Pierre Herme - Beautiful Array of Dainty French Desserts

 Since I'm at Resort World Sentosa, I might as well visit Pierre Herme to experience a taste of France. The place looks so classy, impressive dainty, and beautiful, with the huge array of beautiful desserts and trays of macarons on display at the counter. This is like a French dessert boutique. So naturally, I want to get some of these dainty, lovely desserts. The dining area on second floor is full though, so I made do with getting some macarons home.

The macarons here have rich taste and perfectly crispy shells with chewy interior. And I choose a cute macaron box with Eiffel Tower as design.

Thoughts: Impressive and Beautiful

26 Sentosa Gateway Weave #01-234/234A

Mr Bucket Chocolaterie - Goodness of Cacao

Making cacao paste, trying tempering of chocolate, sampling a variety of artisan chocolates and enjoying dinner courses made with parts of cacao just sounds too tempting to resist. And so no hesitation in signing up for Mr.Bucket’s Bean to Table Experience to experience all of the above.

It is a feast for the senses where we get to know how cacao becomes the chocolate we love, what are the products of cacao (cacao wine, anyone?), seldom heard Southeast Asian premium cacaos, get our hands on trying some of processes of making chocolate and simply savouring some good food and chocolates.

The food here is surprisingly delicious, with that unique twist from the use of cacao products (husk, nibs, paste, wine, butter). And the chocolates here each has unique taste profile, depending on the type of single-origin cacao used.

The host of the night is so friendly, helpful and knowledgeable, making this a fun night.

Pepper Chocolate here is made from single-origin cacao, with the best pepper holding Protected Status: Kampot Pepper. The taste is surprisingly balanced, with notes of fruits, cacao and earthy smooth spiciness. Interesting and addictive in taste. No wonder this is an award winner.

Refreshing lemony drink made from cacao husk. Actually the lemony taste is from the husk.

Making cacao paste by crushing the fermented beans, followed by grinding the nibs with the stone pestle until it turns into paste.

Cacao Somen with Tomato Broth, Marinated Tomatoes, Pickled Shimeji has Cacao husk added for a unique tangy sauce, combined with fruity tangy taste of tomato, for a result that is so balanced in tangy flavours. I love the refreshing taste and smooth texture of the somen. Tastes healthy and packs with so many flavours at the same time. The crunchy green peas also adds a good texture contrast. I'm so impressed by this first dish already. 

Seared Salmon with Goma Crunch blows me away by how good a salmon can taste, considering I'm no fan of salmon. Smooth and fresh meat juxtaposes so perfectly with the crispy skin. The vegetal sweetness of Caramelised Fennel accentuates the creaminess of the fish meat. I love the extra smoothness and creaminess from the Calamansi Butter Sauce. Glazed Baby Potatoes are such hearty treats to go with the fish. 

Roasted Chicken is so succulent with light savoury meaty sweetness, completed with crispy skin. The meat is very flavourful and tastes rich and unique when paired with buttery, thick, slightly bitter cacao paste. Surprisingly, it works. The magic happens when paired with the Charred Corn and Pomegranate Seeds; the refreshing floral juices cut through the richness to yield an awesome complex taste that balances the meatiness of the dish. I never expect a chicken dish to be so good.

Roasted Oyster Mushroom, Mashed Potatoes and Caramelised Onion speaks of earthy goodness and showcases a good variation of textures. The cacao wine adds a hint of complexity to the taste.

The Chocolate Cake, layered with cake sponges, whipped cream and dusted with cacao powder, tastes amazingly light, full of balanced chocolatey goodness and different textures. I'm wowed by how balanced the taste of this chocolate dessert is.

Thoughts: Cacao Good Times!

13 Dempsey Hill

TWG Tea Garden - Wonderful European Inspired Cafe

Actually I am just roaming around Marina Bay Sands after a morning at Gardens by the Bay, when I spot a lovely looking cafe with European inspired furnishings, think red wood panels, English Calligraphy, English crockery, with touches of Parisan flair, then interestingly added lots of crystal yellow lights, reminding me of those quaint Japanese cafes serving European inspired cuisine. Looking at the impressive front of the store stacked with TWG tea tins and boxes of different colours, I just step into the cafe, wanting to immerse in the atmosphere. A good thing that I go in before the high tea crowd comes in because the cafe soon gets full after a short while.

I’m actually surprised by how comprehensive the menu is, given the cafe setting. It has light bites for brunch, heavier mains, dainty high tea sets, desserts and of course, a variety of teas. The desserts are light and moist, while what truly impresses me is the caviar set. This is so luxurious and delicious that I say, “Definitely try this is you are in the mood to splurge.”

Sugar packed in this quaint porcelain jar actually.

The caviar set immediately got my attention with its TWG Tea caviar (20g) accompanied by chopped capers, chives & red onions, boiled egg yolk and boiled egg whites, served with a duet of Matcha blinis and crème fraîche sprinkled with Gyokuro Samurai tea leaves.

It tastes as good as it sounds. The caviar has a mild buttery saline taste that tastes so good on its own already. It’s a wow moment when I savour the caviar with the soft, super fluffy, warm Matcha blini. When paired together, the buttery saline becomes sweeter, completed with an additional toasty aroma and the contrast in texture between the caviar and blini. Crème fraîche adds the creaminess and slight tang to add the extra lux and smoothness to the texture. Go sparingly with the capers, since this, when add in a dot is excellent in perking up the taste, but overwhelming if too much is piled on. Finely chopped onions and boiled egg add the variety and extra oomph to the delicate taste of the caviar without overwhelming it.

I love this so much.

Rum Baba here, which is rum-soaked cake that is like no others. Additional twists, in the form of rum jelly adding so much to the texture and Vanilla Bourbon Tea Ice-Cream adding the refreshing astringent element, make this cake such a delight and surprise to savour. Chantilly cream adds the creaminess to balance the intoxicating and lovely sweet taste of rum. Powdered Rum tea sprinkled on top for the extra touch.

Nice and moist Strawberry Shortcake.

Smooth earl grey served in a unique, classy pot.

Thoughts: Ultimate Tea Party!

The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, 2 Bayfront Avenue, B2-65/68A