Snacks @ Emperor’s Puff 皇帝饼 (Sydney, Australia)

July 1, 2017 in Asian, Chinese

My colleague and I were having dinner near Darling Harbour when she mentioned we could get custard cream puff in the area for desserts. And that sounded very good. Thus, we made our way to Emperor’s Puff which was located in Chinatown Sydney.

I wouldn’t say Emperor’s Puff is a shop. Rather, it’s a hole-in-the-wall window-in-the-wall. Ha. Sandwiched between Emperor’s Garden Restaurant and Emperor’s Garden Cakes & Bakery, one could also easily identify the shop by the snaking long queue.

And it’s probably because my colleague and I reached at 8.30pm that there were only 4 groups in front of us. With the queue moving pretty quickly, it was our turn to order in less than 10 minutes.

As per the shop’s name, there’s only 1 item on the menu. Costing only AUD0.35 for 1, my colleague and I decided to order 9 pieces at AUD3 for sharing. Anything less (than 9 pieces) seemed too few while 18 pieces was too many after our heavy dinner. Keke.

Our 9 pieces were packed into a paper bag. And because the pair of customers in front of us ordered 18 pieces, I got to know orders of 18 pieces were packed in boxes.

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Eating these warm balls with piping hot custard cream in the cold nights of May was such a delight. I couldn’t help but start humming. Friends know I tend to bop or hum when I am happy with the food. Haha. And I liked that the custard cream within was not too sweet.

I definitely recommend coming by for these affordable custard cream puff if one is in the area. Though I wouldn’t say these are exceptionally good to make a special trip for.

EMPEROR’S PUFFS 皇帝饼
96-100 Hay Street, Haymarket, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Overall: 6
Opening hours:-
Food/Beverage: 6
Mon – Sun : 12:00 – 21:00
Ambience: NA
Value: 7
Service: 6

Baked goods @ Crusty Oven

December 8, 2014 in American


My girlfriend was asking me for recommendation for pies, so I did a quick research on Google and came upon Crusty Oven. And it was read from their website that they pride themselves for baking their pastries with only natural and the finest ingredients. Having planned nothing for the weekend, I headed off to Bishan to get some pies and tarts to try.

And from the display shelf, I ordered:-

1) Pies (above) with options of:-

(A) Baked pecan nut tart, $5.30 (above)

(B) Baked macadamia tart, $5.30 (above)

(C) Baked strawberry tart, $4.60 (above)

(D) Baked cherry brandy tart, $5.20 (above) – Cherries from France.

(E) Baked banana tart, $4.20 (above)

(F) Cinnamon baby pear baked tart, $4.90 (above)

2) Petite tarts (82mm) with options of:-

(A) Fresh fruits with vanilla pod custard, $3.20 (above)

(B) Dark chocolate strawberry, $2.50 (above) – Bittersweet dark chocolate crowned by a juicy strawberry.

(C) Blueberry cheese, $1.60 (above) – Real blueberries and rich cream cheese set in a tart shell.

And the pies were good. Shared the slices with family and (family) friends, and they were impressed. Especially with the crust which were made of homemade low fat almond paste. The only gripe I had was that the pies could do with less glazing. Taste aside, it was a pity the presentation did not impress (as much) in terms of colours. It would be lovely if the tarts carried more vibrant colours, like the baked banana tart having the colour of yellow instead of brown.

The tarts fared well too. In fact, I would reckon the petite tarts fared better than the pies. I enjoyed the fresh fruits tart. Frankly, I am not one who will order such, but I was attracted by the vibrant yellow of the mango. Ha. The bed of vanilla custard which the fruits were on was light and fresh. Very nice.

So yes, if one is in Bishan, do drop by for some take-away pies and tarts. Prices were reasonable and the shop was just a 5 to 8 minutes walk from Bishan MRT station. Blk 505A is just behind the Bishan Public Library.

CRUSTY OVEN
Blk 505A Bishan Street 11, #01- 442, Singapore
8511 1005, Website, Facebook
Overall: 6
Opening hours:-
Food/Beverage: 6
Mon – Sun : 09:30 – 21:00
Ambience: 6
Value: 6
Service: 6

Cupcakes @ Swirls Bake Shop

November 6, 2013 in American, European (cafe)

Having seen pictures of Swirls (pretty) cupcakes on Instagram, I was happy to (be able to) drop by Rodyk Street on a weekday afternoon. And I was happier to see that the cupcakes were not swept out, which I heard will normally be so by afternoon on a weekend.

  

And to fully utilise the takeaway box, I decided to buy 6 regular-sized ones! Ain the cupcakes prettyyyyy? I like the way the frosting is being done. So chic!

And from the display, I ordered:-

1) Very Vanilla, $3.95 (regular) (above) – Vanilla cupcake with vanilla butter cream frosting & sprinkles. This was so good! The cupcake was moist and dense. As the frosting was a tad too sweet (and too much too), the entire cupcake was polished with just one-third of the frosting.

2) Red Velvet, $3.95 (regular) (above) – Crimson chocolate cupcake with cream cheese frosting. Cupcake was dense, moist and not too sweet. A must try!

3) Nutella, $3.95 (regular) (above) – Chocolate cupcake with hazelnut butter cream frosting. And it’s called Nutella because Swirls put nutella right in the center of the cupcake. Nice! And before I sound like a parrot, the cupcake was moist. Thumbs up!

4) Strawberry Burst, $3.95 (regular) (above) – This sadly did not taste as good as it looks. The cupcake was dry which was pretty evident when I sliced through the cupcake with my knife. And the bottom was slightly burnt.

5) What’s Up Doc?, $3.95 (regular) (above) – Carrot caupcake with crushed pinapple & cream cheese frosting. Both the frosting and cupcake were not too sweet. But oddly, the cupcake left a weird after taste in the mouth. Essence is suspected to be the culprit.

6) Tuesday Special : Apple & Walnut, $4.25 (regular) (above) – Apple and walnut cupcake with cream cheese frosting. A must try! Cupcake was moist with generous amount of bite-able granny smith apple bits. Yummy!

Overall, the cupcakes were good. I guess the misses were probably due to a little lack of inconsistency in baking? So yes, Swirls have 101 flavours. I say, it’s time to start buying (and eating) if you wish to try them all! And for the budget conscious, there’s the tiny size at $2.50 (exclude special flavours which are priced differently from the regular flavours). But I say, “Get the regular sizes!” You cant really taste the goodness in the tiny size. Or should I better say, the tiny size wont be enough to satisfy your appetite! =) And for those who are interested, these are November’s specials (above)!

SWIRLS BAKE SHOP
8 Rodyk Street, #01-08, Singapore
6634 4765, Website
Overall: 5.5
Opening hours:-
Food/Beverage: 6
Mon – Sun : 11:00 – 19:00
Ambience: 5
Value: 6
Service: 5