Ice Cream/Mud Pie From Ice3Cafe

Ice3Cafe
11 Kensington Park Road Serangoon Garden Estate
Tel: 6282 8126

Opening Hours: 4pm to 1am, Mon to Fri; 10am to 1am, Sat, Sun & Public Holidays
Website: http://www.ice3cafe.com/

Their website claims that they are the coolest ice cream cafe in town, and probably the world.

And fret not if you think Serangoon Gardens is simply too far and out of the way for you (like me!), you will be able to ask them to deliver the ice cream to your home!

What I love what I see so far is that they have these very interesting liquor shots in test tubes (see picture above)! Yes, you read it right. In test tubes and it comes with its own cardboard test tube stands. Each test tube comes at price of S$3.90. They have other flavors like Kahlua, Peach Schnapps, Cherry Brandy, Tia Maria, Cacao Brown and Creme de Cassis.

One of the best selling mudpie would be the Alcoholics Anonymous Mudpie - Jam deliriously delicious Rum & Raisin ice cream on an Oreo® crust, squash it with a tonne of raisins & almond flakes, & then pour over with butterscotch syrup for a euphoric indulgence that’s barely within legal limits! And this euphoric indulgence comes at a cool price of only S$9.90!

Their ice cream comes in pints of 473ml (or approximately 400g), priced at S$9.50 and they have 21 flavours - like Malt Krispies, Rum & Raisins, Peach Sorbet, etc.

If you’re having a party, I would suggest ordering the parties sets as each set comes with one flavoured ice cream and a test tube shot. Definitely a party attraction by itself (see picture above)!

Note:
This review is also available on TheLocalKing.

Secret Recipe

Secret Recipe
Website: http://www.secretrecipe.com.sg/Default.asp

Secret Recipe has cheesecake, cheesecake and more cheesecakes. They have outlets at Holland Grove Road, Plaza Singapura, East Coast, Suntec City, Vivo City, etc. (check their website for more details).

I like their cheesecake for not having that heavy cheese taste (unlike some places which I shall not name). It’s light and yet cheesy enough so that I can take 2 slices at any one time. A slice of cheesecake will cost you around S$5 per slice and a whole cake goes for S$45.

Personally, I only ate once at a Secret Recipe at Marina Square here. I always get my fix in the City Square (City Square, MB-02, Level B1, JB City Square, Jalan Wong Ah Fook, Johor Bahru, tel: 07-2248110, Opening Hours: 10am to 10pm daily) coz it’ll cost me RM5.50 per slice there. Instant 50% discount.

Oh, did I mention that you must try their chicken cornish (RM6.80) too? The spicy one tastes a bit like our curry puff but with more chicken bits. To fill yourself up, you can have a chicken cornish and a slice of cheesecake for a grand price of RM12.30 (excluding taxes and service charges)!

Secret Recipe is well known for their cheesecake and cakes, which means you should never try their main courses, e.g. western food or something. I did try once and well, I’ll stick to their cheesecake.

Chewy Junior

Chewy Junior
Blk 1 Tanjong Pagar Plaza #01-18
(Next to Chocolat N’ Spice)
Tel: 6222 8867

The shop sells a kind of little puff (something similar to that papa puff), with a topping on the top. There are 10 types of topping to choose from (see Chewy Junior Menu). They also have an additional flavor:- CJ Almond Cookies Crunch (@ S$1.00 each).

Prices range from S$0.80 for the chewy original to S$1.00 for the rest of the flavors. Buy 6 @ S$5.00 (save S$1.00) or buy 9 @ $7.50 (save S$1.50).

I had the kaya flavored one last Saturday. The kaya topping is not bad but the vanilla filling in the puff is way too little compared to Beard Papa. You barely got to taste the vanilla filling until mid-way through the puff and it’s really little. Overall, a good snack to have but I won’t go for it again and again and again.

Provence

Provence

• 17A Lorong Liput, Holland Village
  Tel: 6467 6966
  Website: http://www.provence.com.sg/
  Opening Hours: 9.30am to 8.30pm, Mon to Fri; 8.30am to 8.30pm, Sat & Sun
• Petit Provence
  #B1-29 Central Shopping Centre
  6 Eu Tong Sen Street
  Tel: 6534 9029
  Website: http://www.provence.com.sg/petit/index.html
  Opening Hours: 11am to 10pm daily

It may be called Provence, but its European breads are given a Japanese twist. Owned by qualified Japanese baker Yoshiaki Matsumoto, 36, the bakery employs seven Japanese and local bakers in its kitchen behind. It uses high-quality wheat imported from France, and every loaf is measured, mixed, kneaded and finished by hand.

The Petite Provence at Central Shopping Centre has less variety - just cream & choco wasant and petit chocolat chocolat. Just 50 cents each and you can finish a single one in 2 bites.

The Provence at Holland Village has walnut raisins, chocolate twist, koshi an pan, milk bun, light pound cake, cheese bun, cream cheese seasame, walnut cream cheese and chocol & cream wassant.

Our advice is to call ahead and reserve the buns/wassant and collect it later. Else be prepared to have them tell you “Sorry, we ran out!”.

