Rokkatei Strawberry Chocolate

 

The floral pattern on the cup is so pretty. Anyway, most important is still what's inside the cup. Freeze-dried strawberry is like a strawberry cookie filled with 100% goodness and sweet aroma of strawberries. And the sweetness and richness of white chocolate go so well with the tart taste of the strawberry. A very distinctive and unique sweet.

Country of Origin: Japan

Where to get this: Isetan Shaw Centre Supermarket or https://shopee.sg/product/302701096/16971883585?smtt=0.147269227-1668550049.9

Atout Singapore - Fine Groceries and Delicious Food

What leads me to discovery of this gem of Atout is actually Kampot Pepper! It is one of the best peppers in the world with hints of floral aroma amid the distinct spiciness of black pepper. A search on the web for this, and voila, I found Atout, one of the few grocers who carries this product. And being very happy with my stash of groceries brought online from here, I figure that I should try dining at this place.

Smoked Salmon Rilette with Mixed Greens & Pickles is full of colours and flavours. The tanginess of zucchini and carrot refreshes the palates while the greens is crunchy and full of flavours due to zesty seasoning oil drizzled over it. I'm not exactly a salad person but this salad wins me over. Salmon rilette has that subtle distinctive flavour of cooked salmon, and this subtlety is exactly how I like it. The pink peppercorns sprinkled over this spices things up. A well-executed dish.

One of the perks of dining here is that bread and French butter are included in the set lunch because the warm bread with soft fluffy interior is delicious. I can actually finish the whole lot of them, whether with butter or on its own. What is even better is that the French Conviette butter given is oh so amazingly good. Within the buttery, super creamy goodness, there is a very light hint of citrus, which refreshes the whole taste of the bread. This is so good that it is totally worth it to come to this restaurant to dine just for this butter.

And extra information: this butter is certified AOP (Appellation D'Origine Protégée), meaning that it is a unique quality product produced with au naturale ingredients, strict standards and specific methods.

Marrennes-Oleron Oysters Super Special Jerome Miet is fresh, fleshy, succulent, nutty and milky in taste. Very good oysters. And they are interestingly paired with lime vinaigrette, which has a bit of Thai influence. This vinaigrette actually goes very well with the milky taste of the oysters. I love this new surprising combination. Though one thing of imperfection is that the shucking process is not meticulous, so there are bits of shell and sediments left in the oysters. If this is improved, I say this is highly recommended.

US Kurobuta Pork Cheek braised in Red Wine, Carrots, Mushrooms and Potatoes is such a hearty treat. Generous portions of tender, gamey meat and potatoes will delight Braised Meat fans. The pork is so tender that I can use a spoon to lightly scoop out a chunk of pork. Unbelievable. Obviously, lots of effort is put into making of this dish to make the meat so tender.But I have to admit that I regret ordering this because I’m not into braised stuff, and this does not change my mind about it.

I love Valrhona Dark Chocolate 'Nougat Glacé, Almond Tuile because not only it is good, full of the intensity of quality dark chocolate, and the texture is so unique. It is slightly sticky and chewy, just like chocolate nougat. I'm surprised by how good chocolate can be when in chewy form. To make it even better, after a few chews of the chocolate, it melts into chocolatey goodness in the mouth. This change in texture is interesting and for practical purposes, it does not leave chewy bits in the teeth. Almond Tuile is a nice complement to the chocolate to add the crunchiness texture and nutty flavour to it. This creation is another one of those desserts that I think deserves a special trip down to try out.

The place is of stylish interior with dark wood framing the full length windows overlooking the lush greenery outside. One will really feel the peace and serenity of nature here, with the comfort of air-conditioning. This is perfect for an idyllic day out for families, couples, friends and even solos, like me. The service is very good. They are very attentive, without my prompting, they automatically come up to clear the plates, fill up my glass with still water and even clean up the water spilled by me immediately. Extra compliments to two young service staffs: an Indian guy and a Chinese gal, I didn't get their names though. All of them are very friendly, and the dining experience here ends on a good note with the guy at door bidding farewell.

I like this restaurant a lot. In fact, I prefer this place over another one of similar concept (dining + grocer) due to the extensive menu, unique creations, the value-for-money set lunch and good service. This is a great place to recommend for gatherings and yes, even for solo outing to just enjoy nature with the good food.

Thoughts: Lots of Greenery + Good Unique Food + Quality Groceries + Good Service = Win

40C Harding Road

Singapore

Nearest MRT: Napier

And of course, I go to the grocer after this to get my hands the Conviette Butter,

Got some quality milky white chocolate to make white chocolate lava cakes.Country of Origin: FranceYes, the Kampot pepper! I also got some pink peppercorns which is more fruity in aroma.Country of Origin: Cambodia

Hakata Hiroko 5 colors story

 

Super cute chicks! Best to eat these with a cup of tea. My favourite got to be the strawberry one since it is full of strawberry aroma plus a bit of tangy flavour of real strawberries. Sakura is pretty good too.

