Royce has been dethroned!

I'm no chocolate connoisseur. However, there are days when Cadbury chocolate just doesn't make the cut. For days when I crave something more, I usually reach for a box of Royce nama chocolate.

Over the Chinese New Year celebrations, we played host to some friends. After dinner, a guest furtively shoved a packet of these into my hands and urged me to try them asap. She then proceeded to explain how she had magically chanced upon these delish creations at an obscure sweet shop tucked in Parco Bugis. After some egging from the cute Japanese boss, she bought a packet to try.

The rest is history.

I apprehensively unwrapped the packet and helped myself to a piece. Appearance wise, the cocoa dusted sphere looked small and unassuming. After popping it into my mouth and biting into the chocolate, I was impressed by its smooth finish, which left a pleasant nutty bittersweet aftertaste on my tongue. As I ventured on to make out the remaining flavors, I was surprised to discover the addition of cheese! The resulting blend of bittersweet and savory was bizarre yet so orgasmic-ally good. I couldn't resist taking a second and third helping. Soon the whole packet was empty.

And the rest is history.

I wonder why I don't get this "shiok" factor from high end ang moh chocolates like Hediard, Godiva and Laurent Bernard. Perhaps my tastebuds are still not sophisticated enough.

Morning snack

I awoke at 5am this morning and found myself in an awkward position-it was too early for breakfast and too late to go back to sleep.

Since Hubby was awake and game for a car ride, we decided to drive to Changi Airport to grab a bite.

Terminal 2 boasts the greatest food selections, with a 24 hr Swensens, Ya Kun, Mac Donalds, Polar, Coffee Bean and Burger King. Since Hubby was in the mood for something heavy and hearty, Swensens was the obvious choice.

Didn't take a picture of Hubby's food (chicken baked rice) as it looked quite boring.

I did however manage to snap a most interesting looking cake as we were walking back.

Kit Kat Petite

Update: Just visited Cold Storage and discovered that you can redeem the above cake free if you spend SGD25 on Nestle products (including KitKat, AfterEight and Milky Way)

How very quaint and innovative!

I used to think that all the yummy cakes that could ever be thought of had already been created. How wrong I have been!

Update: A colleague gave me the KitKat mini log for Christmas this year. It looked delicious and Hubby immediately staked a claim over it. Unfortunately, it was all looks and no substance. The outer fudge layer crumbled off to reveal a pathetic looking sponge which was half hollow. What a bummer.

The Girl Who Couldn't Stop Thinking About Chocolate Cake

After an unsavory experience at Kki, I have come to the realisation that chi chi cakes just don't do it for me.

Call me boring, stereotype..whatever. Just give me good ol chocolate fudge cake without the bells and whistles and I'll be happy.

To prove this point, I bought a small chocolate fudge cake from Awfully Chocolate on Friday to celebrate the passing of the 1st 3 months of my pregnancy.

Darn, it was good.

I wasn't too sure if I would be able to stomach chocolate cake but took my chances.

And it worked!

Steps to eating chocolate cake:

First and foremost, take out the box from the fridge


Open it!

Behold its glory for a brief moment.

Quickly cut yourself a generous slice and tuck in!

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

Love at First Bite

During a recent gathering at home, a close family friend presented us with a suspicious looking red plastic bag containing 4 equally suspicious looking rectangular cardboard boxes.

Since this friend is an ardent foodie, we instantly knew we were in for a treat. Contained in each cardboard box were 8 luscious looking original beancurd tarts, screaming to be eaten.

Handle with care. Require refrigeration. Consume within 2-3 days. Best served chilled.

Have you eaten Le Cafe beancurd tarts before? If you haven't, do yourself a favour and get a box as soon as possible. Each tart fits snugly in the cusp of your palm and is filled with the smooth silky goodness of beancurd with just a hint of sweetness. The crust is slightly thick but not overly crumbly (no pork or lard used) , boasting just the right amount of crunch and buttery goodness.

Needless to say, these tarts became the highlight of our gathering and will be the highlight of many gatherings to come. If you like variety, the tarts also come in interesting flavours like ginko nut and white fungus.

Word of warning though:

1) Each tart cannot be purchased individually. Its either a box of 8 or nothing. Clever marketing ploy or economies of scale? With tarts these good-who cares.

2) Order in advance to avoid incurring the wrath of the owners, who purportedly can get quite nasty to walk-in customers during peak hours.

Le Cafe Confectionary
Address: 264 Middle Road, Elias Building
Tel: 6337 2417
Website: www.lecafe.com.sg/beancurd.htm