Kki

So I have finally made it to Kki

It was good friend cum ex colleague's birthday and I had taken the afternoon off to spend it with her. The weather was sweltering hot and after a scrumptous dim sum lunch at Wah Lok, we decided to lift our lazy butts and head elsewhere for coffee and cake.

Kki came to mind straightaway as the type of place my friend would like. We hailed a cab there and were pleasantly surprised to find 2 empty tables in the usually crowded hole in the wall cafe. Since there were 4 of us, we swiftly tried to join the tables together, only to be chided by the very cross looking lady owner who also doubles up as the maitre' d.

The cake selection looked a little frumpy that day. Absent were crowd favorites like the Red Riding Hood and Mont Blanc. Instead, bulk of the offerings comprised of a couple of plain looking triangular cakes (cheesecake and chocolate cake) and some rectangular ones (passionfruit and berry flavoured).

Undaunted, we ordered 4 slices to share, as seen in the picture below



The dome shaped one is called Cafe Dumo (chocolate coffee) and the teardrop shaped one is called Antoinette (white chocolate, mango puree). The 2 rectangular ones are Kinabaru (yellow) and a berry-flavored one whose name I have forgotten (red in color). Kinabaru contains coconut mousse, passionfruit creme and a soft chocolate sponge base. The red one contains champagne and has a strong berry aftertaste.

Personally, although the cakes were nice enough, they did not make me go "WOW". Kinabaru was my favorite of the lot, with its striking passionfruit undertones. I wish the chocolate sponge base of the cake could be crunchy though.

Some drinks to accompany our desserts

My friends enjoyed the experience at Kki (including browsing curios at The Little Drom store).

However, for me, something was missing. And I'm still trying to figure out what all the hype is about.

The Yong Tau Foo Nazi

Love the way this article is written. Makes me feel like staying up tonight for a "Yong Tau Foo" experience.

Click here to view article
http://www.soshiok.com/critic/article/6428

For pictures, click below
http://gourmetconnoisseur.wordpress.com/2009/07/07/shun-li-yong-tau-foo/

To me, experiences like these are what make Singapore unique!

Baumkuchen

Of late, French inspired Japanese confectioneries have been sprouting out all over our sunny little island like grasshoppers. There's the immaculate Kki at Ann Siang Hill, the more homely Glace Patissiere at Icon Village and most recently Flor Patissiere at Duxton.

Strangely, while the pictures look drool worthy, I have yet to be seized by any pressing impulse to check out any of these shops.

Then comes Wheat Baumkuchen. Its like nothing I've ever heard of. Even the name has an enticing lilt to it. I am intruiged. The circular discs of multi layer cakes look like an abomination of the ubiquitous donut and come in suspiciously similar flavors too (green tea, nutella, oreo, chocolate and strawberry). Each piece is affordably priced from SGD2.80 onwards and is apparently selling like hot cakes, attracting a loyal clientele ranging from Japanese housewives to Toa Payoh aunties.

Is this going to spawn a donut-like craze in Singapore again? Only time will tell.

Wheat Baumkuchen
Blk 190, Toa Payoh Lorong 6
Tel: 6356 5529
Website: www.wheatbaumkuchen.com

40 Tokyo foods we can't live without

As compiled by the good folks in CNN Go. Click here to access the article. Sure makes me feel like booking the next available flight to Japan!

Mooncakes 2010

Majestic Restaurant @ Bukit Pasoh/ Jing @ One Fullerton

The deal I managed to sniff out this week comes from Majestic Restaurant.

A quick scan of this year's offerings doesn't reveal anything new. There are only 2 flavors for snowskin mooncakes (lychee liquer and durian) and the traditional baked mooncakes all come with at least one yolk.

Nonetheless, I'm still set on getting myself a box of mooncakes from Majestic this year. The restaurant is well known for its quality cuisine and I'm pretty sure this applies to its mooncakes too.

Click here for pricelist.

Note: DBS offering 30% off Majestic mooncakes till 29 Aug. Thereafter, 20% off mooncakes from 30Aug-22Sept

Mooncakes 2010

Swensens

Like many in my generation, I hold fond memories of ice cream escapades in Swensens. On special occasions, mom and dad would take us there for The Earthquake. Do you know that you are entitled to a complimentary sundae (called the Firehouse Birthday) if you visit any Swensens outlet on your birthday and present your ic?

For those who do not enjoy the traditional taste of baked mooncakes, do consider purchasing a box of Swensens Snowskin Ice Cream Mooncakes instead.

Special flavors: Sticky Chewy Chocolate, Durian, Chempedak, Coffee Raisins, Mixed Berries, Peanut Butter Crunch, Salted Caramel Cheesecake (yum!), yam

Price: SGD26.90 for a box of 4 mooncakes- the cheapest of the lot! Plus there's a 20% early bird discount if you order by 31 August.

Mooncakes 2010

Jade, Fullerton Hotel

Of late, my mailbox has been spammed with numerous mooncake promotions from various hotels.

I couldn't help take a peek at some of these and decided to splash them on my blog so that mooncake lovers can compare notes.

Here's promo no 1...from one of my favorite mooncake establishments- Fullerton Hotel

To access mooncake order form, click here
Special flavours this year:
Snowskin: Rose Red Bean, Lavender Macadamia Green Bean (what a mouthful!), Hibiscus Strawberry and Osmanthus White Lotus.
Baked: Black sesame and custard