Sinless desserts by Hisae Sakamoto

[ Media Invite ]

Sinless desserts Launch Event @ Grand Jeté cafe & bar

I'm absolutely thrilled to be invited for this launch event of Sinless desserts by Hisae Sakamoto (through Planet Ads & Design P/L) this afternoon at Grand Jetécafe & bar!

Sinless dessert is developed by famed patisserie and nutritionist, Hisae Sakamoto from Kobe. Her desserts are made fresh with natural ingredients sourced from Japan, and most importantly sugar-free, low in carbohydrate and 100% diabetic friendly, certainly suitable for people with dietary restrictions as well as the health & diet conscious folks.

I believe friends who know me, know my love for Japan, especially the food and pastries. Personally my baking style is also very much influenced by the Jap-French fusion pastries that I saw during my trips to Japan. I find Japanese pastries more delicate and refine than the western ones, and often they look too pretty to resist.

That said, I try to be more health conscious nowadays, especially with a kiddo. Therefore, I rarely buy or eat commercial pastries as a lot of them are too sweet for my palate. Prefer to bake cakes/pastries at home as I will go for premium quality ingredients as far as possible.

With the launch of Sinless desserts at Grand Jeté cafe & bar, I'm certainly delighted that there's now a choice for me to get healthier desserts outside of home! And moreover, knowing that it's developed by Japanese chef and nutritionist gave me the confidence that the desserts are of quality and would taste equally good.

Grand Jeté cafe & bar is located at Ngee Ann City Tower B, see map at the bottom of this post. A cozy and quaint cafe that resembles those I frequent in Japan.

Besides desserts, the cafe also serves Japanese-Western fusion food, from sandwiches to pastas, to salads and rice bowls. I must return to try them!

Brought my son along (who's fast becoming a picky gourmet eater), and we got to sample five desserts today, Gateau Au Chocolat (chocolate cake), Roule Au The Vert (Matcha roll cake), Gateau Au Fromage Frais (Strawberry jelly cheesecake), Tiramisu as well as a healthy muffin.

Hisae san, sharing her passion for pastries with us :) She's a licensed chef and nutritionist with over a decade of experience in the F&B industry in both Singapore and Japan. Through her personal experience meeting people with dietary restrictions, she's inspired to come up with desserts that are healthy yet appealing and delicious. And after many attempts and trials, she finally develops Sinless, with pastries that have no sugar content and are low in carbohydrate.

We first tried the Roule Au The Vert (Matcha roll cake). I love it, so does the kiddo who's a matcha lover. The cake was really moist and tender, not sweet at all with just the right balance of matcha. The cream was also very light and went well with the cake.

Next up were the Gateau Au Chocolat (chocolate cake) and Gateau Au Fromage Frais (Strawberry jelly cheesecake).

Both of us are not chocolate cake lovers, but we found the cake to be very tasty, once again tender and not too sweet, with a light chocolatey taste which I prefer (over those rich chocolate cakes).

As for the strawberry cheesecake, it was so so good. The biscuit base was slightly moist with a nutty taste, the cheesecake was light and subtle and the strawberry and jelly topping was a delightful touch. The kiddo declared this to be his favourite, with matcha roll as the second favourite :)

The Tiramisu was also very light and delectable, usually I can only finish half portion of a serving, but this I finished the whole thing, without feeling overwhelming. Even the kiddo enjoyed it.

Last but not least, a healthy coconut-nut base muffin newly developed by Hisae san. The muffin was tender and once again not too sweet, and when served plain, it's as healthy as you can get. I was surprised that the kiddo liked it.

At the end of the event, I even received the healthy muffin baked in a terra cotta pot as a takeaway!

Below are more delectable desserts/pastries by Hisae san, and I can already see myself returning for more, such as the financier, one of my favourite pastries.

Photo courtesy of Grand Jetécafe & bar and Hisae Sakamoto.

Photo courtesy of Grand Jetécafe & bar and Hisae Sakamoto.

Photo courtesy of Grand Jetécafe & bar and Hisae Sakamoto.

Photo courtesy of Grand Jetécafe & bar and Hisae Sakamoto.

Photo courtesy of Grand Jetécafe & bar and Hisae Sakamoto.

Photo courtesy of Grand Jetécafe & bar and Hisae Sakamoto.

Photo courtesy of Grand Jetécafe & bar and Hisae Sakamoto.

 

Click to enlarge.

Grand Jeté cafe & bar
391b Orchard Road #02-11
Ngee Ann City Tower B Singapore 238874
Tel: 6235 4267 Fax: 6235 4264

Be sure to drop by Grand Jetécafe & bar when you happen to be in Orchard area to try out these sinless yet delicious desserts!

