Gaga over Japanese sweets

It's Hokkaido Fair again! The last time I wrote about it was back in 2007!! Yea, after being back from Japan, I can't help but get addicted to anything Japanese again easily.

 

That day I read about the fair, I immediately made my way down just to purchase the mille crepe. But sadly, I did buy more than just the cake (a box of 4 for S$18). I got myself Sakura Mochi ice cream (S$5.50) which was mildly sweet, with a grainy texture and quite to my liking. I also got a few skewers of dango (something I missed out in Japan), each costs S$2.70, not the cheapest. I like the sesame one best, so rich and flavorful. The colorful ones were just pretty. The green tea with red beans were alright, very "Japanese" themed but otherwise nothing special. For the mille crepe, as no sample was available, I decided to go for the original flavour. It was so good, my family loved it. So I made another trip down for more.

I got the rare cheese flavour as well as the green tea (that comes sandwiched with two layers of red beans). I quite like the cheese, though the sister did not, it's a bit salty and cheese-y. The green tea is refreshing, something different and those red beans added some sweetness to it. If you get two boxes, it's at S$34 (S$2 cheaper, which I didn't know the first time!) and comes with a cooler bag. I feel like getting more, but I might be going to Malacca for freshly made mille crepe... So I should refrain from buying more!

It's the old man's day

Yesterday was D-day! Actually, what's D-day?!? I have no idea but I presume it can be anything! I just looked up on Wikipedia and it says it's a military term and "In planning, D-Day was the term used for the day of actual landing, which was dependent on final approval. There are also many other ambiguous meanings." So I guess I can use it for birthday and call it my own "Daddy's day"! Sister is away for work trip, mum was out... So I went ahead with my plan, to decorate a cake at The Icing Room. And we ate it without them!! It's a pretty small one, only 4"... and it was good fun designing a cake.

Don't laugh, it's not the best but I still think I did a pretty good job, at least mum says it does resemble my dad (She never got to see it, only from the picture!). So do I.

Craving for cakes II

After another round of cakes from Rive Gauche pâtisserie, it is time to retire from them. I have to say I'm not impressed by the Mont Blanc, at least the Cherry Pistachio is a more exquisite flavour. I only ate half of each of them, the rest finished by the sister and parents. Somehow I can safely say for the coming 2 weeks, I'm going to stop spending on them. Great way to cut down some unwanted calories as well as saving my pocket for something else better :)

Anyway, I was looking for reviews online when I realised a Mont Blanc from them costed S$4.50 in January 2010, and in November it's already S$7! A 36% increase!!! Gosh! So where's the promotion now ya thinking? And this was how it looked like, which is so much prettier than the one they're having now. Here's what it looks like today...

My sister even threw away the chestnut on top! Oh well! It was a little too sweet and creamy and I don't enjoy too much spongecake in my cakes. I guess I'm more a mousse person. Overall, it's just a very average tasting cake, just as bad as how it looks. I somehow prefer its former look, and having read good review about their Mont Blanc, I decided to give it a go... Unfortunately, not impressed at all!

Pistachio Cherry sounds awesome from its name, and I have to say both flavours seem to blend well together. The sour cherry mousse was quite to my liking, but the top layer of pistachio was disappointingly savourless. It could be a lot better... and how about adding on some dark chocolate mousse?? I think that idea will be great, LOL.

So say goodbye to Rive Gauche cakes! I shall save my stomach for better ones.


By the way, my mum got these surprisingly super delightful fruit tarts from the neighbourhood bakery. I have to say they make indeed a lovely treat! She bought 2 some weeks ago and I had them all to myself, very greedy I know, but it shows how good they are! I told her about it and this weekend she got 4 back! Don't worry, I'm not going to eat them all up, this time I'm sharing :D

Best of all, they are cheap!!! I can't believe cheap things can taste so good but you gotta believe it, there are gems. Most neighbourhood bakeries only do mediocre stuff but I guess there can be exceptions! Here's the yummy tart, with crispy buttery crust, fresh cream and freshly cut fruits covered with a layer of jelly.

