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SMALL LUXURIES IN HONGKONG

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This August, The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong’s Cafe 103 prescribes the ultimate afternoon tea ritual by Pierre Herme Paris. The Fetish Satine Afternoon Tea rolls out an assortment of cakes, tarts and macarons that revolve around a trio of flavours – passion fruit, orange and cream cheese. Pierre Herme Paris fans can also look forward to the limited edition mooncake collection available from mid-August at Pierre Herme Paris boutiques in Hong Kong. The Mooncake Ouvre-Toi is fashioned after Pierre Hermé’s signature bonbon de chocolat – a combination of praline and sesame nougatine and chocolate ganache. This is the first time the Picasso of Pastry has created an interpretation of the Chinese mooncake, and Hong Kong will be one of the first markets to have a taste.

www.pierreherme.com

SWEET REVELATION UN TOKYO

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On the eve of the launch of Dominique Ansel Bakery Tokyo, there were already fans waiting in line for the doors to open. Unveiled on 20 June, the bakery is housed in a three-storey stand-alone tower in the upscale Omotesando neighborhood. The menu features many of Ansel’s bestsellers, including the Cronut (the inaugural flavour in Japan was Hokkaido milk honey ganache with yuzu lemon cream), Cookie Shot, and Frozen S’mores. There are of course several exclusive-to-Tokyo creations highlighting local ingredients and traditions. The Tokyo specials include the Maneki Neko (Good Luck Cat) Religieuse – the Japanese good luck charm is reimagined as an adorable religieuse (a traditional French cream puff pastry) filled with yuzu cream.

www.dominiqueanseljapan.com

NEWFANGLED BITES

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Move over, pain au chocolat. Tiong Bahru Bakery introduces savoury croissants with exciting, Asian-inspired fillings baked inside the buttery dough. The creations include molten ramen egg with mayonnaise, bonito flakes and togarashi; artisanal onion jam with tomatoes, pork sausage and miso dressing, xiao long bao (minced pork with pickled ginger and black vinegar sauce) as well as smoked salmon, spinach and ricotta. These croissants are served as a pair alongside fresh salad with yuzu dressing. .

www.tiongbahrubakery.com

TEA-INFUSED TARTS

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Afternoon tea nibbles do not have to limited to just plain scones and cream. At TWG, delicious tea-infused morsels are served. Think Singapore Surprise, a luscious wild strawberry and pastry cream tart infused with aromatic Vanilla Bourbon Tea, or a TWG Tea raspberry tart composed of rich pastry cream infused with Napoleon Tea and topped with fresh raspberries. Available at all TWG outlets. 

www.twgtea.com

FLY ME TO THE MOON

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There are scores of mooncake permutations in the market these days. Jumping on the bandwagon is Pantler, an indie bakery on Telok Ayer Street. Packaged in modern cyan-coloured boxes are mid-autumn gems handcrafted by head chef Tomoharu Morita. The pillowy snowskin mooncakes incorporate seasonal ingredients such as Japanese chestnut and French raspberry, and are made with less sugar. Standout mooncakes are the green-coloured matcha lotus and Japanese chestnut mooncake, and the white lotus with nougatine (caramelised almonds). Available until
27 September.

www.pantler.com.sg

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