The Sugar Bar

The greedy pigs needed a cake fix Take II, badly. S had watched me lust after the cakes in the display for weeks so it was time for Diva’s self-indulgent maiden voyage in this well-furnished patisserie but not one without her equally sugar-crazy sidekick S. Told mum I was meeting S for lunch and mum politely asked of us and our choice of restaurant for lunch. Whoops. Cake for lunch it is! Oh bless S and her gorgeous lunch ideas. After our trip to 1 Caramel Patisserie, we were about to learn from our mistakes. If you’d followed that post, you’d know that S and I only ordered a cake or tart each and horror of horrors, neither of us thought to share. I mean there’s greedy and selfish. And then there is this - greedy and selfish.

The problem with sugar fanatics is, sometimes, there just ain’t no middle ground. We swing from one extreme to the other. It’s cake or no cake. It’s dessert or forget the main course. And although we were definitely not taking the piss, we decided to share and why not go for 3 cakes? Surely we could handle only 3 perfectly small and well-formed petit gâteaux? So taking the cake we did. But not with the after-effects of sweet bloatedness, cloud 9 dizziness and general inability to walk. And mind you, I suffer from sugar highs so spouts of giggly laughter and slurring are inevitable. Embarrassing.

There are quite a number of Canelé patisseries in Singapore and I quite fancied heading to the one located at Shaw Centre as they’ve got these lovely white garden furniture. Eating cake al fresco in the sun sounded lovely but then again, the weather just wasn’t cooperating. It was scorching and hot enough to cook eggs on my forehead alone. The patisserie in Paragon instead was air-conditioned and located in the basement. Very lush ambience and decor but somehow lacking in good lighting - which explains the horrific lighting of these pictures. Being in the basement sorta made me feel a bit like a blind mole rat which I didn’t particularly fancy. I gather that lack of sunlight too caused a general bout of slowness and delayed reaction in the waiting stuff.

Nevertheless, the cakes were dreamy and one was tempted to sneak a few (or chocolates, or their range of cookies) home for some midnight snacking. And should you decide to do so, the packaging and the little paper carriers are just as sweet and lovely as their cakes. 

Knowing how obsessed I am with matcha, S knew the Matcha (S$7.00/petit cake) was a definite on the list of to-try. She didn’t need to ask. A delicate green tea mousse and chestnut cremeux layered with green tea biscuit and almond crumble. It was lovely and so melty, my heart melted a little with it. Very creamy and so delicate, it literally turned into liquid gold on my tongue. Considering I have a great taste for bitterness though, the cake could’ve been more matcha-y but I could fault it for nothing else. 

Second on the list was the Raspberry Cheesecake (S$7.50/petit cake).

A chocolate fudge cake, velvety smooth vanilla cheesecake glazed with raspberry jelly and rosemary-infused creme chantilly. I couldn’t really taste the rosemary but the raspberry jelly was lush and pretty much cut through all that lovely creaminess, courtesy of the creme chantilly which was very light on the palette. Kinda like a bit of a fluffy cloud of cream. The flavours worked together really well and wasn’t too heavy on the stomach which I usually find is my problem with cheesecakes. I can never stomach the whole slice as it naturally leaves me with an unsightly digestive problem. 

Although we only tasted 3 cakes, the final one was highly recommended by quite a few I know - the Black Forest (S$8.00/petit cake). S and I agreed that it was the best out of the ones we tasted and easily the most visually appealing out of all of Canelé’s cakes on display. A chocolate genoise with kirsch, layered with 66% dark chocolate mousse, chocolate crumble, kirsch chantilly and dark cherry. Sounds like a piece of heaven? It certainly was. Very moist and chocolatey, very rich and creamy but still fairly light with a generous helping of lovely boozed up dark cherries inside. If I’m not wrong, the little cake is garnished with a booze-infused and gold-blinged red currant which I managed to call dibs on. Fantastic addition to the cake although a tad bit lacking since a red currant is such a tiny little berry. I would’ve fancied something more like liquor-filled chocolate truffle on top but I suppose that’s just cause I get the booze itch and it ain’t exactly classy enough for such a lovely little petit gateaux, now is it?

Although some may find Canelé’s selection of cakes nothing fancy, I’d beg to differ and say this is tops for affordable luxury and little light, moist clouds of sweet heaven. The service was a little frustrating and the location a little odd which took away from the general ambience. Nevertheless, I enjoyed my first visit with S and am sure it won’t be my last. Just yesterday, I made another trip down and packed away a little meringue for an after-dinner nibble. Like the cakes that are so well-formed and romantically designed, the packaging is beautifully done which is perfect for those wanting to purchase some cakes as a gift or as a little treat to share with a loved one. It’s an indulgence worth the calories and a feast for both the tastebuds and eyes.

Canelé Pâtisserie Chocolaterie
290 Orchard Road
#B1-25 Paragon
Singapore 238859

Tel.: 65 6733 8893
Website: www.canele.com.sg