Date : August 18 2006
Venue : 11 Unity Street, #01-09 Robertson Walk
The first time I visited Canele, I fell in love with it. Not only were the cakes and hot chocolate scrumptious, the place was an excellent for having a great time chilling out with the peeps. It was really one of the few places you could hold a conversation without having to contend with loud music and people who seem to enjoy haveing microphones for breakfast.
But alas! Canele serves such good desserts that it has attracted a large following, thus making it almost impossible to hang out there and have quiet conversation. Fortunately, as David, Ben and I found out on Friday, Canele's cakes still never fail to impress.
While there was a new cake or two at the counter that evening, I decided to stick with my favorite - L'Amour.
Canele couldn't be more right when they described this sweetheart of a cake as a " A riot of pinkish flavours and textures". The firm kirsch soaked almond cake base, the melts-in-your-mouth rose macaron, crumbly rose meringue, soft Rose-flavored cream, sweet raspberry marmalade, and the tang of red fruits (raspberry, strawberry, redcurrant). How could any girl resist this gem? The best bit about this cake? The rose flavor is not overpowering. It's light and overall, not too sweet.
The second cake we ordered was Macha, which was essentially a green tea mousse and chest nut cream layered with green tea biscuit and almond crumble.
Initially, it took a bite or two to acquire a taste for this. Soon after, the nutty flavors of the tea and chestnut start to fill your mouth and you'll actually find yourself taking smaller bites to extend the eating experience. Like L'Amour, its flavors were not overpowering nor was it sweet.
Finally, we had a Tarte Citron. When we first saw it at the counter, what caught our eye was the pretty way the torched Italian meringue was styled, topped with tiny strips of candied lemon peel. But, as soon as I saw that it had lemon cream in it, I insisted that this was something we had to try.
While I suspected that Ben and David might have found the lemon cream a little too sour for their liking, I absolutely adored it. It was tangy and refreshing, the perfect compliment to the meringue. However, the almond tart was a little too hard and we had some problems cutting through it. It really seemed like something you'd want to throw at a cheating partner ;)
Total Bill : ??? Would Ben kindly fill this part in please?
In short, if you love cakes and are willing to try anythine else other than boring chocolate, Canele just might be the place for you. However, be prepared to wait or make a reservation if you are visiting during a weekend. This place is becoming hot!
