Au Chocolat

This is my second review of Au Chocolat. But it is the first time I had any main course from it. And boy... why did I miss it previously?

 <Duck Confit>

This pan-roasted duck thigh is served with potato mash, a white wine poached pear & topped off with a tangy chocolate orange sauce. Oh my oh my oh my~! Was it goooood! This is on-par with the duck confit I've had from Bistro Du Vin. The duck was crispy on the outside, moist on the inside and the meat literally falls of the bone. Some people may find the chocolate orange sauce a bit overpowering, but I think it gives the dish a nice twist of flavour. Use sparingly if you still want to taste the duck though. What I don't like most would probably be the white wine poached pear. Don't get me wrong, its delicious on its on. But I just don't feel that it belongs on the dish.

 <Praline Au Chocolat>

Their top selling cake! Its milk chocolate praline mousse with a layer of crispy praline layer enrobed in dark chocolate. I got this cake for me and my wife's 3 year marriage anniversary. ^^

<A slice of the cake>

It looks messy cos it was cut by me I suppose? Haha! The taste is good with different texture that you get from the 3 different layers. However for me, I felt that the taste was pretty one-sided. If it had incorporated some tangy twist to lighten up some of the heaviness, it would have been perfect. But again, I doubt my wife would like my suggestion as she prefers something 100% sweet. LOL

Verdict
Ambience - Good
Food - Great
Cost - $15 to $30
Overall - Must try!

Address
L1-03, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, 2 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018956
http://www.auchocolat.com/bistro

Opening Hours
11am to 10pm

Rive Gauche Patisserie

Rive Gauche Patisserie has been around since the day when Tampines 1 was first built. This is my first time purchasing anything from them. From the second picture clockwise, we have at the top left Guanaja followed by Strawberry Shortcake and finally Passion. All the cakes were pleasantly tasty and they look gorgeous. But I would like to focus on Passion as it has a good balance of texture and taste. Inside it lies a thick layer of chocolate mousse, a small layer of cake along with another layer biscuit. And the reason why they named the cake Passion is because it has an aftertaste of passion fruit! *Yums*

Verdict
Ambience - N.A
Food - Good
Cost - $6 to $10
Overall - Try it.

Address
10 Tampines Central 1, #B1-13 Tampines 1, Singapore 529536
http://www.pokkafood.com.sg/gauche/

Opening Hours
11am to 9.30pm

Canton Paradise

This is my 3rd visit to Canton Paradise, I just can't get enough of the yummy dim sum dishes served there. I've eaten most of the dishes shown below, but wait! The crown jewel is right at the bottom! It's the first time I managed to sink my teeth into their signature dish. So read on. ^^

<Baked BBQ Pork Pastry> 

<Mini Egg Tarts> 

<Steam Prawn Dumplings> 

<Crispy Bacon Roll with Cheese> 

<Prawn in Beancurd Skin> 

<Crispy Prawn & Mango Salad> 

<Steam Custard Bun>

<Crown Jewel! - Crispy BBQ Pork>

Contrary to the name of the dish, there is absolutely zero pork meat content in this dish. Instead, I have a feeling that it is simply made up of super thin layers of pork fat stack on one another. They do it so well that the outside is ultra crispy with the inside still moist, not with fat but with the pork juices that simply slides down your throat. Divine!

Verdict
Ambience - Good
Food - Awesome
Cost - $15 to $20
Overall - Must try!

Address
112 East Coast Road, #B1-15, I12 Katong, Singapore 42880

Opening Hours
10.30am to 10pm

Poulet

Poulet means chicken in French. This newly opened French Bistro laid its first foundation at the recently revamped Bugis Plus (Previously known as Iluma). The restaurant has a very open concept and is right smack in the middle of the mall making it not so conducive especially for dating couples.

<French Onion Soup> 

I felt the soup was pretty average. But at a price of $5.80, I guess you can say that it is decent. The soup was beefy, the onions were cooked well. Only thing that I didn't fancy was that I found the soup a tad too sweet. It also lacks the cheese I love so much....

<Oxtail Stew> 

Simply divine! The meat falls off the the bone cleanly with the gentlest of touches. Take a bite of it and the meat simply melts in your mouth. My only 2 complains about this dish will be that I got the pieces with larger bones and more cartilage which I dislike. >.<

<Gratin of Potato and Sweet Corn> 

Usually not one of my favourites as I dislike cream based dishes. This wasn't too creamy and the corn added a much desired crunch and sweetness to balance off the taste.

<Soy Panna Cotta with Logan>

It almost felt like eating "Tao Huay" with logans. I wasn't too thrilled by it and I probably wouldn't order it again. But if you are thinking of having a light "Oriental" dessert to finish off your meal, this would be an ideal choice.

Verdict
Ambience - Average
Food - Good
Cost - $10 to $20
Overall - Try it!

Address
201 Victoria Street, Level 4 Bugis+

Opening Hours
11.30am to 9.30pm

Eggs & Berries

 <Devil's Chocolate Crepe>

The crepe can be done crispy or soft. We chose the crispy one and it was disappointing overall. It felt like a piece of wafer topped with tons and tons of whipped cream, chocolate buttons, almond flakes and ball of ice cream. Nothing really stood out and together, it looks like a mess.

<Eggs Benedict>

For good heavens, this was much better. The muffins were light and fluffy, the poached eggs cooked to perfection and the bacon added a much needed texture to the dish. What really stood out for me was the hollandaise sauce. It has a certain zing to it that brought the all the components together. I think they added some lime/lemon juice to it. What it could probably improve on is that they should lightly pan fry the ham to give it a little more depth in flavours.

Verdict
Ambience - Good
Food - Good
Cost - $10 to $20
Overall - Worth a try!

Address
5 Changi Business Park Central 1#01-37/38 Changi City Point

Opening Hours
8am to 10pm