Hong Kong Mar 2016 - Food Trail IV Teakha Tea Cafe

Continued from
Hong Kong March 2016 Introduction
Hong Kong March 2016 - Food Trail I Cha Chaan Teng
Hong Kong March 2016 - Food Trail II Roasted Goose, Noodles, Congee, Dim Sum
Hong Kong March 2016 - Day trip to Sai Kung
Hong Kong March 2016 - Food Trail III Dining at Sai Kung 
Hong Kong March 2016 - PMQ


Prior to the trip, besides researching on Cha Chaan Teng to visit, I also searched for patisserie or bakery cafes that are worth to try recommended by bloggers. Most searches point to trendy concept cafes that specialises in coffee (and pastries). Although those cafes look really stylish and hippy but because I don't drink coffee, I'm not particularly attracted to them.

Luckily, managed to find "teakha 茶家" which is a cosy cafe that specialises in tea. Besides serving an impressive range of tea like "Cooked teas", "Floral/Herbal teas" and "Brewed teas", the cafe also offers a simple brunch menu and a fine selection of pastries some of which are infused with tea. teakha 茶家 first started as a little shophouse at an alley at Tai Ping Shan Street (Sheung Wan), and since opened a second shop teakha II at Po Tuck Street in Sai Ying Pun (near Hong Kong University).

Initially I wanted to visit the branch at Tai Ping Shan Street after shopping for dried seafood at Des Voeux Road West. Then as I walked further along the street, I passed by Sai Ying Pun station. I thought since Teakha II is just 5 mins away from HKU station which is one station away from Sai Ying Pun Station, perhaps I could drop by Teakha II to take a look/take some photos and then proceed back to Teakha I for a seat-down afternoon tea.

The area surrounding HKU station is mostly residential and the shop is located in an uphill alley.

Followed the directions given in the website and found the shop easily. It started raining quite heavily and so instead of just taking photos, I decided to sit down for some tea although I was still a bit full from heavy brunch and it's not tea time yet.

Teakha II is quite spacious and cozy, nicely furnished with wooden furniture, warm orange lighting and lots of greenery and flowers. Reminds me of Japanese-style cafes :) Very friendly staff as well.

Pastries available for sale were clearly written on a chalkboard and also displayed in the glass counter.

Open-concept kitchen.

Some special menu items available for the day written on another large chalkboard wall.

This cozy area is big enough for a party of 10 to 12 pax.

Some zakka goods/merchandise available for sale.

Books for exchange. Customers can bring in their unwanted books and exchange for any title here.

As it was a weekday and early afternoon, the cafe was pretty quiet, but towards tea time, more people started strolling in.

Although I wasn't hungry, I couldn't resist ordering a slice of cake to try. This Osmanthus & Okinawan Black Sugar Chiffon Cake was highly recommended by the staff.

I love the cake! The chiffon was very tender and light, with a subtle sweetness and aroma from the Okinawan Black Sugar. I thought the Osmanthus flower would be overwhelming but no, it actually blended well with the cake. The whipping cream also helped enhanced the overall taste by adding some moisture and creaminess. Yummy!

The staff suggested a Hojicha Au Lait to go with the chiffon cake. The tea took about 20 mins as it's "Cooked tea" that needed more time to prepare. The wait was certainly worth it! The Hojicha was so fragrant and milky, rich flavour yet not overwhelming, not too sweet with a slight tinge of unique bitterness from the tea. Perfect with the cake indeed. Absolutely love it! How I wish I had more tummy space to try more tea and pastries, or had time to visit again!

I lingered at teakha II enjoying my pastry and tea while waiting for the rain to stop. Thereafter, decided to drop by teakha I at Tai Ping Shan Street as I had some spare time. Instead of taking MTR, I walked all the way, which took only 6km, a good workout for me to burn off the excess calories, and hopefully load in more at teakha I :p

Unfortunately there was some filming going on at teakha I. Also, the whole place is much smaller, didn't have the ambience and comfort I preferred at teakha II.

The staff seemed busy managing the filming crew so I decided to just sneaked in for a few photos. Luckily they didn't mind my intrusion.

There's alfresco seating area but it was quite wet due to the rain.

Before leaving, discovered they have an additional "underground" dining area which seemed very cozy. Next time perhaps.

Overall, I really enjoyed teakha's offering of unique teas and pastries. Next time I return to Hong Kong, I must make time to visit either branch (probably teakha II as the ambience is much better) and try more teas and pastries. For folks who love tea (and don't drink cafe) like me, this tea specialist cafe is certainly worth a visit (or two)!

teakha 茶家

Website: http://www.teakha.com

Sheung Wan

Address: Shop B, 18 Tai Ping Shan Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
Opening Hours: 11am - 7pm (Mon - Fri) | 9am - 8pm (Sat - Sun)

HKU

Address G/F, 18 Po Tuck Street, Sai Wan, Hong Kong
Opening Hours 11am - 7pm (Tue - Sun) Closed on Monday

Hong Kong Mar 2016 - Food Trail III Dining at Sai Kung

Continued from
Hong Kong March 2016 Introduction
Hong Kong March 2016 - Food Trail I Cha Chaan Teng
Hong Kong March 2016 - Food Trail II Roasted Goose, Noodles, Congee, Dim Sum
Hong Kong March 2016 - Day trip to Sai Kung

Sai Kung is famous for seafood and needless to say, we've got to try one of the seafood restaurants there. There are many renowned ones recommended by various food blogs, like Chuen Kee 全記海鮮菜館, Sing Kee 勝記海鮮酒家 and Loaf On 六福菜館. We opted for Loaf On based on recommendation from a chef (whom I attended his cooking classes before).

