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2013-10-20
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Chilling out at a cafe is a lifestyle which some say that it is an expensive hobby. Over on the 2nd floor of Star Vista, there's a cafe run by Prima Deli Group and it goes by a geeky name of iBake. Upon visiting the cafe, it has a sign which says that they specialize in sandwiches and coffee. True to that, they do have a range of other attractive-looking pastries which are inexpensive and of great value! I decided to pop by on a Saturday afternoon to check out this cafe which has a huge alfre
Chilling out at a cafe is a lifestyle which some say that it is an expensive hobby. Over on the 2nd floor of Star Vista, there's a cafe run by Prima Deli Group and it goes by a geeky name of iBake. Upon visiting the cafe, it has a sign which says that they specialize in sandwiches and coffee. True to that, they do have a range of other attractive-looking pastries which are inexpensive and of great value!
I decided to pop by on a Saturday afternoon to check out this cafe which has a huge alfresco seating area overlooking the atrium. Although the afternoon was humid and hot, there were fans blasting at full power to keep us cool. Most Singaporeans would prefer chilling out in an air-conditioned cafe but I felt this cafe isn't too bad too as we can sit around and people-watch without having to worry the friendly staffs chasing us away.
Coming to the food, I didn't know what to have and the staff immediately recommended me the Kouign Amann ($2.90) which sounds and seem very unique to me, so I went ahead with the staffs' recommendation and had it. At the first glimpse, this pastry has a very nice glaze on the outer surface. There were almond flakes and caramelized sugar, giving it a perfect crisp texture on the outside and between the layers, the light French pastry was very delightful and decadent to the bite. I enjoyed it as it wasn't too sweet to my liking. Thumbs up!
My dining partner preferred something on the sweeter side so we had the Pain au Chocolat ($2.80) which is a chocolate croissant with crisp flaky pastry. In my opinion, it has a right balance of chocolate so it wasn't too sweet and overwhelming. Furthermore, the chocolate were of darker type so it wasn't too milky too!
We enjoyed our pastries but it is best to go along with some drinks too. My dining partner chose the Cappuccino ($6) that was served in a big coffee glass. Interestingly, the coffee they use here are from Segafredo Zanetti, a leading Italian coffee producer that specializes in espresso. Taking a sip into it, I can feel the smoothness of the cappuccino but I thought there were a little too much chocolate powder on it, causing it to be on more of the chocolatey side. Nevertheless, it was robust and leaves a linger aroma on my palate.
On the other hand, I tried the Lemongrass Ginger Tea ($4) which was served in a cute teacup with a little leaf popping out from the middle. I recognize these lovely teabags when I visited Dean and DeLuca! I was in disbelief that they actually sell it so cheaply here compared to the mentioned cafe.
After soaking the teabag in semi-hot water, about 80 degrees for a few minutes (to prevent from burning the tea leaves), I opened the lid of the teacup and the fragrance of Lemongrass Ginger hit my nostrils. It was very soothing and relaxing as I sip on the herb tea which aids in relieving stress and digestion. It was superb after my sweet pastry and the service staff was very kind to offer a refill of hot water too!Besides just coffee and pastries, they do have combos where you can have a variety of items at a good value price such as sandwich and soup. I have to say that the price of the pastries are really of affordable value considering the quality of it. You must check out this cafe when you visit Star Vista if you do not mind alfresco seating.
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