Craving for cakes I

Thanks to Tampines 1 and their awesome deals. This is also partly why I seldom like to go to town when I can get most things nearby ;)

So this time, let me show you the pictures first. These are from Rive Gauche pâtisserie, one of the celebrated brands around this area.

Napoleon or better known as Mille-feuille

Omelette

Anyway, there was a 1-for-1 Tuesday (applicable for same items only), and I happened to be out that morning and got lucky again, because they were sold out by 4pm the week before. I decided to get a few things home. There were too many choices and also a big risk of expanding waistline, so I would save more for next Tuesday ;) The promotion is ending 4th week November though.

After much hesitation, I settled for Napoleon, which looked really delicious by the look of it! It was as good as it looked, the cream and custard were so fresh, yet not too sweet... ARGH! Writing about it now really makes me hungry!!! The puff pastry was thin and crispy. The strawberry slices were a bit sour but complemented the rest very well. I really enjoyed it even though it didn't stay on my plate long enough ;) My parents like it but thought it is overpriced for cakes (at its original price), but good stuff are worth paying for... and I got a good deal nonetheless!

The Omelette was catchy in the display, which was why I got them. The name is very vague, but it actually contains fresh cream and banana in it. I thought,"Oh, why not have a try!" I have to admit I am not a fan of fresh cream and so it didn't appeal much to me, I like banana though. Dad loves the fresh cream, and the thin skin around it (I couldn't tell what it was made of) but this sure reminds me of the durian puff from Emicakes. Oh yum!

Not for the 'weak-nosed'

Only for durians' lovers. One of the locals' favorite fruits with one of the most unbearable smell is still such a delicacy I cannot resist.

On a recent preying for mooncakes, I came across 717 Trading whom specialty is durian mooncakes. Not a fanatic of durian mooncakes, even though I do love the durians, it made me decided to get something else from them. Their display was flooded with variety of durian products: durian crepe, durian coil, durian sandwich, durian pudding, durian tart, durian puff... and also some of their side products like blueberry cheesecake, strawberry chocolate mousse, etc.

This little cup of durian mousse caught my eye. At first glance, I did not realize it actually is a depiction of a dissected durian (opened into halves). Only when I was openly admiring this little artwork in my hand, that my sister casually remarked,"Aren't those boobs-alike thingy portraying the durian flesh...?" Mmmmm.... it got me wondering and it immediately came into view.

At only S$2.70, this little cup is a treasure island. Get past the cute depiction of a half durian, the cream serves as a complementing companion to the depth of durian flesh beneath. Every spoonful, you get a generous portion of flesh, dig deeper and you get to the sweet white mousse which nicely water down that pungent smell in your mouth. One cup and it really does make me yearning for more!!

Not advised for those feeling "heaty". I woke up the next day feeling like I'd soon fall sick... LOL. But once I get over that, I'm ready for mmm... durian pudding next.

I baked this today

Carrot cake with walnuts and raisins. Bit of a task. A little too sweet. But goes well with a nice cuppa tea ;)
p.s: Picture does look a little too yellow because of the lightings.

Ü

Charcoal-Kokos-Kuchen

Baking attempt failed. Again. This is the second time the cake is burnt, worse looking than the charcoal.
The first time was the fruit pudding cake. Today is the chocolate coconut cake. I've to admit the first time was horrendous, the crumbles were black and it was difficult to separate from the fruits. This time, we went out for lunch, leaving the cake in the oven for an hour like it was instructed on the recipe. We came home to a kitchen that seemed to have underwent combustion. That heat and that smell, could suffocate. We opened the door of the oven, everything was pitch black. Ha ha. Needless to say, we got a charred chocolate coconut cake.
I was sulking. Of course, this time I prepared everything on my own, it's my baby cake. My creation! I want to save it... sobs sobs. Flo brought it out to the balcony to cool it down. I was not convinced it was inedible, so I brought a knife and cut beneath the burned crusts. There was light, it wasn't dead exactly.
I took it back to the kitchen, removed all the burned portion carefully. Oh, my lovely cake. We can still eat it. Yummy, chocolate and coconut!

p/s: title means "charcoal coconut cake"