Salted Caramel Surprise ($5.80)

I was taken by its looks and it’d reminded me of Patisserie G immediately. The caramel finishing certainly wasn’t as smooth as the one we’ve had at Patisserie G, and the flavours of different layers tasted too similar that it got a little dull. I liked that it wasn’t too sweet, though it would have been better if there was a tad of saltiness to give that variance in the flavours for the adventurous taste buds. A personal preference, if only the base was a crumbly one, it would have added that contrast in textures for that complete experience! A pretty ordinary piece that’d tasted more like toffee/plain caramel; this is one that didn’t quite catch us by surprise.

Verdict: 7.0/10Almond Croissant

You know how they say ‘don’t judge a food by its looks’? Well, this certainly lived up to it! Placed in a tray with other pastries covered with a cling wrap, it looked quite flat and unappetising. We were lucky that we’d tried it though! Toasted before serving, we loved the warm crispy top, slightly sweetened just like your usual roti-boy coffee bun crust. The almond cream inside was just as delectable as well, with a balanced fragrance of almond, yet not tasting artificial. I’ve usually avoided almond croissants for fear of that taste, but this has gotten me addicted! A worthy try for sure!
Verdict: 8.0/10Cappuccino ($4)

As I was craving for some lighter coffee, this was quite a decent cup, with just a slight bitter flavour coming through. Loved how they paired it with the sweetness of my favourite old school biscuit though!

Verdict: 7.0/10

Mocha ($5)

Took a sip of it and I found it too bland for my liking. The milk kinda overpowered the coffee flavour and there wasn't much chocolate taste in it too. A tad disappointing for us!

Verdict: 6.0/10

A cosy space with warmth in their service, it's a pretty chillax one for some afternoon high tea. It's still new so relatively empty now for you to enjoy some quiet cafe time while it lasts. We've spotted some taster dessert platter on their Facebook page and checked with their staff, only to realise that they do that only for special events and announced only via Facebook. So do stay tuned if you're looking for some one-time-try-all solution!

The famed artisanal brand from Australia finally opened doors in Singapore at ION Orchard and Dempsey as a bakery and full-service restaurant. We had been anticipating its opening months back and better known as a 'bread lover' by my co-authors at mycc, it was no wonder that we made a special visit together to the bakery over the weekend!

Under the family of Australia F&B brand, Jones the Grocer, can Becasse Bakery live up to its reputation?

Eggs Royale (S$21/++)Served with smoked salmon, the poached eggs rested nicely atop some sautéed spinach and on a thick slice of pain de mie, which is similar to a pullman loaf or regular sandwich bread. It is a type of bread which is sweeter than most French breads but certainly palatable in this rendition with a nice crust. It was also thick enough to absorb the essence of Hollandaise sauce and egg yolk, yums!

We felt that the free range eggs were slightly small and you could taste the quality of it, especially with the thin layer of egg white and a burst of that rich egg yolk as we pressed our knife through.

Much could be said about the eggs as they should have been handled better. You could see from the above picture that a portion of the egg yolk was overcooked. Apart from the technique or rather control of timing in poaching the eggs, the chive-based Hollandaise sauce had a rich and creamy taste that packed a punch of flavours and left a tangy after-taste from the lemon juice. Personally, I enjoyed it a lot better than the pseudo cafes out there offer but our other mycc author, Swee, begs to differ and found it a touch too sour for her liking. It was however a general consensus that the smoked salmon was fresh and I especially enjoyed the generous portion size.

Croque Madame (S$16/++)Recommended by the server as one of Becasse's signatures, the classic croque madame was served to perfection, almost. Let me explain why.

We loved the beautifully toasted brioche that was used to make the croque-monsieur which meant grilled ham and cheese sandwich. Expect to find a generous portion of smoked leg ham and melted Gruyère cheese sandwiched in between and each mouthful was calories-laden yet highly pleasing to our palate. If you are after something savoury, this would surely fit the bill.The truffle baked free range egg however was quite a disappointment. While it carried a light tinge of fragrance from the truffle with each spoonful, the eggs were poorly handled as one of the two eggs was overcooked while the other was left slightly runny. Once again, the chef's egg-handling technique was being challenged.

