Binge – Sweet Sinfulness! Cakes, Ice Cream and Desserts!

Such sinfulness! Like sugar isn’t enough of the devil for us svelte darlings, they’re now combining it with alcohol, too. What is a modern girl to do to hold on to her raging infernal desires? What’s this frenzy all about?

Häagen-Dazs Singapore is the FIRST country in Asia to launch a Cocktail Menu. Available only at its Clarke Quay café (3A River Valley Road, #01-07), the menu offers ice cream cocktails, sorbet-blended cocktails and liqueur coffee! According to Mr. Yiannis Karaolides, Managing Director for General Mills Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia & Malaysia, this is part of the brand’s ‘Slow Melting in Progress’ campaign. For a sampling for sin, consider Roman Romance ($18) a fusion of raspberry sorbet, sparkling lemonade, lime juice, fresh strawberry and a shot of tequila, or Santorini Sunset ($16), a combination of Mango Sorbet, vodka, lime juice and pineapple juice. Ooh – and what’s this? Luscious Venetian Velvet ($16), a concoction of Belgian Chocolate ice cream, fresh milk and Bailey’s Irish Cream! If you’ve got the cone, I’ve got the cream!

Clark Quay

3A River Valley Road #01-07

Speaking of sins, 1-Twenty Six, the ‘copacobana’ bar at East Coast Park has rolled out a new cocktail menu that draws from the seven deadly sins – sloth, lust, wrath, despair and the lot. Under each ‘sin’ is a selection of dangerous and bold cocktails made from fruits and ingredients often found in the pastry kitchen. Sip on cocktails like Dragon’s Breath, a fiery-red concoction of spiced rum, dragon fruit, Frangelico hazelnut, vanilla and coconut cream (Ooo! Cholesterol!); Antoinette’s Vanity (named after Marie-Antoinette) which contains passion fruit vodka, pear, grapefruit, green tea, vanilla and comes with a freshly made cupcake (Cute!) and a titillating tipple called The Younger Man with brandy, lychee, blue curacao, passionfruit, cranberries, and soursop. Included in the heady line-up is a category of drinks called ‘Punch Bowl’ ($80) which serves 3-4 people. There are four choices here, of which White Rosemount Sangri and Pimm's Lemonade, comprising Pimm's No. 1, cucumbers, lemonade, ginger and apple sounds best. So go for your healthy evening run with a bit of cash in your pocket, end at the bar and hydrate with these sexy sins. We like!

902 East Coast Parkway

Playground@Big Splash #01-26

If you're into a spot of clean-living, over at Handy Road, 1-Caramel recently served forth its new cake menu. So lovely, charming and prim, you feel you’re a blue-rinsed, floral frocked lady sitting on those tight little tables and nibbling on fine confections. What did Auntie enjoy here since she didn’t taste The Younger Man (see above)?

I liked Midori ($7.90) the best – a slice of green decadence flavoured with matcha and adzuki beans (aka ‘ang tow’) with yuzu-infused bavarois. So oriental chic, I could keel over. I also tried the Lychee Rose ($7.90) with lychee and rose mousse with juicy lychee jelly and valrhona ivoire chocolate glaze. Nice for lychee martini lovers, prim nuns and preschool teachers. It’s all very sweet and yummy. Most tantalizing was the Chocolate Slut ($8.90) - love the name! - with multiple layers of chocolate sponge, caramel peanut butter mousse, marshmallow chunks, with dark rich glaze. So decadent, no wonder it comes with such an ‘in-your-face’ name. As you can see, they are geniuses in naming their cakes.

Other slices that caught my eye - Red Velvet ($7.90) with moist sponge and layers of rich 75% Sao Tome dark chocolate and juicy dark sweet cherries; Hazelnut Orange ($6.90) – my favourite pastry kitchen ingredients!– which includes hazelnuts, rosemary, navel orange and grand marnier, and a dense, unforgiving Maltesers cheesecake ($8.90) with a coffee crumb base, horlicks marbling and maltesers chocolate balls topped with luscious manjari ganache. Indeed they specialize overwhelmingly in cakes and sweets, but just a quick note, they serve light brunches here too, lunch items and a lovely range of souffles. Must go! Do note though that there is absolutely no salvation here, ladies!

The Luxe

Handy Road

- Ee Waun