Singapore Food Blog - Tart Blanc

Location: Central Business District (CBD), Singapore

Updated: This business is permanently closed.

Recommended: Various tarts, Mint Cucumber tea

I have to confess that Millenia Walk is not my usual haunt - in fact I have never been there before if it wasn't for a Groupon voucher which we purchased to try out this store named Tart Blanc. For SGD11.80, we get to enjoy a tea set worth SGD24 for 2 that include 2 tarts and 2 hot beverages. With such an irresistible offer, how could we not give it a try?

Tart Blanc fits the description of "hole in the wall" literally by fitting into a small space, accommodating at most 5 - 6 couples, its counter occupying the other half of the store. With an unassuming exterior, we almost missed it if we were not looking for it. However my limited French allowed me to appreciate this artisan cafe's choice of various shades of white as its main theme, from the Chinese lantern styled lamps to the paint on the wall, for "blanc" is "white" in French.

Tart Blanc - it is French for "tart white", an apt description of their main selling pastry and the color of choice for interior decor.

2014 Germany Trip - Schneeballen (Snowballs) of Rothenburg from Diller Schneeballenträume

Location: Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

Itinerary and full experience of my visit to Germany can be accessed through the link below:

List of all 2014 Germany Trip | Rothenburg itinerary | Rothenburg places I went to

What should you try when in Rothenburg ob der Tauber? Schneeballen of course! That's translated to "Snowballs", an apt name to the coated balls the size of your fist. I first got to know this candy food when in Heidelberg, and knowing that this is a product local to Rothenburg, I immediately set it as my goal to get some from this town.

According to online sources, this pastry has been around for about 300 years in the regions of Franconia and Holenlohe. Originally reserved for weddings, it is now available throughout the year, and Rothenburg ob der Tauber is the place to get it, from bakeries selling it besides its main wares to specialized shops selling it as its main ware. It is made by deep frying dough in boiling fat and dusted with confectioner's sugar while warm. Its outlook is what earned its name.

Schneeballen = snowballs

Malaysia Food Blog - House of Häagen-Dazs @ De Garden, Ipoh - A Chinese New Year Chocolate fondue experience

Location: Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia

Note: This post is written base on the dining experience in De Garden, Ipoh branch. Experience may vary from that of other outlets.

Recommended: Chocolate Fondue (RM68)

Somebody in the house (my sister actually) wanted to try Häagen-Dazs’ chocolate fondue but not willing to spend her hard earned money. Out of pity and curiosity I relented after she ranted for months for a treat from me, and I also thought it would be a nice experience for the old folks at home to try something young. 

Welcome to the House of Häagen-Dazs! Somehow those scratches seem to reduce the feel of a premium brand...

2014 Germany Trip - Eiscafé Mauro @ Rothenburg

Location: Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

German: Eis is German for ice-cream (yes, fooled you didn't it)
               Eiscafé is German for ice-cream parlor, a place which sells ice-cream (not really a café)

Itinerary and full experience of my visit to Germany can be accessed through the link below:

2014 - Germany trip

Have you ever considered eating ice-cream when the weather around you is lower than 10°C? I had. It was quite fun and contrary to my initial belief, it didn't make me colder. With the environment being so cold, consuming scoops of ice-cream had little effect on my body temperature.

Good weather for an ice-cream

2013 Hanoi Trip - Thu Nga - Kem Xôi & Chè Thái Lan

Location: Hanoi, Vietnam

Full experience of my visit to Hanoi can be accessed through the list below:

Attractions:   St Joseph's Cathedral | One Pillar Pagoda | Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum | Thang Long Water Puppet Theater | Lý Thái Tổ Garden

Dining:          New Day Restaurant | Sketch Coffee | Bánh Cuốn Gia Truyền | Dương Hoa Kem Caramen

More about Hanoi can be read through the list below:
Vietnamese Dong


I wouldn't have expected that Hanoi has a delicious and less well known dish which involved ice-cream. After getting our fair share of bún, phở and bánh cuốn in our 8 day trip, to find respite from the more conventional everyday meals was welcoming. We had our pleasant surprise at the successful food hunt for Kem Caramen at the Northern end of the Old Quarters, and our subsequent adventure to the south bagged us an encounter with Kem Xôi, an ice cream dessert with stick pandan rice and roasted coconut.

Introducing another Vietnamese treasure - a dessert known locally as Kem Xôi, where vanilla ice-cream complements the pandan sticky rice covered underneath. A heaven sent after a hot walk under the sun.