Country of Origin: Japan

Where to get this: https://shopee.sg/product/640881509/19706765895?smtt=0.147269227-1661525173.9

KitKat Nuts and Strawberry

I like munching on these every now and then.

Swiss Delice

For something different, to try or to give as presents, check out Swiss Delice products.

White Chocolate Truffino Pink consists of a core of raspberry cream encased in paper thin wafer that is coated with white chocolate. Due to the combination of raspberries and white chocolate, this decadent truffle piece features intense flavours. Great gift for that someone special. But this sold out fast at road shows, so grab a box fast if you spot it.

Air Passion is yoghurt cream sandwiched between airy, light, meringue-like biscuits. I like this due to the tangy flavours of yoghurt and the fact that this is a unique confectionary.

Choco Truffino Noir is like White Chocolate Truffino Pink, except that the core is hazelnut cream and dark chocolate is used instead. It is nice, but given that there are lots of other products featuring the combination of hazelnut and dark chocolate, this is not exactly special in any way.

Since no artificial flavours and colours are added, these make great treats for kids too.

Country of Origin: Switzerland
Where to get this: The Cocoa Trees

Kägi

Love the strong taste of rum in this wafer chocolate!

Country of Origin: Switzerland
Where to get this: The Cocoa Trees

Chocolates!!!

Frankly speaking, I had never been a fan of chocolates or anything chocolate. Only quality chocolates can covert me into a chocolate lover in an instant. And these do not include the likes of boutique chocolates, like Godiva, and the Belgian chocolates that many love. Boutique chocolates are more renowned for the brand name instead of the taste while Belgian chocolates are the best among supermarket brands only. Just check the list of ingredients to know if it is quality chocolate. More often than not, they have artificial flavouring, such as vanillin, and oil added.

Good chocolates will not feature these additives. The creaminess will only come from the cocoa butter, nothing else. Real vanilla is added, sometimes, some varieties do not even have vanilla incorporated. In fact, depending on the origins of the cocoa used, gourmet chocolates have unique tastes of their own, ranging from rich, smoky, smooth, acidic, fruity to tangy. The cocoas are sunned dry instead of being smoked dry to ensure the flavours are preserved and untainted by the smoke. Some of the best cocoas come from South America. Yes, quality chocolates will have the origins of the cocoas stated.

For le créme de la créme chocolates, go for Amedei, Valrhona and Michel Cluizei chocolates, which are from Italy and France. Chocolate cakes made with these chocolates are definitely a league above their counterparts.

Other chocolates that make great gifts or for savouring are Royce Chocolates and German chocolates. I like Royce for the nama chocolates, which are incredibly smooth and creamy due to lots of fresh cream added. This is very different from other chocolates, thus will definitely impress if given as gifts to family or friends. While German chocolates are not gourmet chocolates, I prefer these over the Belgian ones since these do not contain artificial additives and not as cloyingly sweet.

The Dark Gallery - A Place to See and to be Seen

As the title of this post has highlighted, this is a chic cafe to hang out at to see the people passing by and to be seen due to the open concept of the place. And I guess chilling out at here gives the impression that one is in a dark, seductive mood, thus having a craving for dark, rumoured to be mildly aphrodisiac chocolates?

Anyway, I have only tried the ice-cream and macarons, and my personal opinion is that the ice-cream is worth a shot while the macarons can be skipped. The ice-cream is very rich, thick and creamy, which is all good. The macarons look so pretty due to the pastel colours and feature some exotic flavours that tempt me to buy four of them to try. Alas, they are huge disappointment. The shells are too flimsy and have lots of huge holes within them, so the chewy texture I relish in macarons is non-existent here. The cream sandwiched between the shells is too thin to allow the flavour in it to be noticeable. The quality of the macarons is not even comparable to those made by some home bakers. It does not help that when I spend more than ten dollars to buy four macarons, they are packed into a pathetic clear plastic bag that can be found in SKP stores.

Service is a mixed bag. One of the staff is thoughtful enough to see that it is pretty unsightly for me to lug around a cheap-looking plastic bag of macarons and offers a paper bag to me to put the macarons in. The other staffs are pretty unimpressive in their standard of service. They look perpetually grumpy and are pretty unhelpful, giving half-hearted answers to my queries.

Maybe the dark chocolates here are good, but it will take a while before I get around to trying them since the service does not make me feel welcomed, and the standard of the macarons here further deters me from jumping into it.

My Thoughts: Not Bad, I mean the Ice Cream only

Nearest car park: Millenia Walk’s car park
Nearest MRT: Promenade

Millenia Walk #01-K5
9 Raffles Boulevard
Contact No: 62550368

Yogurette

The acidity and creaminess of yogurt simply works so well with chocolate.

