[SG] Baker & Cook
Monday, April 16, 2012
"Passion is our main ingredient" - Baker and Cook
A line that caught my attention upon entering the bakery, I like the friendly and relaxing atmosphere I got once I stepped in. Perhaps it's the air of Hillcrest, where time is well spent on relishing in good tea-time breaks, catching up with quality conversations over a cup of good old coffee.
I was told that such bakeries are everywhere in Aussie and New Zealand and the founder actually came from Auckland! With much accolades to his name, it built up a lot of hype prior to tasting their products and I naturally had high expectations.
A line that caught my attention upon entering the bakery, I like the friendly and relaxing atmosphere I got once I stepped in. Perhaps it's the air of Hillcrest, where time is well spent on relishing in good tea-time breaks, catching up with quality conversations over a cup of good old coffee.
I was told that such bakeries are everywhere in Aussie and New Zealand and the founder actually came from Auckland! With much accolades to his name, it built up a lot of hype prior to tasting their products and I naturally had high expectations.
Right upon stepping into the bakery, I like how the walls are made of mirrors to give the place an expanded look and somehow it gave me the impression that the handling of food was made very transparent to the customers.
Also, check out the wide variety of bread loaves at the counter!
Greeted by the sight of such pretty Chocolate Swirl Meringues, I was extremely excited but having other cravings at the moment, I decided to come back for this another time.
Heard my colleagues raving about the Chocolate Fudge Cake (third from the right) - reviews said that it's such a comfort food that it lifts your spirits right away for a depressing day. Didn't manage to try it this time round, but I'm putting this on my must-try list for the next trip down!
Lemon Tart ($4.50)
It probably looks like egg tarts with 2 streaks of chocolate decoration. I was pleasantly surprised by the refreshing burst of flavour upon my first mouthful, and it was an immediate addiction! The crust was of the right thickness, wasn't too sticky yet was able to hold on to the lemon paste without making a mess out of the crumbs. The lemon paste was SO good, having a rich sour taste to it at the first bite, yet leaving a sweet aftertaste. The paste had a very fine texture and it was great for me who wanted a break for my jaws (after eating too much). For those who are turning your noses away at the thought of extremely sour and acrid taste, don't worry, it wasn't as overpowering as the one I tried at Maison Kayser. It's good for those looking for a slight refreshing twist after having sugar overdose from all the desserts.
Canele ($2.50)
A really small and unique pastry, it was my first time trying Caneles. Originating from the French, it is supposed to have soft custard centre, infused with rum, covered with a thick caramelised crust. I liked the thick crust where it gave a very chewy texture and the caramel coating wasn't too sweet. The inside, however, tasted alot like kueh and didn't have any signs of rum at all.
Chocolate Eclair ($4.50)
A seemingly common and easy pastry, it is extremely difficult to find a great-tasting eclair in fact! This was definitely disappointing - the crust was too thick, resulting in every bite being filled with flour, the chocolate filling wasn't rich enough and tasted more like chocolate milk instead. It could have also been served more chilled so that the filling doesn't taste like it has melted and adjusted to room temperature.
The chocolate muffin that my friend ordered wasn't fantastic too. The muffin was too dry and lacked the rich taste of chocolate that I'd expected. The chocolate chips weren't exactly blended into the mixture and tasted separate from the muffin - I guess it could have been better if it was served warm so that the chocolate chips could melt into the muffin and had a crispy warm crust on top.
The attitude of the staff there was great though, as they were very attentive and asked for details when we provided feedback. Hopefully it's been taken into consideration and I would hope to see improvements when I go back there a second time!
Nested within Hillcrest, a rather loaded estate, I was quite surprised that it was very reasonably priced for the quality of food. Using the finest ingredients, they also ensured the freshness of the their products. It was worth it for the quality they uphold and I would definitely visit again for the Lemon Tart, and to try the Chocolate Fudge Cake and Meringue!
Overall Nom Factor: 7.5/10
Baker and Cook
77 Hillcrest Road
Singapore 288951
Opening hours:
Sunday to Thursday: 7am - 8pm
Friday & Saturday: 7am - 10pm
2 comments
like this blog, like the layout, well done! and i still yet to make my way here, too far :( soon i'll be there, cheers!
ReplyDeleteThanks Adel! We try to keep it simple for easy navigation, I'm glad it was to your liking! (: Yup, this was rather far and inaccessible indeed! Wouldn't have had the opportunity to try it if I didn't happen to have a meeting there. Do share your verdict with us after trying too! (:
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