Patties & Wiches - One of the Better Choices for Cafes in Orchard

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Orchard Road, especially around Takashimaya, is a great place to go (window) shopping. It is great if there are a lot of good choices of restaurants and cafes to hang out at after all the walking. The number of restaurants and cafes are countless, but only few offer good quality food to the niche market. While Takashimaya has Kuroson, Tampopo, Angus, Shaw has Shabu Shabu Gen, and Cuppage contains a whole trove of treasures, there are hardly any good cafes or bakeries around Orchard area. So due to the lack of worthy competition, Patties & Wiches provides a fairly decent choice to tuck into some pretty good cakes and enjoy good coffee.

I have no idea why the owner named this place "Patties & Wiches" because I decided to give it a miss the first time I passed by it due to the name sounds generic and that does not say a lot about what the cafe is all about. But after going to Paul's to find the place full and the cake selection looking unattractive, I turned back to Patties & Wiches since the place of black and white theme does look attractive and is reminiscent of one of those Japanese inspired Western cafes.

The cakes are creations of Chef Yamashita, who is the one behind those sublime cakes of Flor. So yes, cakes are, of course, good. I tried the chocolate cake with chestnut cream. The chestnut cream and the vanilla cream are no doubt very light, mildly yet bursting with creamy goodness, as expected of Flor's cakes. The chestnut cream is still one of the best I ever have, due to the good balance of sweetness and earthy aroma of the chestnuts—too much chestnuts will render the cream bitter while too little makes it taste like normal cream. Though the chocolate sponge in the cake is kind of meh. It is flat in taste, a bit too bitter and pretty dry in texture. I had heard about how the chocolate cakes in Flor are the lacklustre ones in the line-up. Guess it is true, based this first time experience.

The Chou-Pop is good. While the shell is nothing to shout about—at least it is not rubbery like those usual ones—the cream is thick and made with quality ingredients, such as real vanilla.

I did not try the coffee, but my companion gave the thumbs-up to the coffee.

Service is decent but not exemplary. Still, this place is a better choice to go to as compared to few others around the area. Though take note that the prices of the cakes here are exemplary. Nine dollars for a cake ... the cakes at Flor are not that expensive, saved for the sublime Bara that is decorated with real gold flakes. Considering that the cakes at Lady M are around nine dollars price range, this cafe is still the better choice.

My Thoughts: Nice!

This cafe is no longer in operation.

Henri Charpentier - Pretty (and) Impressive

Actually, I was not expecting a lot from Henri Charpentier due to the not-so-fantastic experience at Lady M—the chain restaurants' famous origins can hardly tempt me into trying their offerings. In addition, I do have a preference for quaint bakeries where the head chef is usually based here. All in all, Henri Charpentier impresses me with the meticulous, striking, grand interior and great play of colours through the pairing of fuscia canopy and rustic wooden outdoor flooring against the backdrop of lush greenery. The ambience there is as if it is fit for the royals, in a modern, trendy, casual setting.

The cakes are very beautifully crafted also, looking really delicious. Talking about aesthetics, there are decorations adorning the plates used for serving the cakes. Well, nice effort in having a focus on keeping up on the look, feel and theme of the place. Though I do wonder if the decorations are needed, especially if I have to wait for a while before the cakes arrived.

The Strawberry Shortcake is easily the biggest slice of strawberry shortcake, or cake, for that matter, that I had tried. Neat, nicely placed strawberries in the centre of the cake further enhance its yummy-looking factor. The cream is very light and has a faint aroma of fresh cream. The sponge is quite a disappointment, being dry and rough in texture. Luckily, the generous amount of cream slathered into and on the cake redeems this creation by imparting moisture to the sponges when eaten together.

The blueberry is one of lightest and most unique cheesecakes I had tried. This cheesecake comes in the mousse form, so it is like tucking into airy whipped cream cheese. The right balance of sweetness and the slight hint of sourness of the blueberry jam complements the cheese mousse very well. I do like this cake a lot due to its uniqueness and being one of those cheesecakes that is not heavy.

Since we were the first customers to have our desserts there, I did not encounter any hiccups in the service. 

