Very New Restaurant: The Audacious Cakery

Hello!

A new pastry/bake shop is open for business today 24 Sept! 

(Okay technically as I am typing this it is 25 Sept 2.53am but its okay its still 24 sept to me) 

I have liked their FB page since I knew they were starting operations soon. Their store sells macarons, entrement, cupcakes & bread! Rather wide selection I'd say. The people there are really quite friendly and they're all middle aged so I kinda felt more warmth! 

The display

Macarons!

Here's their menu which is supposed to be on a standing board but has yet to arrive! I find the "butter crab sandwich" sounds quite interesting!

We had 4 cakes for 2 people!

Exotique

$7.80

Mango + coconut mousse on a jaconde sponge with fresh mango + papaya bits

This was a very light cake however the flavours of coconut could have been more developed. I overhead the lady boss aka baker saying that they soak the papaya in lemon water first, and it is probably the reason why the papaya taste is not strong at all! The boy found this cake to be quite moist and slightly mushy, so he didnt really like it. For me, I thought the mushyness was okay, but more of the promising flavours that do not deliver 3.4/5 

Chocolate Souffle

$6.80

Made from dark chocolate, the soufflé centre gives it a light yet chocolaty punch. Served with a crunchy chocolate biscuit base, it can be served warm or chilled

Welllll I'm not sure how to put this across but I felt that this could've been stronger in terms of chocolate taste? For me, I could mainly taste the different textures but that was about it. I couldnt distinctively tell that it was chocolate. However the boy thinks that its okay.

This tart aims to have a souffle centre which sadly doesnt really work because its more like a layer of really light chocolate cake beneath the ganache. The boy felt that the souffle layer perhaps could've been thicker to really simulate a soufflé? The ganache was okay for me, and the crust was crispy, not too hard nor too soft! 3/5

Monsieur

$8.80

Valrhona chocolate mousse infused with Gentleman Earl Grey leaves with feulletine base

What the description fails to say is this cake is reminiscent of a Chocolate Orange cake, so if you're not a fan of that pairing, please dont order this cake! The earl grey taste is rather faint but still distinguishable according to the boy! We really liked the feulletine base here that provided a great textural contrast to the other cakes we had today. But at 8.80, I'm not sure if I would pay for this. 4/5

Isabella

$7.80

Refreshing raspberry + lychee mousse with a rose infused sponge base embedded with a raspberry lychee rose compote

I couldnt taste the lychee in this, mainly raspberry! This cake was entirely mousse based except for the small square at the bottom as seen in the photo below! Again I felt flavours could be heightened and this is a light cake to eat so just in case you're wondering. 3.7/5

Apparently their cupcakes are good too! The menu says they have a cake called "faith" which compromises green tea + black sesame!!

The store is really small and can only fit about 8 people only! 4 tables that is. I love the quote on the paper bag they give if you takaway! So apt! Its something about how I'd wanna use up my calories on sth yummy. 

They do serve water and it is refillable but sometimes we had to ask for refills! Then again, I really like how the wait staff here are polite, friendly and warm!

Current promotions:

1) Like and share them to enjoy 10% off (valid till 12 Oct 2013)

2) Be the 30th customer and get 30% off your total bill (till 28 Sept 2013)

The Audacious Cakery

Blk 2 Everton Park #01-61 Singapore 081002

Mon, Weds-Sat:8am-7pm, Tues: 9am - 7pm

Facebook
Website

Lime Sunday Brunch Part 2!

So here's the continuation of the post about Lime! Read the first post here (appetisers, mains)

DESSERTS!!!

Service

Ambience

This is what greats you when you arrive! So inviting and totally piques your appetite!

Foreground: pecan tart | apple pie

Background: fruit flan | hazelnut cranberry cake | fruit cake

Foreground: plum tart | oreo cheesecake

Background: fruit flan | linzer torte

Most right: fruits/marshmallows etc for the green tea fondue fountain!

Selection of cheeses! I love their variety! At least its better than quite a few oth places that have higher prices! To the right holds a selection of nuts/crackers/fruits to pair w the cheese. Ultimate right side is ice cream! They had raspberry sorbet, lemon sorbet, chocolate and another flavour that day but I cant remember what it is now.