Crab & Avocado Sandwich (S$23/++)Divided between choosing the Becasse Wagyu Burger and this, I went for a lighter option and chose this beautiful Alaskan King Crab sandwich which had avocado, shallots, lemon mayonnaise and baby cos. It was just the perfect choice for a relaxing afternoon if you craved for a light yet palatable meal to awake your stomach. Surprisingly light, the first mouthful was a burst of freshness from the king crab and it was beautifully complemented by the lemon mayonnaise which gave it an extra tang. You could also taste the natural sweetness of the king crab and while I am usually very particular about the seafood, this surely left me very satisfied.

The accompanying salad served on the side tasted fresh and crisp. The only complaint was that it could do with a little more balsamic vinegar dressing.While the mains passed the mark for us, we surely could not give the pastries a miss since Becasse is a bakery-restaurant afterall! Before we had the desserts, we had some drinks to 'cleanse' our taste buds.

Dark chocolate and raspberry macaron milkshake (S$10/++)The milkshake was rich, creamy and generally it was within expectations. We liked the crunch bits within the milkshake and served with a macaron, it was surely slightly different from the norm. The raspberry macaron however failed to shine and somewhat led the downfall of the brunch meal.

The shells of the macaron was too stiff and lacked the soft-melt-in-your-mouth on the inside. The filling was a sweet and viscous raspberry jam and truthfully, I did not enjoy it as much compared to some better ones tried. While it was regarded as macaron milkshake, it was really a dark chocolate milkshake with some raspberry sauce within and a raspberry jam macaron served on the side. We also felt that the colouring used on the macarons were too 'artificial' for our liking.

Gateau Opera (S$7/++)When we asked for their signature cakes, we were actually informed that they do not actually have a 'signature' and the gentleman informed about some of the best seller cakes and his personal favourites. We did a quick Google search and found some matching answers.

The classic Opera cake was ordered and the presentation was rather distasteful to say the least. Firstly, I would not expect to be served a smudged slice of cake. Secondly, the chocolate glaze that layered the top layer of the cake was uneven and looked dull. Lastly, there were candle-holes on the surface of the cake?!

Moving on, the taste failed to impress. The almond sponge cake was too dense and tasted too dry. Separately, the ganache and coffee buttercream failed to shine. While we usually try not to waste food, on this occasion, we felt that it was more important not to waste calories and left the cake unfinished.

Banana salted peanut brittle tart (S$5.50/++)Fortunately, there was some saving grace from this tart, which had a beautiful combination of flavours and textures. The two ladies on the table found the tart too sweet for their palate and it satisfied my sweet-tooth craving just fine. We enjoyed the crisp and crunchy peanut brittle atop a quality sweetened cream. Finely sliced bananas and a thin crust laid base to the tart. The customer service was okay, well, nothing to impressive to give a shout-out. The restaurant was located on the top-floor of ION Orchard and despite it being in the middle of the busy shoppers, it offered a relaxing and comfortable ambience. Definitely one of the nicer places to head for brunch or stop by for a rest after a busy day of shopping! We would return for the mains and the pastries (also available for takeaway, such as the croissants) but would probably give the cakes a miss.

Due to the limited number of photo uploads, please visit http://www.makeyourcaloriescount.com/2013/12/sg-becasse-bakery-singapore-sumptuous.html for full review, complete with pictures.

Having heard so much of the latest cafe opening in the Bukit Merah area, we finally decided to go down and try it for ourselves! A pretty cosy space that's comfortable for about 20 pax, the ambience was welcoming and a relaxed one, perfect for the weekend.

Craving for some mains before trying their desserts that they're better known for, we settled for the Eggs Benedict yet again.

Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict ($16)It was a little too small as compared to other cafes that we've tried, yet charging similar prices. Taste-wise, it'd completely been a miss for us, with the hollandaise sauce tasting bitter without any buttery taste to it, while the eggs were just extremely over-cooked! It's probably the first time that I've had any eggs ben without any of the yolk flowing.

I didn't like how the eggs were cold as well, and with every mouthful, you could taste cold water with the egg white. The smoked salmon portion wasn't generous enough either to have the taste of it coming through, and the piece of bread below was soggy. The only redeeming factor was perhaps the well-toasted bread on top that was just crisp and warm still.

I was pretty psyched up about the butterscotch soufflé as that seemed like one of their signatures. Understanding the slightly longer waiting time for soufflés typically due to the baking time, we placed an order together with our mains, wanting to try it before ordering other desserts on the menu.

