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2013-09-08
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For full review, please visit http://www.makeyourcaloriescount.com/2013/09/sg-lady-m-confections-overrated-maybe.htmlLady M Confections is one of the highly anticipated openings in Singapore considering its success over in the US. Priding itself on creating fresh and fine cakes, Lady M's cakes are handmade following recipes that had been refined over the years.As soon as we learnt about its official opening at Marina Square, there was no way we could resist these sweet temptations! Their signatu
Lady M Confections is one of the highly anticipated openings in Singapore considering its success over in the US. Priding itself on creating fresh and fine cakes, Lady M's cakes are handmade following recipes that had been refined over the years.
As soon as we learnt about its official opening at Marina Square, there was no way we could resist these sweet temptations! Their signature crepe cake reminds us fondly of the version tried at Nadeje in Malacca. How does this American version fare? About time to leave the judging to our taste buds!Quite frankly, if I had not heard of Lady M before, I would struggle to find out what this place is about. The decorations were simple and clean filled with white-based tables and chairs. On the outside, however, it did not really come across to me as a patisserie and you would however need to walk through to the inside of the cafe before you can even find out what food Lady M has to offer.We were shown to a table promptly and while we were shown a menu of drinks and beverages consisting of coffee, soft drinks, juices and champagne, I could not help but wonder how would cakes go with champagne? Admittedly, the pairing just seemed rather out of place for me since there were no other savoury food on the menu.Ordering of the cakes would have to be done in person as one would expect to queue behind the glass partition separating the server and the cakes. I was rather disappointed when I saw what was available behind the glass partition as seemingly the cakes did not looked appetizing nor enticing enough. Personally, I prefer my cakes to come individually portioned rather than sliced out which gives it that extra touch of exclusivity and also for the premium factored in the bill. Do note that prices are not indicated on the cake labels so you only know how much they cost when the bill comes. Hmmm...I believe Singaporeans, or at least I speak for myself that we can be rather price conscious creatures so having the prices available would be a good addition.
Signature Lady M Mille Crepe Slice (S$7.50/+)
Since this was not the first time we had crepe cake, there was a benchmark when it came to expectations. The top had a crystallized layer of caramel which added a beautiful texture of crunchiness to the soft and moist crepe slice. With 20 layers of crepe sandwiched between layers of cream, it was certainly not for those who watch their calories intake! When compared to other patisserie places such as our recently blogged Flor Patisserie , I found the cream a touch too strong, dense and thick for our liking. It also had a rather strong milky taste to it which subjectively did not suit my palate.The crepes were really fine and thin so essentially you could not taste much of the crepe but more of the cream. For a person who is not quite a fan of cream, I found it hard to finish the slice even as it was shared among three of us.
It would surely appeal to those who have a liking for whipped cream and what drew me to it was that crunchy crystallized caramel that gave the cake a beautiful layer of texture. Arguably, it was slightly too sweet but its desserts after all!
Tarte aux Fruits Slice (S$10/+)I could not help but cringe when I realized that this slice of a financier fruit tart cost S$10++. The presentation failed horribly and while financier sounded like an interesting try, it disappointed massively in terms of flavours and tastes. Supposedly baked with almond butter cream, the element of almond tasted superficial or at best of almond essence. The financier base which formed the tart was coarse and you could literally taste the gritty bits and grains.
I was unsure about what the orange sliced fruit in the picture shown above was, probably papaya or persimmon? Though it gave a crunchy texture, I was divided whether it was a deliberate attempt to add a layer of texture or simply the case of unripe fruits being used.
We went for this for along the way to the cashier, we saw quite a few tables of diners tucking in to this tart and seemingly had a smile on their faces. Oh well, like they say, taste is subjective. This quality and this price, surely a big no-no for us.
Banana Mille Feuille (S$7/+)Like I said, Mille Feuille or Napoleon usually has three components to nail, the puff pastry, cream and layer of sponge. I felt that the cream was in excess in this rendition of Mille Feuille and it somewhat overwhelmed the layer of sponge cake which I was quite unable to distinctly taste. The puff pastry was okay but not impressive and I found the elements rather disconnected. The puff pastry, cream, sponge and banana were seemingly elements on their own and failed to find harmony in unison. The banana pieces seemed to be introduced into the cake for the purpose of doing so and did not quite complement any flavours nor did it wow standalone.
It was overall an 'okay' version of Mille Feuille and nothing too impressive to rave about.
In general, we felt that the while the service crew attempted to be friendly and be at their best, it felt disorganized right from the start with the ordering process. The servers came to us on two separate occasions to verify our orders and out of frustration, I cancelled my cheesecake order.
While all tables around us had water served, we had to request for ours and while I usually have a cup of coffee to go along with my cakes, the servers seemed to be way overwhelmed to even ask to take our orders. I was pretty annoyed when I saw a server constantly on his/her phone (I am not going to be specific for I do not want to cause someone to lose his/her job). It is not a case of being prissy but when you know that expectations are high, especially with a name and reputation to match, you should get the basics right.
The bill took a while to come even though by the time we left, Lady M was less than half-filled. It was surely not a trip where we made our calories count.
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