La Maison du Chocolat

Have you ever stepped into a famous patisserie and told yourself.... "This place is supposedly amazing cause' everyone said so about their macarons" ?

Have you ever stared into the window display and told yourself... "Oh the chocolate macarons must be good cause' its been crowned their signature"?

Have you ever bought 2 macarons, looked at them and told yourself... "Ahh these MUST be good cause' its their signature AND everyone else said its amazing"?

Have you ever pushed your expectations sky high, unwrapped the macaron, cautiously took a bite then find yourself raising your eyelids and go... "Mmmmm NOW I GET IT."

Cause' i just did.

The Pistachio Chocolate Macaron. Oooooh to that fine crust cracking with a less than an inch of a touch. Ahhhhh to that moist shell innards that released quality pistachio (paste) fragrance and a perfect chewing consistency. Ooooomph to that premium chocolate ganache that's silky delicate yet robust in cocoa percent.

The Guayaquil Chocolate Macaron was same ultimate goodness, double the chocolate experience. US$2.50 for each tiny tot sized but monstrous levels of macachoco-tisfaction.

My macaron soul was sold. To La Maison du Chocolat.

La Maison du Chocolat

30 Rockefeller Center

49th St, NY 10020

http://www.lamaisonduchocolat.com

Axis Lounge, Mandarin Oriental

You know you've found the right companion when a girlfriend speaks your language...

We share the love for idle sundays.

We share the love high teas.

We share the love for every congenial edible.

Call us the tai-tai wannabes.

Mandarin Oriental's teatime deal is quite a catch. For $32++ you get to enjoy a stunning triple-tier stand cramped with goodies for 2, amidst hushed ambience and an esplanade view unobstructed. There's both sweet & savories neatly decked, a bowl of mini pastries on the side, plus two Ronnefeldt teas of your choice. Unbelievably value for money.

smoked salmon+chive+creamcheese on pumpernickel is a combination to keep!

smoked salmon pumpernickel

roast beef crostini

cucumber open-faced

egg mayo sandwich

madeleine

forest berries tart

chocolate macaron

mango cheesecake

plain scones

cranberry scones

cream puff

canele bordelaise

carre grand cru

ispahan

1001 leaves

I love tarts & i love berries hence the forest berries tart naturally became my fave. Greenish pistachio custard smeared over an ultrathin shell, lavishly stacked with an avalanche of berries too much for its dwarfy base. None of the rest shone too spectacularly.

Our greatest disappointment came from their scones. Both way too dense and lacked the butteryness a virtuous scone ought to have. After the cranberry i found absolutely no incentive to reach for another plain... That's how uninspiring they were.

Hightea is one of my bestest friends (:

Axis Lounge

5 Raffles avenue

Mandarin Oriental Singapore

6885 3098

Mykii

Say mee-kai.

Restaurants do me a huge favor when they insert a pronounciation pointer beside their names. Talk about moments of mooting 'ab-SIN-th' at Absinthe while Maitre d' Philippe Pau was lingering around; Or years of blazoning my love for (Cedele) SEE-deli's artisanal bakes when the trendsetting cafe was named to read SIR-deli. How embarrassing, elaine.

I learn from lessons. Now i make it a point to unearth all verbal verities before risking ignominy again. And to my greatest surprise, when i quizzed mum about Mykii, she actually answered mee-kai. Spot-on.

I'm picky when it comes to our rare family meals, mindful to ensure our dissimilar food preferences are regarded. Ideally Mykii had the refreshing decor & asian-hinting western menu to please all cards.

Beginning our set lunch with a Creamy Tomato Soup definitely hit the spot. The usually-sharp tomato piquancy is nicely shielded by a moderate touch of basil and cream, making it appetizingly welcoming.

Sis the all-cream pasta fan opted for the Mushroom Linguine ($13.80) in cream sauce, recounted as decent but a tad bland.

I am anti thin fish fillets.

I am anti fish-in-thick-flour-coatings.

When the two happen to superimpose, you get disgruntlement twofold. Their Pan-fried Dory Fish ($13.80) with roasted root vegetables is dunked in liberal batter that a jacket forms. It is not inferior, just bomb-denotating for me. Nonetheless the viscid garlic cream sauce was sugary nice~

I read enough about their Seafood Linguine with Laksa Pesto ($15.80) to summon an order. The condiments in soupy broth resembled your routine prawn-fishcake-taupok laksa, reformed with pasta, squid & clams instead of see-hums. You don't get bubbling hot gravy at your neighborhood coffeeshops too.

