Monday, August 22, 2022

Pang Zi Durian @ Jurong West - Neighbourhood Durian Specialty Cafe

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Looking for durian treats but can't wait for the durian season to arrive? Pang Zi Durian is a neighbourhood durian speciality cafe aiming to offer a wide range of handcrafted durian desserts that contain no preservatives to satisfy your cravings. They've recently launched three new innovative durian creations.
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Durian Milkshake 3.5/5

The first dessert we had was their Durian Milkshake ($6.50). It was creamy and smooth, with a thick consistency. Mix the shake thoroughly to enjoy the durian flesh on the bottom. The shake tastes more on the milky end, while the durian notes are much lighter. It can get quite heavy for some, hence would recommend sharing this with a friend.

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Mao Shan Wang Spaghettieis 3.8/5

The unique Mao Shan Wang Spaghettieis ($11.90) has pasta-shaped mao shan wang gelato sitting on vanilla cream, with coconut cream and coconut flakes on top. The mao shan wang gelato was rich, while the vanilla cream gave a different dimension to the dessert. We also appreciated the crisp bits of coconut flakes. We recommend sharing this as the sweetness and creaminess can get quite heavy. It melts pretty fast, so digs into it quickly upon serving.

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Durian Sticky Rice 4.2/5

Our favourite was the Durian Sticky Rice ($7.90). You have warm glutinous rice served with coconut cream and a generous portion of unadulterated durian flesh. The rice was lovely. It was soft, chewy and fragrant, everything you'd want your sticky rice to be. If you want something not too sweet, this is the one to go for among the three shared here.

Apart from these new creations, Pang Zi Durian also offers other items, like durian puffs, durian mousse, and a range of ice cream flavours such as white coconut, dark chocolate, lychee yuzu, salted caramel popcorn, ondeh ondeh and more.

If you can't pop by their space, Pang Zi Durian also does island-wide delivery at $5 for a minimum spending of $40 and free for orders $80 and above. For Jurong and Bukit Batok residents, you can enjoy free delivery at a minimum of $40.

Photos and words by Jo. A girl who loves her Mala (麻辣) at Da La (大辣), discovering hidden food gems and a good cup of matcha latte. Note: This is an invited tasting.


Pang Zi Durian
Block 492 Jurong West Street 41
#01-18
Singapore 640492
Tel: +65 81939559
Facebook
Nearest MRT: Lakeside (EW Line)

Opening Hours
Daily: 12pm - 10pm

Directions:
1) Alight at Lake Side MRT station. Take Exit A. Cross the road. Walk to bus stop opposite Lakeside MRT station (Stop ID 28099). Take bus number 98 and 187. Alight 4 stops later. Cross the road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 10 minutes. [Map]

Sunday, August 21, 2022

Boyutei @ Ann Siang - All-day Dining Japanese High Tea Set

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Boyutei, located on Ann Siang Road, is a contemporary French-Japanese cafe concept by Whitegrass and Hvala. It recently launched its first high tea comprising sweet and savoury Otsumami, conceived by Head Chef Takuya Yamashita of one Michelin-starred Whitegrass. Ranging from sweet to savoury, the dainty otsumami are served in the classic Japanese jubako (tiered boxes), reminiscent of Japanese Osechi Ryori (new year) festivities as an ode to tradition.

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Somen with Sakura Ebi

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Unagi Toast

I appreciate that the savoury range is not overloaded with carbs but a very well-considered serving of small bites. You may first wish to tuck into a small but hearty bowl of Somen with Sakura Ebi, followed by the mouth-filling Unagi Toast, layered with shredded egg omelette.

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Ebi Katsu, Narazuke Cream Cheese in Monaka, Olive Financier

The 2nd tier of savoury items is filled with little surprises. In particular, Narazuke Cream Cheese in Monaka features a delicious sweet-meets-saltish combination of whipped cream cheese and crunchy narazuke, and the Olive Financier proves to be even more addictive than its original sweet counterpart.

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Bocconcini with Moromi Miso

I enjoyed the Bocconcini with Moromi Miso a lot too. The intense miso flavour teases out the subtle milky flavour of the cheese, but more miso is definitely needed.

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Goma Nama Chocolate, Matcha Warabi Mochi, Hojicha Financier, Sticky dates

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Tiramisu

For the sweets, the Goma Nama Chocolate is much raved about for its aromatic black sesame exterior and its rich and velvety chocolate. The same goes for the chewy Matcha Warabi Mochi. My favourite is the Tiramisu. The sponge cake was adequately soaked with dark rum, and the cheese carried only a touch of sweetness. The matcha dust lent a kiss of bitterness which worked with the alcohol-soaked sponge cake. It has been a while since I last had an excellent non-traditional tiramisu!

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The high tea set is priced at $69 per set for 2 persons, comes with two hot brews and is available for all-day dining.

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On all weekdays of September, elevate your high tea experience a notch with free-flow natural sparkling wine from 3 – 5pm at a top-up of $30(u.p. $38) per person. Alternatively, opt for Masumi Junmai Ginjo Shiro sake at $15 (u.p. $18) per glass or $70++ (u.p. $88) per bottle.

Photos and words by Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food. Note: This is an invited tasting.


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Boyutei
28 Ann Siang Road
#01-02
Singapore 069708
Facebook
Nearest MRT: Telok Ayer (DT Line), Chinatown (DT Line, NE Line), Maxwell (TE Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 12pm - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Telok Ayer MRT station. Take Exit A. Turn left and walk down Cross Street. Turn left onto Amoy Street. Continue to the end of Amoy Street. Climb the stairs beside Siang Cho Keong Temple, up Ann Siang Hill. Walk to destination. Journey time about 12 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Maxwell MRT station. Take Exit 1. Walk to Erskine Road. Turn right and walk down Erskine Road. Turn left onto Ann Siang Road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 4 minutes. [Map]

3) Alight at Chinatown MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk down Pagoda Street to South Bridge Road. Cross the road and turn right. Walk down South Bridge Road. Turn left onto Ann Siang Hill. Walk to destination. Journey time about 10 minutes. [Map]