I tried many of the soft cheeses and was really satisfied with them! I liked all of them to be honest which is quite hard to achieve (I mean liking all of the cheese I picked, not about them satisfying my taste)

Dessert shooters!

Chocolate mousse | creme brulee | mini fruit tart | matcha tiramisu

To the left of the dessert shooters (not pictured)

Bread & butter pudding w vanilla sauce | Choc banana pudding | Chilled aloe vera w lemon grass or sth along those lines

Sorry this was against the light - super bad photo!! Sorry!

Strawberry and another flavour pate

Assorted macarons

His plate

Back row first

Fruit flan: basically its 2 layers of sponge cake encased with cream & some thin slices of fruit. I felt that the sponge was rather soft but overall, I wouldnt waste tummy space in a buffet for this!

Matcha tiramisu: I would've like the biscuits to be soaked a little more? It was a bit dry for me this one. And not strong enough matcha taste!

Mini fruit tart - at first I didnt take any of this since there was the bigger sliced tarts for me to take, but the boy said this was really REALLY REALLY good and said I must try it, so I went to take one after my first plate of desserts and my oh my its EXCELLENT. Heaven in a small little bite. Its got everything right! Ratio of tart:cream:fruit, its not too sweet, nicely perfumed pastry cream, tart shell is neither too hard nor too crumbly, wonderful balance between the two. Although I was supersuper stuffed, I ate 4 of these tarts because "what're the chances of me eating such a nice fruit tart again??"

Fruit pate (strawberry): he said was like eating strawberry jam but much sweeter

Linzer torte: he really liked this one but I thought it was so-so

Oreo cheesecake:

Apple pie: I thought this was q average cos I prefer more cinnamon in mine. Perhaps a crispier & more fragrant lattice top as well!

Pecan tart: omg this was so heavenly!!!!!! I initially thought it would be quite sweet (looks so to me) but I was wrong! It was just a slight amount of sweetness, and the whole fresh crunchy nuts texture + the melty slightly sweet toasted caramel/honey/wtv that's holding it tgt + the tart shell, oh my, even if you're not a nut lover, you should try this, it might convert you.

Chocolate Banana Pudding

When we saw the name of the dish and how it looked (refer to pic at the start of this post), we were quite curious to find out how it would be like! I really like this creativity in the dessert, at least its not just something normal! This worked quite well! Semi-dark chocolate, melted and drizzled atop chopped soft sweet bananas. It was like eating a chocolate banana cake but more in-your-face flavour and a different texture!

My plate

Top right: Hazelnut cranberry cake - its more like a butter cake dotted w cranberries here & there! Texture was dry for me, and it didnt have much taste!

Rock melon - so so, quite hard, not v juicy/sweet

Macrons - OMG THE BOMB, MUST-TRY for macaron lovers!!!!! Flavours below. I am SO glad the boy told me to take more of the macarons! Why am I so in love with the macarons here?

1. The shell is my kind of shell, crispy! Please handle it with care because it can crumble easily.
2. There's a surprise waiting for you in the middle of every macaron - I love it cos it adds flavour + texture to the macaron - not so boring
3. Their's arent overly sweet! So I dont have to drink alot of water after eating it or find it cloying my throat 
4. The flavours are DISTINCT - like there werent any item cards telling me what flavours they were and we didnt ask anyone but we could tell straight away after biting it!

Tip: take the macarons early to avoid disappointment because they do not refill them! At least this was what I observed on the day I went

I think this shld be raspberry, I am not 100% sure! 

Lemon! I love that this is actually sour!

Vanilla

Green tea x red bean!!!!!!! Quite good! And this is coming from a matcha lover!

Lemon x raspberry sorbet - both forgettable cos cant tell what you're eating. The ice cream is from an exterior source.

More macarons + mini fruit tarts although I was already bursting! (I didnt just eat whats shown on these pages because I didnt take photos of the repeated plates!)

Matcha & chocolate macaron

THIS

IS

JIZZ

If you love dark chocolate or semi-dark, please PLEASE try this. You will not regret. If you dont try it, you will regret. Pure strong dark smooth aromatic chocolate is what this is. Heaven in a bite number 2. I wanted to take more of these but IT RAN OUT!!!! Pls secure your macarons early. I know I will. 