Rich and Good Cake Shop

Rich and Good Cake Shop
24 Kandahar Street
Tel: 6294 3324

THIS shop isn’t in the heartlands, but it’s still not where you’d expect to get such delicious durian swiss rolls made with real D24 durians. Customers come from the far ends of the island to buy them. They have also have other flavors like strawberry, pandan (see picture above), etc.

The bakery is now in its 16th year of business. Owner Lily Liu, 63, plans to pass on the shop to her children, in true heartlander fashion.

Cost is from S$10-S$12 for a box of 2 swiss rolls.

Baked Ideas

Baked Ideas
Website: http://halfbaked-ideas.com/

I know what you’re thinking. You’re just cupcaked out. Cannot look at another one, much less eat it. Maybe this one will revive your appetite.

This dark beauty from Baked Ideas, an Internet baking business, has everything going for it – soft fluffy cake and a yummy chocolate ganache topping crowned with a velvety raspberry. The cake isn’t too sweet, which is a good thing since the ganache is unabashedly so. But there is just enough, so it isn’t terribly cloying.

Two women are the brains behind the business – Karen Huang, 33, who runs a graphic design business, and Joanna Ong, 35, who works in the finance industry.

Aside from cupcakes, they also offer a chocolate cake called, quite endearingly, the Plain Jane Chocolate Loaf Cake. I found it too sweet, but the soft, crumbly texture was good. There is also a decorate-it-yourself Gingerbread Man kit, which comes with unadorned cookies and little pots of icing. Perfect for kids’ parties.

The cupcakes go for S$25-S$35. The Plain Jane Chocolate Loaf Cake (see above picture) goes for S$40 per pack of 5. They have other bakes like Raspberry Chocolate Pavlova/Pavlova with Mixed Berries and Creme Anglais (S$40 each), Cranberry and Pistacho Biscotti (S$25 for 320g) and Biscotti di Prato (S$20 for 320g).

Delivery service has been suspended until further notice. You can pick up your order from either Chip Bee Gardens or Sixth Avenue when it’s ready. Details will be given to you upon confirmation of your order.

To place your order, call either please call Karen (9747 2908) or Joanna (9749 3454).

C-Cup

C-Cup
Tel: 9229 6109
Website: www.c-cup.biz
Opening Hours: Last order is at 5pm, Mon to Fri; closed on Monday
Please note that C-Cup will not be taking any more order until 2 Oct 2007.

Ad-man-by-day, Mervyn Chan’s cups overfloweth. He and his partner, David Logie, fill their decadent desserts with maraschino cherries, mandarin slices and Belgian waffle crusts. These are covered in whorls of butter cream that will send your self-control crumbling and make you look horribly undignified as you lick up the crumbs from the wrappers.

The cupcakes cost S$3 for 2.5 inch and S$6 for 4 inch except for C-Cup signature which costs S$7 for 4 inch.

To place an order for the cupcakes, click here.

• Minimum order of $30. Excluding delivery charge of $10 to single location (free for orders above $80).
• Minimum order quantity of two cupcakes per flavour, excluding CCÛP Signature (see 1st picture above).
• Orders to be placed at least three (3) working days prior to delivery.

Hot Fuchsia

Hot Fuchsia
Tel: 9662 9065 (Beng Li Sher, Chef de patisserie)
Website: www.hotfuchsia.com

Hot Fuchsia is a “boutique” caterer & event planner in Singapore specializing in unique and delicious culinary creations and effecting memorable events. Delight in a myriad of tasty canapés and hors d’oeuvres, sumptuous dishes or pleasure yourself with their wicked looking chocolate pastries and cakes. Enjoy a wide range of delicacies designed to whet, excite, and arouse your taste buds.

Their catering team has a variety of skills, allowing us to offer an array of services in addition to their catering, including customized specialty cakes and desserts, gourmet dinners cooked to order at private homes or party sites, delivered heat-and-serve meals and floral decoration.

Whether you’re planning an intimate dinner for six, a cocktail party, a kid’s party or an elaborate celebration for 200, contact them now and find out what other gastronomical enticements await you…

Pateli's Crave

Pateli’s Crave
Blk 637 Ang Mo Kio Ave 6
Tel: 8163 7852
Opening Hours: 9.30am to 7pm, Mon to Sat; closed on Sundays and Public Holidays
Website: www.pateliscrave.com

Heaven forbid you lose that svelte figure. Fortunately, you can stuff your face and still maintain your waistline with the incredibly light, fluffy Holy Muffins and cupcakes from this store. Elizabeth uses corn oil instead of butter so they’re healthier and still pretty palatable. The cupcakes taste better without the icing, though, which lacks richness and is too greasy.

You can also have your photos printed on the cupcake (see 1st picture above). They also do wedding-cupcake-in-a-box (see last picture above), which is great for your guests to bring home instead of the usual ho-hum presents.

Cupcakes start from S$2.50 onwards, depending on the designs.

