Extracted from its mother outlet at Waku Ghin, the new dessert counter is wholly the domain of master pastry Chef Yasushi Ishino.
There are probably a handful of pastry chefs that I admire here in Singapore, and Chef Ishino easily ranks among them.
The precision that you would expect from a Japanese maestro, coupled with the finesse and the mastery of the best French pastry techniques means that every little nugget of dessert here is worthy of your attention.
There are over a dozen selections here, and having sampled all of them, I am impressed enough to say there is not a single weak item. Yes, it is that amazingly good and consistent.
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| Caramel Chocolate Mousse with Spice and Banana |
An example of the intricacy at play here is the glossy sheen of this caramel, chocolate and banana combination. His restrained use of sugar sweetness plays along with his smoother than baby bottom mousse that is equally as light as the proverbial feather.
All the combination of ingredients and flavours work so well together, it is more than a party in the mouth. It is better than any year-end countdown fiesta as the delicious fireworks just will not stop popping.
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| Earl Grey Chocolate Mousse with Orange and Vanilla |
It belongs more in an art museum piece than a pastry cafe. The signature light and feathery mousse is composed of a subtly balanced act of a regal earl grey aftertaste and a slight bitter chocolate undertone.
The counter and parry of the vanilla and orange gives it just a slight citrusy punch only for our dessert palate to be further toyed with the textural crunch of the chocolate coated rice crisps. Elegant and playful all at once.
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| Yuzu Tart |
His shortcrust pastry is the best I have come across here, so thin yet firm and brittle without being overly fragile and flaky. That zesty wallop of yuzu never too overpowering and just enough sugar to bring it back to focus. And that meringue, beautifully whipped and torched into pointy bulbs of sugar lightness. Yes, an exemplary tart of technique on display.
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| Matcha Opera |
Although I have never been the biggest matcha fan, this Japanese meets France dessert fusion might just convince me otherwise. A delicate use of premium matcha powder is necessary to ensure that you get just enough of that matcha hint, but not to the point of bitterness.
It is the careful use of butter cream and well pulled off sponge layers filled with espresso ultimately knocks your palate off with its myriad of flavours that is still as lively as it is familiar. Matcha lovers rejoice!
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| Coconut Mousse with Passionfruit and Mango |
Coconut, passionfruit and mango make the unlikeliest of culinary bedfellows. But as any recent pastry chef worth its salt would know, if you get these fruits together in just the right ratio and way, the eventual pastry can be quite mind-blowing.
And it does blow my mind away in more ways than one. Just the beautiful glossy look of it will convince you to eat this right away. Zesty and citrusy from the double whammy of passionfruit and mango, the more grounded sweetness of the coconut just sways you back to the center. And yes, the light and airy mousse convinces you that there is none that can compete with this at this point.
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| Mille Feuille |
But if there is one pastry that had me at hello, it is his classic Mille Feuille. This is a tough dessert to pull off and not many can conquer its gastronomic heights without tumbling once.
This is as perfect as this french pastry can ever get. The housemade puff pastry is just so buttery gorgeous and crisp, and that custard cream so perfectly judged. Even the dusting of the icing sugar looks so smart in the overall picture, that I have to but bow my head in reverence and awe over his pastry craft.
Seriously, it is almost a shame to embed this amazing dessert counter in another lounge at this point of time. Waku Ghin should simply get its own retail space and make this the pinnacle of all dessert pastry cafes right now.
Patisserie Platine
RISE Lounge
Marina Bay Sands Hotel Lobby, Tower 1
2 Bayfront Avenue
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