Tea & coffee comes with the $68 option

*

Here are some photos of the hotel!

Entrance to Lime!

From the outside! This brings you straight into Lime!

Ambience: Totally loving the ceiling-to-floor glass windows allowing natural light to illuminate the restaurant in soft warm light. Perfect setting for lazy Sunday afternoons with the nice cold surroundings from the air-con. I like how open and airy the place feels. So relaxing, so welcoming, so laid back! Felt really relaxed during brunch + while walking around the hotel

Service: very minor splotchy service like not filling up water sometimes. Plates generally cleared promptly. Wait staff were ok in terms of politeness + smileyness. But then again, I was so happily enjoying the wonderful ambience, food & company + the fact that we didnt really have much contact w the wait staff (ie not like ala carte restaurants where they serve your food) so I wasnt really bothered by them! 

I really like that they ask you automatically whether you need complimentary parking and I love the fact that they have complimentary parking :)

Overall conclusion: I felt that cold seafood is definitely not a strong suit here although it possesses all the right items for me. Appetisers, mains, desserts (esp) definitely stood out! Would definitely head back soon!

Price: 

$98++/adult: includes free flow of Piper Heidsieck Champagne, House Wines, Chilled Juices, Soft Drinks, Specialty Coffee and Tea

$68++/adult: includes free flow of Chilled Juices, Soft Drinks, Specialty Coffee and Tea

$34++/child (6-12yrs old)

Lime

Parkroyal on Pickering

68098899 (do make sure you call early else have to do walk-in! But when we went, it was q easy to get walk-in!)

Sunday Brunch starts at 12pm

When you turn into ParkRoyal on Pickering, the carpark is on your right (AGC)

Lime Sunday Brunch Part 1!

Hello! I was thinking of places to go on Sunday for lunch then all of a sudden I thought of Lime! I've been wanting to go for a buffet (since I've not been in q awhile, okay more like an excuse to eat alot and not feel that guilty) so the boy and I went for Sunday Brunch.

I called the night before about 9+pm 10 to make a reservation and the lady who picked up told me that the restaurant will call me back themselves to confirm my reservation. I assumed the restaurant would call me back that night as I thought 10ish would be when they're less busy and can call to confirm my reservation. Instead, I got no calls from them and only got a call next morning at 10+am close to 11am saying that I had to try and walk-in because their reservations are full!

Imagine waking up to that! What a bummer! But the boy & I still decided to go and try our luck. The restaurant was relatively empty when we arrived at 12.30pm and we managed to get a table for 2. I really like the "entrance" of this restaurant which showcases the cakes&tarts available that day. I will show a photo of this entrance in the Part 2 of my post about the buffet because it is too image heavy!

Part 1 - cold seafood/appetisers/mains

Part 2 - desserts/ambience/service etc (this will be posted later!)

So here's the spread!

Oysters

Freshly shucked on the spot!

Lobsters (these were refilled rather slowly!) -> I am glad that they have the half lobster available!
Mussels
Clams
Prawns

Salmon & tuna sashimi
Assortment of sushi - their maki rolls look quite creative!
I also like how they have a variety of pickles to choose from! Okay its just 3 but better than many many buffets I know that dont even have pickles to choose from!

Appetisers - Tomatoes x crab meat | seared tuna w apple & avocado | duck salad

Assortment of pre-mixed salads eg potato/waldorf/peking duck

US Prime Rib

Roasted Cajun Chicken & Lamb rack

There's also a baked snapper at the end of this row which I forgot to snap a photo of! There's a chef stationed here but sometimes he is too busy w one diner that the rest have to wait around and sometimes they help themselves to the cutting of the meat then he'll come scurrying over to help. Which I felt was a little awkward for the guests because well idk for me, I wasnt sure to take the food myself or wait for him to serve me.

Assorted Thai salads! Beef | pomelo | papaya | mango

Wide array of breads to choose from!

Buttery goodness!

Jams + Echire Butter!

Penang Laksa Station!

The boy and I didnt try this that day but from reviews, it's apparently v good!

The food offered at this row of the buffet (not pictured) consists of Asian mains eg beef rendang, sea bass + eggplant + okra curry, there was also this fried chicken but I forgot what sauce it was coated in! And 2 other dishes which I cant remember, sorry!

