fast worked its way into the hearts of many with their emphasis on healthy, organic, whole foods at affordable prices. It was hard not to feel a wave of nostalgia as I walked through the doors and saw the chalked boards which displayed the cafe’s offerings with salads, sandwiches and the wine display at the side because it was like any ‘typical’ cafe you would step into Down Under.
It was also noticeably obvious that most customers were regulars, evident from the friendly banter exchanged while the counter staff were taking orders though this is hardly surprising as they were very down-to-earth and genuine people. Because of the small seating area indoors and unless you were willing to sit outdoors in the sweltering heat, many people walked in and left with big brown paper bags as takeaways instead.
Known for their fresh ingredients and hearty portions, we decided to get a salad + sandwich + brownie to share so that we would be able to finish everything and at the same time, sample a little of everything!
We chose the Pesto Special which was a daily special salad. A large bowl of really fresh mixed lettuce, shredded chicken, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes with the biggest dollop of Pesto dressing ever! This homemade basil pesto dressing is the best pesto I have had by far. Great blend of crushed garlic, basil and olive oil with bits of pine nuts that just pulled the entire salad together with its flavour and almost creamy consistency. We loved it so much we had to ask if the dressing was for sale. And guess what? It is! Just call a couple of days ahead, place your order and you can go down to collect your very own container of basil pesto dressing..imagine how awesome al dente spaghetti would taste with that pesto!
Next up was their crowd-pleasing Aussie Grass Fed Steak, dijon mustard, mixed lettuce, mushrooms and caramelized onions that is only available for lunch. The bread is apparently handmade and baked by the owners each day and is a hit with customers. Unfortunately, the crust was a little too rock hard for me and I was finding difficulty in biting through the sandwich, which was frustrating because the layers of steak, mushrooms and caramelized onions spilling out of the sandwich looked so inviting.
PS. Cafe (Palais Renaissance)
Always one to exude that chilled and laid back vibe with its large plate servings, mouthwatering displays of cakes and somewhat pricey menu, PS. Cafe is indeed a dependable choice to fall back on when you simply wish to unwind. They are afterall, one of the first pioneer concept cafes that first came onto the scene in the last couple of years.
This was my first time at the Palais Renaissance branch and the ambiance did not disappoint one bit. The somewhat dim lighting atmosphere unique to PS. Cafe was no different at this location and while it was tempting to stay at the air-conditioned part of the cafe, I was freezing after being in the cinema for the last 2 hours so the al-fresco area was naturally a better option for me.
I did however prefer the outdoor section of the cafe once I saw it. It was an open concept with natural light coming through and mirrors all around the place. If it werent for the renovations going on next door and ruining the view from the window, it would have been perfect.
Furthermore, because we came at such an odd timing of 5pm when there was almost no one, we had the entire garden-like outdoor patio all to ourselves. It is actually the perfect place for a date given the privacy, layout and ‘lush greenery’ all around you. But you have to come at the right time because the place can get pretty packed and crowded around dinner time.
Since the dinner menu only starts at 6pm, we decided to start to order the Chocolate Crunch Doorstop $15.90 first. It was three layers of chocolate mousse, caramelized nuts (pecans, almonds and walnuts) and a chocolate cake base topped with malteaser balls! I loved the first 2 layers. The chocolate mousse was not too sweet, light, smooth and airy (just as it was supposed to be) and I never say no to caramelized nuts! But the chocolate cake was a bit of a disappointment because it was simply too dry!