Actually customers could purchase live seafood from the fishermen and bring the seafood to the restaurant for preparation (a cooking fee will be charged), but we were not sure about seasonal prices and didn't want to go into selection and bargaining mode, so just opted to order from the restaurant menu directly. 

Loaf On Restaurant is located at a street behind the main seafood street, but it's quite easy to find. Apparently it was awarded one Michelin Star before and the only seafood restaurant in Sai Kung to be awarded. We were ushered to level 3 of the restaurant.

Decided to order a just a few dishes as we intended to try some other food/eateries we came across.

First up, Fish Soup with Potatoes and Tomatoes. I must say this was the best fish soup I've ever tried. The milky broth was so sweet and refreshing without any fishy taste. Perfect for the cold weather as well.

Razor Clams in black bean sauce. I was impressed by how the clams and vegetables were cooked just nicely; the clam meat was chewy and sweet and the sauce slightly spicy and very flavourful. Couldn't resist ordering a bowl of rice to go along (even though we didn't want to over-indulge in this meal).

Steamed Scallops with garlic and glass vermicelli. With this dish, we could taste the freshness and sweetness of the large-size scallop. The glass vermicelli soaked up the juice of the scallop and was so yummy.

Baked Salt and Pepper Abalone. I super love this abalone! Crispy outside and super tender inside! I thought it would be tasteless but the salt and pepper helped to bring out the sweetness and flavour of the abalone. Have never tasted anything so decadent before, almost wanted to order another piece!

Stir-fried Kailan in garlic. This vegetable dish was a little disappointing though. Mainly the stems were served (I guessed this is the usual method of serving Kailan in HK?) which we felt a little too much. And some of the stems were a bit on the tough side.

Overall, an enjoyable and decadent seafood lunch. Service was good, but a little bit on the slow side. Since we were there to relax, didn't mind it given the nice ambience. Probably if there's a chance to return to Sai Kung again, we would try the other seafood restaurants like Chuen Kee (for the experience of ordering seafood from the fish tank displays).

After our lunch, we took a stroll along the coastline and soon was attracted by the alluring aroma of some freshly baked pastries. We followed the aroma and discovered this Sai Kung Cafe & Bakery. Even though it was barely 10 mins after our lunch, we couldn't resist ordering some pastries :p

There's a small area for dine-in, so we ordered a milk tea to share, and two types of egg tarts, fresh milk egg tart and Portuguese egg tart, and a traditional bo luo bun.

The fresh milk egg tart was freshly out of the oven and smelled heavenly, tasted heavenly too! The pastry was flaky and crispy and the fresh milk custard so creamy and smooth, as good as the one I had at Honolulu Cafe! The Portuguese egg tart was good but normal, a tad to sweet. The bo luo bun was soft and fluffy with a crispy crust, a pity that it's a bit cold already. If it's warmed up or fresh from oven, I reckoned it would be perfect.

Luckily we dined earlier, because when we passed by the bakery in the late afternoon, there was a long queue and the dine-in area was full.

Anyways, after we had the egg tarts, we spotted this Burger Deli selling burgers. After a week of chinese food, suddenly some greasy burgers and fries sounded so good! But we were too full by then, so decided to walk and shop around before returning later to try the burger.

And so we returned in the late afternoon and shared a Classic Beef Burger and Skinny Fries.

Besides burgers, there are other items like hot dogs, chicken, fish and side dishes.

The beef burger looked good indeed, came with medium done beef patty, lettuce, melted cheese, tomato, onion and pickle.

The burger bun was fluffy and soft, beef patty was succulent and juicy and the generous slice of melted cheese simply enhanced the overall taste of the burger. And even though the fries was supposedly skinny, they weren't at all, they were quite thick and fat, crispy on the outside yet moist and fluffy inside. Thumbs up.

We only managed to try a few eateries/food in Sai Kung, but there are actually many other choices available. Besides seafood, there are the Cha Chaan Teng, trendy cafes, retro cafes selling traditional HK snacks (there's a popular shop super crowded and long queue so we didn't try), hole-in-a-wall shop selling Fish & Chips (long queue, we didn't try) etc.

Besides dining, there are also some interesting shops selling knick knacks, household items, sports wear, ornaments etc.

Sai Kung is definitely worth at least half a day visit, and given the chance, we would love to return next time!

Next post, I'll be covering PMQ Creative Hub in Central HK. Stay tuned!