Given that the price of the cakes here is comparable to those in Lady M, with the quality of the cakes and the ambience being better in Henri Charpentier, it is no brainer that I will choose Henri Charpentier anytime of the day. The only thing is that this place is more of the place that I will definitely visit if dining at Dempsey Hill, rather than specially trekking up to there for the desserts.

Anyway, the cakes are recommended, and this patisserie is one of the better chain stores, by several notches, among its peers.

My Thoughts: Sweet Bliss!

Note: This branch is no longer in operation. Outlet is shifted to Orchard Central.

Culina - Excellent Appetizers, Good Mains

Culina is one of those trendy, modern places where, surprise, families like to dine in. The all-white theme, coupled with the bright light from the sun, does create a family-friendly environment. Maybe it is also because of the mini supermarket section that occupied a side of the restaurant. The "auntie" nature in me was activated when I set my sights on the impressive display of the freshest quality produce.

Being the supplier of premium produce to the restaurants, it is totally expected of this place to serve up dishes made from the freshest ingredients. Culina did not disappoint on this aspect.

The oysters are unbelievably fresh, even fresher than those in the best restaurants in Singapore. Absolutely not a hint of the fishy smell is detected. The Wild Big Oyster is so sublime with its light nutty flavour and plump, succulent flesh. Fines de Claire oysters from Marennes have less meat, but the lingering taste of the ocean packed in these oysters makes for divine treats. Lemon slices and vinaigrette can be added for the extra kick and taste. Though the oysters are good enough to be eaten on their own.

The charcuterie platter offers few interesting appetizers not normally found elsewhere. The ham with lots of spices, in the likes of paprika, added is full of flavours, ranging from the slightly tangy, a bit of hotness to the robust flavour of smoked meat. Nice twist to the otherwise generic ham. The duck terrines are a bit too salty though I find the aroma of duck fat mixed with the minced duck meat to be quite irresistible.

The bread is extremely light and fluffy in texture, exactly how I like it.

With the best ingredients used in the dishes, the mains are pretty okay since it is quite hard to go wrong with premium produce, unless one is a terrible cook. However, after this, the importance of an excellent chef comes into the picture. Under the hands of a good chef, the ingredients can take a life of their own to tell their stories, interesting, out-of-this-world, adventurous or enchanting, to the diners. The thing with the mains here is that they did not achieve this. The chicken is well-roasted with crispy skin, but the meat is dry. And the portion is too big. One whole chicken consisting of dry, somewhat plain meat proves to be a challenge to finish by oneself. I got to take a quick bite of the Atlantic Cod—firm flesh, nice and not fishy, but the cooking method did not release the inherent aroma of the sea that is locked in the fish. To be fair, the fish is better than the ones I had in quite a number of European restaurants, like Les Amis.

The service is okay, particularly efficient. I happened to see a Caucasian staff preparing the just-vacated table for the next group of diners, he was smiling throughout the preparation. I am not sure if he is trained to do so, or he really loves his job. Either way, a smiling face on a staff always makes the patrons feel at ease and lightens their moods. The smile was still there when we called for the bill. So thumbs-up to that.

I will definitely visit this place for the oysters. In fact, I don't think I will bother to order oysters at any places other than Culina. My plan, and my suggestion, is to go crazy on the appetizers and order a main for sharing.

Update: Love the mains of Spaghetti with Spanner Crabmeat! The spaghetti is of just slightly more cooked than al dente, which I still like since spaghetti cooked to this degree still retains the smoothness of al dente pasta while being a bit softer. The sauce is spicy tomato so it hits all the notes in the flavour spectrum, making this dish a very hearty treat. What I like most about this mains is of course the generous amount of fresh crabmeat added!

And I had tried the fries of the Fish n Chips, it is the best french fries due to the wholesome flavour of the potato packed within.

My Thoughts: Wholesome Food, and it is the place I always go to for oysters!

Nearest car park: Dempsey Hill's open air car park. Go early to secure a good slot.

Nearest MRT: Queenstown, be prepared to walk a lot

8 Dempsey Road

#01-13

Singapore

Contact No: 64747338