Canele Patisserie Chocolateria (Robertson Walk)

We dropped by Canelé Pâtisserie Chocolaterie at around 10 plus at night. The staff were starting to pack and clear up, but they still allowed us to take away our cakes. We chose our favourite Caraibe and decided to give the Triple Chocolate Cheese Cake another try.

Triple Chocolate Cheese Cake – Walnut chocolate fudge cake, chocolate chip cheese cake and a layer of dark chocolate Chantilly. Somehow, we feel that the walnut chocolate fudge cake tasted more like a walnut brownie, and this brownie did not go well with cheese cake. The cheese cake had a velvety, smooth and dense texture. But the cheese cake taste was kind of ruined by the bitterness from the dark chocolate Chantilly. Overall, the conclusion is that the 3 layers did not complement each other well. No doubt there were creativity and uniqueness in this cake, we felt that a simple cheesecake on its own is better than this.

Yes, our all-time favourite chocolate cake – Caraibe, made of 66% Valrhona dark chocolate cream, 66% Valrhona dark chocolate cake and hazelnut nougatine covered in a layer of almond chocolate glaze. We have come across cakes which use Manjari and Guanaja, 2 popular kinds of Valrhona chocolates. But this is so far the one and only Caraibe cake we have seen and tried. If you are a lover of dense and rich chocolate cakes, Caraibe is a great choice. It is equivalent to eating a block of chocolate, with a few pieces of whole hazelnuts scarcely dispersed within it. It is rich, dense and thick. There wasn’t much taste of cake, sponge or anything else. It wasn’t as hard as a chocolate bar or as soft as chocolate mousse. Rather, the texture is similar to that of very thick fudge. A great way to satisfy a chocolate craving.

Please visit http://foodphd.wordpress.com for photos!

Canele Patisserie Chocolaterie - A high end dessert cafe under the Les Amis group of restaurants and helmed by Executive Pastry Chef Pang, who was an ex member of the Singapore National Culinary Team.

Located at the picturesque and upmarket Roberston Walk, Canele's flagship outlet is a rather nice place to chill for after dinner desserts or afternoon tea. Takeaways are also available but if you choose to dine in, please be aware that a 10% service charge will be levied.

Nougatine - Filled with Nutella, Salty Caramel, Caramelized Filos, Nougatine Ice Cream, Vanilla Creme Chantilly - For starters, the Nougatine seemed rather interesting with the addition of salty caramel. However, taken as a whole, it reminded me uncannily of peanut butter with its smooth sticky texture and buttery undertones. I liked the caramelized filos, which are essentially paper thin pastry dough coated with a layer of caramel and left to harden. Flaky yet stick to your teeth.

Jupiter - A most aesthetically pleasing slice of cake which was bought off the display shelf. Extremely rich and topped with a thin cylindrical shell of chocolate, Jupiter boasted caramel and a layer of wafer in between the spongy cake. Did I mention the dark glistening chocolate that engulfed the entire cake? Overall a very nice but sinful dessert.

Black Forest 2007 - I cannot comprehend the rationale behind inserting a year into the name of a cake. But that's besides the point. The point is, as pretty and minute a piece as the black forest cake may be, it certainly wasn't outstanding, not even close. The berries were soaked in Kirsch but the amount of cream was too much for me to stomach. And it certainly didn't help that the cake did come across as a little too dense and moist.

Berry Black & Bushman Brew - Interesting names for the teas but unfortunately rather overpriced for the mediocre quality. And its all because Canele doesn't serve ice water.

With the prices Canele is charging, I can see why its a high end dessert outfit. I appreciate the creativity and quality behind the desserts but certainly not the prices nor the tiny portions.

See all my pictures here.