Much to our disappointment, this caused the greatest dissatisfaction of our dining experience. Whilst we were one of the few customers around at the start, we'd waited for about 30 minutes before seeing the dish served to another table who arrived after us. Asked for the dish to be checked, we were told of a waiting time of 5 minutes. After another >5 mins, we'd asked for the dish again, only to be told that the waiting time was yet another 5mins and while we've told them that we've waited for more than 15mins, we were rudely ignored by their staff.

The last straw hit when we'd waited for yet another 5mins and seeing several other dishes coming out, with no signs of the kitchen expediting our order despite asking several times. Only then, we'd decided to ask to cancel the order. Just then, the dish was ready by the kitchen and the service staff attending to us told the kitchen immediately to keep it back, without asking if we were still interested to have it.

With the severe lack in sincerity in serving customers and retaining customers, it's certainly not a place that takes pride in providing customers an enjoyable dining experience. With the far below average eggs ben I've had and the (lack of) service experienced, it's certainly one to spoil our weekend cafe hop.

As for the food, in all fairness, they're more known for their desserts rather than mains, so if you're keen to visit, you might wish to go there for some sweet tooth craving instead of brunch. Not to forget, for my Muslim friends, this cafe doesn't serve pork and they replace bacon with turkey bacon. Though it's not halal-certified yet, they've got quite a fair bit of Muslim customers so it's pretty safe.

Whenever I walked past Smoothie King, the underlying question I have is "What is so special about this smoothie chain and is it worth my calories?" After some hesitation, we finally decided to give it a shot after work while in the vicinity of Marina Bay Link Mall.

We later realised that Smoothie King has an interesting history with its first original nutritional smoothie being created in the late 1960s. Founded by Steve Kuhnau then, his inspiration came from, ironically, his suffering from food allergies and low blood sugar. He started mixing real fruits, various nutrients and proteins in a blender at home to combat his illness and his health improved dramatically as a result. This reinforced his conviction and made him a true believer in health and nutrition and he started his first health store in 1973 and began selling vitamins and smoothies.

Jeju Green Tea Smoothie (205 calories) - S$5.30/-The smoothies were offered in three different sizes (Small, Regular and Large) and prices were S$5.30, S$6.30 and S$7.30 respectively. What we particularly like about their menu is that the calories for each and every drink or food item had its calories counted for the ease and convenience of the health conscious folks. While the drink stated that it packed 205 calories, it is listed for the small size.

On the taste itself, the Jeju Green Tea smoothie was categorised under the 'Refreshing' section which is intended to assist in improving overall health. Originated from the Jeju Island from South Korea, this particularly tender green tea is beautifully blended with traditional green leaves and colourful tropical fruit which gave it dual subtleties of flowers and fruit. Together with green tea powder and turbinado (cane sugar), it tasted rich and creamy without the guilt. My only complaint was that the green tea powder overwhelmed the beautiful fruity flavours of the Jeju green tea.

You know that special effort was placed into each drink and it boils down to the intricate details of replacing white refined sugar with turbinado sugar which is a healthier alternative. It is also lower in calories since it tends to hold more moisture.

Acai Adventure (166 calories) - S$5.50/-

I was particularly attracted by the Acai Adventure which was under the 'Slim & Lite' category which in general are smoothies low in fat and have special ingredients that promote weight loss. The benefits of acai berry are plenty and apart from its capability to boost weight loss, it is more known for its high antioxidant content that help defends the body against life's stressors. As free radicals are harmful by-products produced by the body, eating a diet rich in antioxidants will aid by slowing down one's ageing and disease process by neutralising free radicals which reduces the risk of diseases such as cancer.

While the list of health benefits attributable to acai berry is extensive, this smoothie blended with blueberries and vanilla protein powder was rich but it tasted slightly artificial or rather synthetic for my liking.

P.S: Do note that the size of the smoothies seen in the picture above is a Regular. You could also choose to add extra premium ingredients such as vanilla protein for that extra edge when it comes to muscle-building.

Fresh honey mustard chicken breast wrap (382 calories) - S$5.90/-The wrap was fresh and made to order but it was too soggy and made dining quite a messy affair. While we enjoy a succulent and juicy meal, it might have been too much on this occasion. As expected, the wrap tasted clean and the dressing to go with the salad and chicken breast chunks was light but flavourful.

Spicy chicken breast soft taco wrap (166 calories) - S$5.90/-While this feels like one of the cleanest meals possible and proven by its low calories count, it is debatable if it would be a filling meal. The bits of chicken breast were mediocre and while we enjoyed the spiciness of the chilli sauce, much left to be said about the overall soft taco.

