1-Caramel @ The Luxe

1-Caramel's the new kid on the block with famous relations like 1-Twenty-Six and One-Rochestor. Nested in between The Cathay and Plaza Singapore, human traffic is heavy throughout the three times I've paid it a visit.



Loving the layout...tall chairs...



Not your normal kinda survey...



Complimentary water and dessert fork!



What I really adore is the space allocated for the arm candies..



The glass cabinet that keeps you so very enthralled.



Peanut Butter Cheese Tart ($6.90)
with a hint of lemon and a layer of crunchy hazelnut praline

I particularly loved the tart base with praline, the combination worked for me. The Peanut Butter Cheese topping was a velvety smooth paste atop with a generous sprinkling of chocolate shavings. It did not come across as a dense tart but a nice balance struck.



Sacher Torte ($7.90)

A traditional dense Austrian chocolate cake with pitted dark sweet cherry and kirsch compote and Valhrona chocolate ganache

The companions did not fancy this hugely, leaving it half finished. I found it just ordinary however.

The second visit was hot on the heels of the first as I was still enthralled by this newfound dessert place.

Tropical Fruit Cake ($7.90)



Vanilla Sponge filled with passionfruit mascapone cream

I declare a love-hate relationship towards passionfruit. The only related dessert that has blown my away is The Patissier's Passionfruit meringue and 1-Caramel's magic fizzed out with this particular cake. The vanilla sponge was coarse, lathered with sour passionfruit jam which I did not adore. In all honesty, this looked better in the glass shelf.

Nid d'abeilles ($7.90)



Layers of honey chiboust cream and strawberry jelly sandwiched with crispy almond daiquoise.

The initial choice of pear tart was sold out for the day and the remaining reserved so I settled for this...largely attributed to the florentine on top, completely forgetting how much of a non-fan I am of mousse cakes. The chewy daiquoise was the only saving grace amongst the various layers of mousse, cake and jelly. The flavours did not go down too well for me.

Fraise Pistachio Tart ($8.90)



Layers of pistachio frangipane with mixed berries creameaux scattered with blueberries and garnished with fresh strawberries and oven roasted pistachio nuts

I attempted this during the second visit and ordered this after the first two disappointing cakes. Love the delicious colours of the tart! Was a tempt at first sight with the luscious juicy strawberries. The purple puree tasted much like yam but was infact frangipani. The pistachio paste and frangipani combination was nice but not as outstanding as the peanut butter tart. This time round the tart was less crunchy, slightly soaked through.

And then there was a third visit to perhaps give the Pear Torta a go before I stamp it "Tried and Done".

Hazelnut Pear Torta ($6.90)



Crunchy hazelnut cake with caramelised pear slices

I was most expecting a crunchy tart base given its name but it was just a dense delightful nut cake laced with hazelnuts, glaced with caramelised pear slices and pear! Despite the initial surprise, the cake pulled off rather brilliantly on its own with the flavours well permeated throughout. This ranks as my second favourite amongst the humble list I have attempted.

After three visits in a span of a week and a half and six different desserts later, I declare 1-Caramel's tarts addictive..though I did not find the same infatuation in their cakes. Like any other dessert place, not all are outstanding..wise choices are recommended as a single disappointment could wave you off this place almost immediately. Prices are more affordable as compared to Canele, more variety than Bakerzin...there you find 1 Caramel's snug slot.

Service varies according to the crowds, but overall passable.

www.1-Caramel.com

1-Caramel
6 Handy Road, #01-01A