Colbar Eating House

9A Whitchurch Road, Wessex Estate
Tel: 6779-4859Opening hours: 11am-10pm; closed on Mondays

Some call it run-down, while others appreciate its quaint laidback charm. Undoubtedly, Colbar is unlike any cookie-cutter food establishment you’ll find anywhere. A haven for beatniks and beer-chugging expats, this rickety shed in the middle of idyllic Wessex Estate is no frills and (no A/C). What it does have, is a rich history and a decent menu comprising Western and Asian fare.

Colbar closed its doors in 2003 to make way for a highway extension. Thanks to the petitions of Colbar regulars and the subsequent intervention of the Jurong Town Council (JTC), who wanted to preserve its colourful history, Colbar was replicated and relocated just a stone’s throw away from the old site. Built brick by brick and copied to close exact, Colbar reopened its doors last year looking no different from what it used to be.

For the food connoisseur, do not expect a gourmet meal here. The grub features lots of fry-ups like deep fat-fried chips, bangers and mash, burgers, fish and chips, omelettes and pork chops mostly below SGD 10, while steaks can go up to SGD 22.

What draws people to this secluded part of Singapore is the quiet open space away from prying eyes and reprieve from traffic. Time stands still here. Weekend family functions and rugby post-match luncheons are common sight here, while evenings see a gathering of white-collar workers, art buffs and couples who enjoy a tete-a-tete in the foyer overlooking the surrounding greenery.

Note: This review was extracted from Uniquely Singapore’s website.

Pine Garden's Cake

Block 529 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10, #01-2329
Tel: 6457 6159
Opening Hours: 8.30am to 9.30am daily
Website: http://www.pgcake.com/

Pulut hitam, or black glutinous rice, is usually made into a pudding with rich coconut cream drizzled on top.

Pine Garden’s Cake in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 has turned it into a Pulut Hitam Cake. Soft vanilla sponge cake dotted with black rice is sandwiched with pulut hitam mousse. The cake is topped with the luscious black rice pudding, which manages to stay on the cake instead of sliding right off it.

It’s quite a feat and the result is a light and yummy cake that is a refreshing take on an old-time dessert.

Just as good is Cocotero, with an ever so slightly salty coconut custard pudding sandwiched between vanilla sponge. It’s like a cross between a classic Nonya kueh and a heavier version of a chiffon cake. The custard is shot through with strips of young coconut that add some texture and there’s more sprinkled on top. People who are put off by desiccated coconut, relax. This is quite different. Fresh young coconut just can’t be beat.

A 500g cake costs $24, and a 1kg one is $35. Call the above number at least 2 days in advance to order.

Note: This review was extracted from ST Foodies Club.

Urban Pooch Cafe

530 Balestier Road #01-07, Monville Mansion
Tel: 6252 5046
Opening Hours: 11am to 10pm daily, closed on Mondays
Website: http://www.urbanpooch.com.sg/U_Pooch_Menu.html

Situated at a secluded corner of Balestier Road, is an airy local doggie paradise that any puppy worth its whiskers would love to visit. Featuring a playroom, gourmet fare, a small canine art collection and friendly humans dying to make a fuss of you, what more could a pooch ask for?

Conceived after repeated refused entries into restaurants, owner Raye Tan decided that enough was enough. Together with friends, they promptly set up an establishment that would welcome dog owners. Including a separate doggie menu that had been assiduously concocted after much research and consultations with local vets, owners can even order up some special treats like the hugely popular Blueberry cake ($2.50) for their doggie companions, much to standing ovations of approving yelps and growls.

The human fare is pretty decent too, with the lusciously fresh and crunchy signature Urban Pooch salad ($6.50) and the bountiful selection of their Sampling Plate ($6.50).For a more filling meal, diners would be well-advised to tuck into the Teriyaki Chicken Steak on Rice ($10.80) and the BBQ Pork Chops ($12.80), wholesome meals with equally wonderful flavors.

Other animals are definitely welcome here, but as owner of this doggy dominated café, Raye Tan describes the other non-canine customers as “…cat comes in cage, cat stays in cage, cat leaves in cage…” Highly deserving of a big paws up, Urban Pooch is a must-visit for any diner, dog-lover or pooch alike.

Note: This review was extracted from somewhere (I lost the link before I could copy it down).

Wham! Burger

B1-22, China Square Food Centre
Tel: 9008 0604 (Wendy)
Opening Hours: 10am to 3pm, Mon to Sat

Imagine for S$4.80, you get a thick slice of beef patty (which is seasoned and juicy), lettuce sandwiched between 2 seasame buns to go with that burger. Is that good value for money or what?

Or if a single patty can't satisfy you, I dare you to order the Double Whammy! (see picture above). Double Whammy! with cheese will cost you S$8.50. And for an additional S$1.30, you get an egg and sauteed Portabello mushroom.

They also have chicken fillet burger which is a whole chicken thigh fillet marinated in a mild Satay marinade (S$4.80). Or if you like fish, they also offer crispy fish burger (dory fish for S$5.80) for you.

If you want a side to go with your burgers, go for the Combi (S$5.80) which will get you a burger (excludes Double Whammy!) and a side. Choose your side from potato salad, chilli con carne, raisin coleslaw, crinkle cut fries or onion rings. Sides on their own cost from S$1.50 to S$2.00.