Even on a diet, I found myself struggling to feel full after the taco though having it together with the rich smoothie helps. On the plus side, the waiting staffs were more than willing to share the benefits of each ingredient at length with us and were patient as we took our time to decide our beverages.

Personally, I would return for the smoothies but for the meals, I might find better value elsewhere though I like the fact that the tedious work of counting calories for the meal had been done.

New brunch spot for the café-hoppers, this is the latest French bakery adding to the likes of Sophie Bakery, Maison Kayser, Paul Bakery etc. A few doors down from Comcentre opposite the stretch of food places along Killiney, it’s a quiet corner of town that we like, away from the hectic busy Orchard Road.

Stepping in to be greeted by a row of pastries and bread, paired with a whiff of coffee aroma, it’s almost a sure sign that we will be chillin’ around in here! Spacious and brightly lit, it was quite an inviting sight for us and a comfy spot for catching up.

I’d planned on just getting two tarts but seeing the selection just made us order more and more and we were too full from the high-tea-turned-dinner.

Trio of dessert platter we'd ordered!Chicken and Mushroom Pie ($6.50)Served just right as they heated it up for us, we loved the generous fillings with solid chicken cubes and how it wasn’t overly creamy that makes it overwhelming to finish. The insides were tender and fresh, and the flavour was light enough for you to want to finish it. The mushroom taste was pretty subtle too, and I’d liked it that way! The pastry skin wasn’t as impressive though, as it lacked a tad of that buttery aroma and I would have preferred a flaky version of it. A decent satisfying one nonetheless!

Apple Turnover ($4.80)Cutting it open right in the middle left us feeling a tad disappointed. Expecting juicy apple cubes wrapped underneath a fragile pastry skin, it was everything opposite. There was only a slice of apple inside, mildly sweet but it feels as though the apple has been undercooked, tasting a little too hard. As it was only one slice inside, it was pretty easy to be separated from the pastry skin, looking pretty empty inside anyway. Both pastry skin and apple slice combined to give a dull bite, pretty disappointing for us! The skin was a tad too thick and lacked that buttery fragrance. I would have personally preferred a flakier version, crisp to the touch though this didn’t manage to deliver.

Croissant ($2.60)I’m a fan of crossiants and a French bakery typically meant that this is a must-try on my visit. A plain pastry yet one of the most challenging find for me, I’m pretty hard to satisfy with this. First touch and it wasn’t quite crisp on the outside, it was lucky that we cut open to find soft fluffy layers on the inside. I would have preferred a more buttery version of it, and lighter so it doesn’t feel like I’m eating bread instead of a pastry. A pretty ordinary one that didn’t quite please my palates, I would still stick to my favourite Maison Kayser’s (only the one at Scotts Square though) for now!

Brioche Loaf ($6.50)We’ve got a soft spot for bread loaves baked to a deep dark brown so this was almost a must-order as we saw how dark it was. Fine and soft on the inside while having a freshly baked aroma with the dark brown skin, this was a simple one that managed to please all of us.

Lemon Tart ($6)This is probably the only thing I’ll come back for, one that made me feel as though having just one isn’t enough! Refreshing with the lemon tang yet rounding off on a slightly sweet note, I like how it was just well-balanced and don’t worry, this won’t make your nose cringe with sourness.

Just as I thought the lemon was good enough, it further surprised me with a crumbly biscuit tart, baked fresh and crispy, it was the perfect complement to the soft insides. Refreshing and satisfying to seal the meal!

Cappuccino/ Latte ($5.50 each)What’s chillin’ without some coffee? This is probably a staple for brunches these days, perhaps relishing in the idea of sipping coffee while watching the world go past. If you’re one to go for the bitterness in your coffee, this would suit you perfectly. There’s a robust flavour to it, bitter yet rounded nicely with the milk content. The occasional coffee drinkers may find this a tad too strong though I’d loved the aroma of it that caught my nose right when I first stepped foot into the place.I loved how this place is right in town, yet away from the hordes of people. Walking slightly further down along Killiney Road, the ambience certainly caught my attention, a great hideout taking a break in town (at least for now before everyone flocks over). Service was great too, with very attentive staff and keen to get feedback from us. There were of course some misses for the items that we'd ordered, but overall a place that I'll certainly return to for my chill-out sessions with some great lemon tarts!