Showing posts with label boulangerie. bakery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label boulangerie. bakery. Show all posts
Asanoya Bakery: [Limited Ed.] Sakura Range bakes
Labels:
bakery,
boulangerie. bakery,
bras basah,
Bread,
breads,
croissant,
hidden finds,
japanese,
must go,
rocher,
salted egg,
will return
·
Can't get enough of the Sakura season in Japan? Asanoya Bakery celebrates the romanticism of the pink blossoms with a whole range of baked goods ranging from the Sakura Swiss Roll ($15.80 for a whole and $3.50 per slice) to their traditional Karuizawa loaf in Sakura style with Cured peaches ($3.50/100g).
My favourite of the lot being the Bonjour Sakura ($2.80) buns filled with red bean paste and salt-cured sakura leaves. Cured between kombu and sea salt, these leaves have a gelatinous slimy sort of texture with hints of preserved plums in its wake. A lovely addition to the thick and sweet sakura infused red bean paste that fills the flat buns. The buns have a peculiar structure, a tad distinct from the usual pillowy fluffy soft textures of Japanese bread, instead, these are slightly dense and chewy even; quite possibly to serve as a better foil to its rich fillings.
Do.Main Bakery: Keeping it Real
Labels:
all-day-breakfast,
baked eggs,
boulangerie. bakery,
breads,
brunch,
cafe,
cakes,
desserts,
french,
hidden finds,
macarons,
must go,
pastry,
tanjong katong,
tart,
will return
·
One bite into the Peanut Caramel macaron and I was smitten. I wanted more.
The equation was simple. Put everything from a perennial favourite candy bar and glamorise it with a French twist. That ought to be a winner. And true to word, it was more than I could ever ask for. Snickers, you can now retire to the backseat.
Dolcetto by Basilico: Delizioso
Labels:
affordable,
bakery,
boulangerie. bakery,
cakes,
chocolate,
desserts,
Gourmet Chocolate,
italian,
must go,
orchard,
regent hotel,
salads,
sandwich,
tart
·
To say that this post is overdue is an understatement as the memories of Christmas fade into the background, and a heavy stream of red takes to the street. Yes, Chinese New Year is around the corner, hinting the procession of lo hei and festive goodies. Still, what's good is always worth sharing and my trip to Dolcetto at the Regent Hotel Singapore sure does justify a post, even if it might be a very tardy one.
Not a desserts fan, get a load of the sandwiches, daily soup and salads at Dolcetto. Being a take-away extension of the famous Basilico upstairs, you'll be guaranteed similar standards of food in tidier portions. Having visited Basilico before on a business lunch; an affair that resulted in me feasting flagrantly with wild abandon in front of my Chairman, grunting as I tugged on the cheesy strings of the white truffle infused calzone and getting carried away helping myself to one too many smoked buffalo mozzarella balls, I swore I almost choked when he asked me asked me if I was enjoying the food! ; As I perused the display at Dolcetto, I was thrilled to see that congruent offerings were carried downstairs. Take for example the Buffalo Mozzarella Salad, served with a simple balsamic vinegar dressing and the sweetest tomatoes ever. Perfect if you are allowing yourself to go big on the indulgent stuff without inheriting too much guilt.
Bread and Hearth: Bread and Butter letters
Labels:
boulangerie. bakery,
Bread,
chinatown singapore,
croissant,
keong saik,
media event,
outram,
patisserie,
tart
·
Butter. there was butter dredged all over the walls, it enveloped me, luring me into its warm embrace. If you cringe at the smell of this yellow villain, then avoid Bread and Hearth by all means. However, my love-hate relationship with it (referring strictly to my days in the kitchen spent tackling a 25kg block of butter with a really blunt knife) draws me one step closer.
Bread and Hearth is the newest artisanal bakery to open amongst the playground of F&B riches in the Ann Siang/ Keong Saik neighborhood. Dedicated to using the best quality ingredients to set it apart from its competitors, I was keen to taste a difference.
And I did.
Working within the constantly cool realms of the fastidiously packed kitchen, staff laminate the croissant doughs from scratch. Plowing the natural levain dough, hiding sheets of French butter within, through the dough-break, book-turn after book-turn till the cross-section reveals some mind-blowing layers of alternating dough and butter. Once proofed, these babies enter the mouth of the blazing hot German oven and the water content in the butter blisters, swelling causing the pastry to puff up. There you have it, crisp, flaky pastry, the hinterland of every butter worshipper.
Here at Bread and Hearth, they take their coffee seriously. One sip of my cappuccino and my coffee nerd consensus attained a quizzical standstill, unable to establish a familiarity with the blend. The owner explains that the coffee beans used for their coffee have been 'blended' in house, a fixed ratio of arabica and robusta beans in order to balance out the tannins, acidity and nuttiness of it. The end result, a smooth, medium bodied coffee which leans ever so slightly to the more nutty side of life. Adding to the pageantry of the fancy coffee art is the subtle fairy dusting of nutmeg powder over the top that works miracles with its rich woody spice.
With a spread of goodies to conquer, we nibble our way around the table. For me, the real strengths are in the Croissant, the Raisin roll and Pain au Chocolat; shedding some light on the dark and depressing state of such boulangerie items in Singapore. Retaining a crisp crust even after the relentless shootings, the butter taste was profound, deliciously rich and salty. The chocolate batons from cocoa barry spilling its hot fudge like melty innards within those flaky layers. Frankly, though, the Matcha Orange soft roll and White Chocolate bun are not particularly tempting with a strange doughy texture.
Part and parcel of any boulangerie spread are tarts. Here at Bread and Hearth, the tart shells are made from scratch, another applaud worthy moment for the hard working folks here. That aside, the result is this strange cookie like crust that screams it's tormenting experience under the hands of an overcompulsive dough maker. The Lemon Meringue Tart, your usual suspect has a lovely bright citrusy note, let down only by the biscuit like dense tart base; whilst the Salted Caramel Tart shows up sweet with sticky caramel, jazzed up with a wee bit of sea salt (could use a lot more in there to warrant the use of the descriptive word 'salty') and nuanced by the simple addition of roasted hazelnuts speckled over the top. With a bit of fine-tuning, this combination has a lot of potential to be the unique selling point of the cafe.
Like every new kid on the block, Bread and Hearth uncovers a mixture of hits and misses throughout its menu. However, with a concise business plan and niche products on offer, this place is set to conquer the hearts and stomachs of croissant lovers with a couple of tweaks.
For now, I vouch for that Pain au Chocolat. Why not give it a go?
Fundamentally-flawed dined as a guest of Bread and Hearth. However, opinions are strictly her own. Thank you Mapwerkz for the invite.
Bread and Hearth
18 Keong Saik Road
Singapore 089215
T: 6534 7800
Website: www.breadandhearth.com
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