2013 Hanoi Trip - Dương Hoa Kem Caramen

Location: Hanoi, Vietnam

Full experience of my visit to Hanoi can be accessed through the list below:

Attractions:   St Joseph's Cathedral | One Pillar Pagoda | Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum | Thang Long Water Puppet Theater | Lý Thái Tổ Garden

Dining:          New Day Restaurant | Sketch Coffee | Bánh Cuốn Gia Truyền | Thu Nga Kem Xôi & Chè Thái Lan

More about Hanoi can be read through the list below:
Vietnamese Dong

Look up for must-try food in Hanoi, and one would not get any explicit recommendation to try kem caramen. It would hardly exist in any of those list, or at least I couldn't see one which it did. Personally though, I would say that one should at least make an effort to try the one in Dương Hoa, for you would not be disappointed at all.

For this successful food hunt, there is my friend and his trusty guidebook to thank for. Chuah Chin Yee, this post is dedicated to you! :)

Kem Caramen (VND6,000, about RM1.00) is really a tasty dessert that one should not miss. Bombard your senses with the fragrance of caramel and relish the silky smooth texture of the custard.

2012 HK Trip - Hui Lau Shan (許留山)

Location: Wan Chai (灣仔), S.A.R. Hong Kong

Note: This article is written base on the experience in the outlet located in 163 Hennessy Road. Experience may differ from other outlets in Hong Kong.

Note 2: This article was written prior to the setup of Hui Lau Shan in Malaysia, and may not reflect the same experience.

The first impression I recalled of traveling in Hong Kong's MTR was a large paneled advertisement, showing desserts featured in vivid tangerine yellow, with mango being the highlight here. It mentioned 'Mango Fiesta', with mango cakes, mango puddings and mango whatever portrayed in mouth-watering arrangements, highlighting the slogan, 'Mango, it must be Hui Lau Shan' (芒果，始終許留山). 

Of course, that was back in April and Malaysia had no local branches of Hui Lau Shan yet, so I could be forgiven for not knowing what that was all about. The fact that these ads were seen across everywhere ensured an ad hoc spot of its visit in our plan.

The advertisement of 'Mango Fiesta" by Hui Lau Shan was seen almost everywhere we went in Hong Kong, and the vivid yellow was quite inviting.

Singapore Food Blog - Sticky - Traditional Handmade Candy

Location: Clarke Quay, Central Business District (CBD), Singapore.

During my recent trip to Singapore, I chanced upon this shop located in The Central, Clarke Quay. It is quite unusual for a shop selling candies to be in the limelight, but the fact that my friend brought me here and a bunch of people crowding the place intrigued me.

You are right - Sticky is a shop selling candies and lollipops in The Central, with another branch located in Cineleisure Orchard. What makes this business so special is not just the candies themselves, but what's within it.

Malaysia Food Blog - Mix Fruit Ice (杂果雪) @ Ipoh's Dessert Street (Tong Sui Kai 糖水街)

Location: Ipoh, Perak.

You may have seen shaved ice (刨冰) elsewhere, but where else could you find one with so much fruity goodness, topped with a scoop of ice-cream to ward off the hot Malaysian sun?

Going back to Ipoh to spend my holidays does lead me a walk down memory lane. I recall my schooling days, when I used to spend my time with my friends from the Red Crescent Society to have a refreshing cup of drink or a bowl of shaved ice right after an afternoon march under the hot blistering sun. It was a blessing from Heaven to dip into the coolness under the shades of the stalls.

I haven't been back there after my adventuring days with the club ended and I pursued my career and life elsewhere from Ipoh, and I never thought I will miss it so much until I revisited the stalls during these festive holidays. I got to know that the usual stall we visited is no more, but the familiar bowl of shaved ice is still sold by the stalls along the street locally known for its dessert - Dessert Street a.k.a. Tong Sui Kai (Cantonese for 糖水街, Mandarin: táng shuǐ jiē).

Malaysia Food Blog - Sugar Dynasty (糖朝)

Greetings from Sugar Dynasty

Location: Georgetown, Penang Isle

When I started off working in Penang, my colleagues and I used to organise a "makan-makan" trip to sample food from different corners of the isle. I was new then and had no inkling of where what was, but I do recall vividly this shop. When I tried to work my way around the twisting roads of Georgetown (pardon this fellow who has trouble around Georgetown even after 3 years), I finally managed to revisit this small shop located in one of the locations listed under World Heritage Site - Nagore Road.

The name Sugar Dynasty is actually a homophone in Mandarin. The name in Mandarin, 糖朝 (táng cháo) is a homophone of Tang Dynasty, 唐朝 (táng cháo), and truly, the shop is a haven for lovers of the Chinese style dessert. Sugar Dynasty greets its customer with a menu filled with 4 pages worth of dessert of your choice, and most of them are less than RM5.00 per bowl. Some of the choices cater for those with exquisite taste, with expensive traditional Chinese herbs like swallow's nest (燕窝) used as the ingredient, and costs more than RM30.00 per bowl.