I dont think what this station is called but basically it's like yong tau foo. You pick up a bowl next to what's shown here, then you proceed to choose your own ingredients + the quantity then you pass it to the chef and tell him how you want it cooked!

Live Pan-seared Foie Gras Station 

Poached Eggs x Rosti Station

This row (not pictured) at the buffet houses the Western mains - herb-crusted Cod fillet, lamb shank, coq au vin, ratatouille, beef (its either stewed or braised), cant rmb if there's anything else sorry! And at the end of this "line" is the live mushroom risotto station! It features a gigantic parmesan wheel where the chef places your risotto into aft cooking, mixes it around a little and then scoops up your risotto!

So here's what I/the boy had that day:

Oysters - 2 out of 3 I ate had sand in them! They were okay, not terribly fresh and neither did they have much taste
Prawns, mussels - not much taste
Clams - smelly taste/smell
Sashimi - nearing average quality

In general - cold seafood that has the essentials for me but doesnt quite deliver in taste

Lobsters - okayish as well!

Pan-fried Foie Gras w Apple Passionfruit Compote

1) I really love that it is apple passionfruit! I love the tartness of the passionfruit and how there are real fruit slices/pieces in the compote!
2) The foie gras was quite nicely done, only a slight crispy exterior with the interior a tad overcooked but its still q good overall! Like it w the compote!

However I feel that they probably should have an air ventilator above the foie gras station or something because when the boy and I became progressively fuller, the oily rich smell of pan fried foie gras clogged our noses whenever we passed by and made us feel like puking! I had to hold my breath everytime I walk pass the station. Not sure if this just happens to us though haha.

Thai Mango/Papaya Salad - I really liked the fact that at this station you can choose your own salad "toppings" eg amt of crushed peanuts, amt of chilli sauce/oil you wanna put etc.! I felt that mango/papaya used doesnt really have the fragrance of those I've tried at oth establishments!

Smoked salmon -  not really salty

Tomato x crab - cant really taste that its crab you're eating, tomato not terribly sweet, semi so

Seared tuna x avocado x apple: i like the mix of avocados + apple! The seared tuna was not bad

Scallop carpaccio: quite fresh! Makes up for the loss of scallops in the cod seafood section

Grilled capsicum/eggplant nth much can go wrong w these

Poached egg | salmon gravlax | rosti

The boy said this tasted quite normal though it looks good!

His plate
Foreground
Lamb shank: the boy said this was really tender and good!
Grilled eggplant/asparagus: nth much to shout abt
Herb-crusted cod: cant really taste the natural flavours of the cod (its v subtle!) so this is more for texture of cod + knowledge that you are eating cod haha but its still good nonetheless! I had 3 slices (as shown below) and still wanted to go back for more!

Background
Beef: the boy really liked this too saying its super soft!
Roast snapper: a little tough the meat
Cajun chicken: the boy asked for breast meat but even so, it was super super tender and soft! We were pleasantly surprised by this!

My plate
Snapper 
Lamb Rack: was lacking a bit in terms of flavour, not enough marinade maybe? Meat was cooked rather nicely. Prefer grilled lamb of Basilico's though!
Ratatouille: I thought it could've been a bit more intense the tomato flavour! But overall, nice veg mix
Herb-crusted cod

Mushroom risotto

Well I know risotto takes quite awhile (Few hrs) to cook it nicely so these short live stations probably already prepped the risotto before hand and just need to warm it up or something? Note this is just MY guess, I have no idea srsly. Anyway this risotto was still too hard and tastes of starch. Not perfume-y this one.

A waiter will come around with pizza and ask if you want it, freshly baked pizza of course. The crust is unbelievably thin + crispy. Hope ingredients can be more plentiful in the future though!

Mushroom soup

The boy said this was a bit watery for him but it was still okay. The other soup on offer that day was the Lobster Bisque, my oh my, it was SO watery that it flowed like flowing water. I wanted to drink it but after scooping it up and seeing that texture, I closed the lid.

I also tried the sea bass curry w eggplant & okra -> I thought it wasnt spicy at all and the veg lost its taste. The sea bass was cooked q nicely though.

Please read my next post for the desserts + service + ambience etc!