Marmalade Pantry, Holland Village

I love Public Holiday especially if it falls on a weekday. I can bake and cook at my own pace, run errands without a mad rush or simply laze around and do nothing.

Hubby has gone fishing with his kakis in Malaysia; and kindly left the car at my disposal :D which means that I could drive around to different shops I wanted to visit (sometimes it's hard to explain to him about my shopping plans; men just don't get it) and indulge in some pampering too.

Had scheduled a facial at Face Bistro in Holland Village in the late afternoon so I had quite a fair bit of time to spare. Made my way to Bake-It-Yourself (mentioned by Joycelyn during her cookies class) to check out some bakewares and ingredients but to my dismay it was closed. There goes my plan for trying the Decorated Cookies. Or how about Sesame Cookies learnt during Keiko's Jap-French Pastries class then? With that thought, I made my way to Meidi-ya Supermarket to get some Japanese black and white sesame; and also picked up some onigiri (I love onigiri) for my dinner.

After the errands, it was off to Marmalade Pantry in Holland Village (ok, this was supposed to be the subject and highlight of this blog entry but I digress).

Have heard so much about Marmalade Pantry at Palais Renaissance, supposedly a chi chi mall frequented by tai-tais; and that the restaurant is so popular that either you queue and get lucky or make reservations. Hadn't been to Palais Renaissance before, obviously I'm not in that league; just an aspiring tai-tai earning my own keep for now :p

Was definitely excited when Marmalade Pantry opens a branch at Holland Village, my chance to check out the ravings. Since I have not been to the one at Palais, couldn't make comparisons. The restaurant looks trendy with all white-furnishing, kind of casual or at most smart casual setting. Not that chi chi afterall? Menu items look chi chi though. Service-wise was prompt and attentive. Come to think of it, this place feels a little like Greyhound Cafe in Bangkok.

My focus was actually on the Sticky Date Toffee Pudding with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream which I heard is very good. But I was hungry and wanted to have try something more in the menu instead of just dessert. Ended up with Homemade Dips with Pita Wedges and a Vigorous juice of carrot, celery and apple.The pita wedges were served warm and quite light and chewy. The dips were a little odd though, some minty cucumber yogurt and curried vegetable like masala. A little regret; perhaps I should have ordered something else like a foie gras burger or scrambled eggs & sausages on toast with field mushrooms. In fact, I was going for the miso baked tofu with vegetable tempura & ginger soy but it was sold out.

The Sticky Date Toffee Pudding with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream is to die for!!! The pudding was served warm with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. Didn't know what to expect since it was my first time trying this English dessert. I was totally blown away after the first bite. It was moist, tender and full of richness, yet not too sweet. The toffee sauce complemented the pudding really well. The ice cream is no ordinary vanilla ice cream; the taste is much more intense due to the vanilla bean used.

I guess I will be back for the other menu items. As for dessert, it would be a tough decision between something new or the Sticky Date Toffee Pudding with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.

Writing this blog makes me crave for the pudding now... In fact, I'm googling for recipes to see if I can try baking it at home.

The Marmalade Pantry
17D Lorong Liput
Tel 64698016
http://www.themarmaladepantry.com/