Uh-oh Rose meringue unappreciated. Rawish-centered, awfully sweet, artificial barbie pink were just characteristics out of the folks' tray. A pity no choice was offered for the set's dessert.

Reluctant to leave with a dessert grudge, i popped another Raspberry Macaron ($2) down my sugar-well. Here's more barbie pigment in a light acceding shell but i wish they would revise their rickety buttercream.

Despite the disconcerting surge of small cafes, characterized or characterless, i'm loving the service of these modest businesses. They value feedback, earnestly try to ensure a satisfying exit (lest you ruin their reputations haha) and i admit service is a huge hoo-ha to me. Shame on some profit-driven establishments who fail to even take cognizance of diners' dissatisfactions. Small is good.

Mykii Brasserie Cafe

17d Lorong Liput

Holland Village

6468 2838

TWG: of French Gems & Daring Blends

When it comes to tea, nowhere else rivals the boundless selections at TWG. Lucky me lazed an impeccable afternoon in the heart of Republic Plaza, sipping and nibbling time away.

Their astounding variety is truthfully enough to fascinate any Tea Connoisseurs/Gurus out there, let alone a mere tea drinker like me. That's when decision-making is challenged and names play an crucial role. Imperial Rose, chosen for its aesthetically-appealing title, was a blossoming white tea from the regions of China.

Delighted, was how i tucked into my Smoked Salmon a la Russe ($22). A platter of salt-rubbed salmon silvers, roe & garden dill creme fraiche served with toasted brioche. Bridging between buttery bread and french croissant, the brioche slices nicely escalates the dish's richness.

Variety, depicted Celebration ($28)- decking a selection of 4 finger sandwiches, choice of 1 patisserie (or 2 homemade tea pastries), 3 macarons and a pot of tea. For those pleased by entirety in an order.

The sandwich quad featured centers of smoked salmon, shrimp, crabmeat & foie gras respectively. While i thought the mustard-dubbed bread and fillings were alright, these triangles still failed to pass the critic's harsh criterias. Poor things.

Graceful, best described Singapore Surprise. Splendid Vanilla Bourbon Tea infused custard and strawberry traces unleashed from its unpretentious wrapper.. like a creme brulee in tarted disguise. Very surprising indeed.

Urge, led to the order of Crumble ($10)- one unfortunately average red berry crumble bearing the mild esssence of Sakura! Sakura! Tea. My attention was immediately diverted to its Napoleon Cheesecake Icecream complement... which disappeared within moments.

TWG's macarons undeniably edge over many others on our island (Canele excluded lol). Lemon-Praline-Napoleon Tea Macarons. They tasted almost as fine as they looked, but unparalleled with the Vanilla Bean i had a week ago.

The pace and ambience here sets you in for long leisurely chats and a subsequent reluctance to exit their premises. But when you eventually do, your inner heart says.. ' i must come back.'

TWG Tea Salon & Boutique

9 Raffles Place

#01-22 Republic Plaza

6538 1837

Bakerzin

It was a very incidental reason why dad and i ended up here. We needed dinner real quick and Bakerzin was apparently the closest choice we could find.

Seafood Pasta ($15.80)

I skipped the clams and mussels. Here is a marinara Seafood Pasta dish at its normal-est standards with an overly sweetened tomato sauce and a 'plethora' of large prawns and squids, clearly not at their freshest.

Spaghetti Vongole ($14.80)

Dad's Spaghetti Vongole was far more mediocre. The white wine stock had a unbearable dusty aftertaste and was nothing to compare with the many quality versions he had. Like seriously.

"i wonder how they can survive", was his remark.

Ispahan & Arabella Macarons ($1.50 each)

Thankfully, Ispahan and Arabella were hits. These macarons, named after their parent desserts, adapted close feaures... mine was a lovely rose-scented shell endearing lychee pieces.

Skip the main courses and go for desserts. This is the only way to leave happily.

Bakerzin

1 Harbourfront Walk

#01-207 Vivocity