Country of Origin: Germany

Where to buy this: Candy Empire

Valrhona Chocolates

As I had said before in another post about gourmet chocolates, premium chocolates are totally different from the common ones found in most supermarkets. Premium ones are made from pure, natural ingredients, and the rich taste and smooth yet not waxy texture show it. Valrhona chocolate, famous for use in cakes, is definitely one of my favourite brands of chocolates.

It is not easy to find this brand of chocolates, so imagine my joy when I first spotted them in Emporium Shokuhin. Best of all, there are occasional discounts on specific types of chocolates, so I grabbed the ones on offer.

Andao has the richest chocolatey taste of the lot while Tanariva features the flavour of caramel, adding a hint of excitement to the taste. And amazingly, no caramel is added to Tanariva, the flavour comes from the cocoa itself. Yes, quality chocolates are like wines, they have their own characteristic bouquet and flavour. Ivoire has my nod of approval due to strong flavour of cocoa butter and the addition of raspberries to give that extra kick and crunchiness to the chocolate. Guanaja is elegant and intense in taste. I also like Manjari a lot due to its fruity taste.

For best appreciation of the chocolates, savour it at room temperature, or at least, not straight out from the fridge.

Country of Origin: France
Where to buy: Emporium Shokuhin (This grocer is currently not in operation)

Loacker Gardena Fingers

It is hard to go wrong with coconut added into food. So Loacker Gardena coconut fingers hit the right notes. The rich nutty flavour of coconut makes this an enjoyable treat.

Country of origin: Italy

Where to buy this: All major supermarkets

Chocolate and Gelato Shoppe - Mmmmmm, Gourmet Chocolates! And yummyGelato!

Closed

Formerly known as Xotiq Chocolatier, this little shop is one of those few places which sells gourmet chocolates (No, I do not consider those famous boutique chocolates as gourmet).

Frankly speaking, Gourmet Chocolates are the only chocolates that I actually like since I had never liked chocolates. Something about that smoky smell, the sour aftertaste, blatant sweetness and my occasional bouts of allergy reaction (don't ask me why, it just happens sometimes when I eat some of those commercial chocolates) that make me choose vanilla over chocolate anytime of the day.

However for gourmet chocolates (think Valrhona, Michel Cluizel and Amedei), it is just pure love and indulgence. Why? Because these chocolates do not have that smoky smell (due to the fact that the cocao beans are sunned dry instead of going the faster way of being smoked dry), have none of those nasties that I encountered with commercial chocolates due to the quality beans used (namely from South America, instead of Africa where children are exploited as cheap labour) and stringent control of the processes.

All these show in the very quality of the chocolates themselves, rich, velvet in texture, complex (with hints of the taste of different kinds of fruits or nuts, depending on the origin) and with the taste lingering on the palate. It is kind of unbelievable that I can taste the distinct taste of citrus fruits in Michel Cluzei's Mangaro when no fruits are added inside.  Thus coming to this humble little shop is a gourmet chocolate's fan's sweetest dream, and they even sell those tiny samples (they do let customers sample some chocolates for free if they are interested in the bars) for customers to try all the different types of chocolates.

Besides Chocolates, there are Gelato of different flavours available and they taste natural and good.

The service is friendly and personal, and the lady boss even went the extra mile to pack the samples I brought into a nice packaging, completed with ribbons when I told her it was meant as a gift.

I always like to say, "If you want to eat chocolates, gourmet chocolates are the ones you should try."

My Thoughts: Very Nice!

This restaurant is no longer in operation.

Royce Chocolate - Nama Chocolates that actually taste refreshing

The reason on why I said that Royce nama chocolates taste refreshing is because each cute block of chocolate is filled with insane amount of light, fresh cream that refreshes the palate and at the same time, imparting that luxurious, creamy taste, without the oiliness.

The ingredients say a lot on how good the chocolates are, main ingredients being fresh cream and cocoa butter. Fresh cream with pure cocoa yields an intense chocolatey flavour, not tainted by trans fat.

The rest of the range of products are creative and interesting also. Though the star got to be the nama chocolates.

Fruit Bar Chocolates is another must try because it is like no others. The generous amount of berries added imparted the sweet floral aroma and hints of fruity, tangy flavours into the white chocolate. This combination is match made in heaven. Yes, the creamy white chocolate goes so well with the acidity of fruits like raspberry, strawberry and the likes. The texture of puffed rice contrasts so well with the gummy-like texture of the dried fruits. This is quite an addictive treat.

Great as gifts, besides self indulgence.

My Thoughts: Nice!

Link below to check for location of all branches
http://www.e-royce.com/english/shop/shopintheworld/singapore.html