Meanwhile, Delicieus has transformed into a smart cafe with pastries as the core. A wise move indeed, as customers can enjoy the cakes in the comforts of air-con and the cakes will not melt as quickly as before.
The price range is actually even lower than Chef Yamashita and Dulcet & Studio, but the quality is not very consistently seen across their cakes. The Balette ($6) is a typical fraiser but finished off with an apple-green marzipan fondant which brought a fatal blow to the cake because it contributed unnecessary gummy sweetness and weighed down the dry marks. Marzipan frosting doesn't serve any good purpose here since it is not a decoration cake.
There are two variation of Mont Blancs; a tart and a sponge based version. I naturally picked the tart ($6), though the pastry base was soggier than the strawberry custard tart. That said, the chestnut cream is sweet but not too dense or cloying, piped perfectly on multiple layerings of custard, vanilla sponge, whipped cream and baked walnut sponge.
As much as I love chestnuts, I don't think it should be everywhere. For instance, it popped up again in the Matcha Roll ($3.80) which was already sufficiently sweet without the chestnuts. The caramel chocolate ($5.50) looked quite an average mousse cake but the caramel layer surprised me with a unique springy texture, like a bittersweet pudding.
Most likely because I had the Millefeuille ($4.50) straight at the cafe and consuming it on the day of assemble, the pastry layers were flaky, crisp with a nice bitterness. My favourite is the Montelimar ($4.80), which is named after the region in France which is famous for Nougats. The heady taste of honey in the nougat mousse infused with wine and the almonds was a joy to savour as every forkful was mixed in with bits of chocolate chips and the toasty cookie base.
Their Uji matcha soft serve ($3.50) is excellent as well. Luxuriously smooth and mildly bitter, this is the perfect reward for a sweltering hot day! Other flavors include strawberry, vanilla and chocolate
This place may not offer the top-notched pastries in Singapore but beats others hands down with unparalleled cost-performance. My friend and I shared 6 cakes for $30 plus excluding the coffee, which means each of us pay around $3 for each cake.
Plus, every order is beautifully served on a plate decorated with fruits, fresh cream and custard sauce without additional GST or service charge if you choose to dine in. I wouldn't mind coming back again since the variety changes every now and then.
Price range of cakes: $3.80~$6
Delicius Pasticceria
18 Raffles Quay
Tel 67027329
http://delicius.jp/
Daily 10am-9pm