Chef Icon La Patisserie Nature Bakery @ Tg Pagar/Outram

It has really been a long while since my last post. 2012 has not been a smooth year for miss veg and slowly i lost the motivation to continue blogging until recently and the usual emails from readers I've never met, encouraging me over and over to continue writing. Thank you so much. I truely much appreciate it!

So this is the first Blogpost for the new year 2013, and Miss veg will try to blog more often.

I too, encourage whoever is keen, to join me, just send me your emails on the places you have gone to, food pics, I will post on your behalf. *Note: Miss Veg is doing this FOC though*

This blogpost is for Francis Sng, our local chef from Chef Icon. Thanks for sending me the email and the encouragement you have given me to continue to write.

You wouldnt have known that Chef Icon has been around for 3-4 years and is a pure Vegetarian cafe as the cafe name does not have a "Vegetarian" word. I do find that some patrons will shun away from cafes that have the "vegetarian" word, which can be puzzling. However it is good that perceptions are slowly changing and more people are receptive to vegetarian food these days.

I feel very impressed with the chefs (group of 5 of them as I recall) from Chef Icon as they have shown lots of dedication for this cafe/bakery.

As how their website and slogon in the shop indicate: "Nature is the Art of God" - everything from the baking of their awesome breads to yummy cheesecake is made from scratch - labor intensive and definitely safe for consumption for all vegetarians. So here's Chef's Icon for you:

Cafe Shopfront

As I've mentioned, and written on the website, whatever that Chef Icon has to serve is safe as they do not contain of the following;

•No Animal Rennet •No Animal Gelatin •No Animal Meat •No Liquor •No Margarine •No MSG •No Onions & Garlic •No Preservatives •No Chemical Bread Improvers

Impressive yea? Do note that some items are not suitable for pure vegans though, as they do contain dairy products. If you are looking for Vegan Cakes, you may visit http://kalavira.com for more information. They do have vegan cooking classes available.



A little more understanding from Francis is that he and his group of chefs have been in the hotel line baking for years before they decided to venture out on their own. Hence, you can expect Hotel Quality Cakes here!

Interior of the Cafe~ That's Chef Francis at the counter in the Apron!

I was told that Chef Icon's signatures are its New York Cheesecake and Chocolate Trovana Cakes. I ordered the Chocolate Cake for my sister's Birthday Celebration that night.
Other than cakes, Chef Icon also offers some selections of Clubman Sandwiches and Toasties. The hungry me decided to order 1 of the clubman sandwich for a try.

Rendang Curry Clubman Sandwich $8.80

Yummy Rendang Curry Sandwich which was served fresh and hot! The bread, also known as the "Clubman bread" has a really crusty taste with a generous sprinkle of sesame seeds! I really liked the crust as it was different from a lot of the breads I've tasted. Given the fact that i'm not exactly into breads and pastries, this was a surprise. The main Rendang Curry spice is specially homemade and mixed with mashed mushrooms giving it a local flavour. I personally liked this as the spice wasn't too strong flavoured and the mushroom tasted chewy. The addition of fresh lettuce and tomatoes and alfalfa leaves gave an even wholesome look/taste to it.

 I was told that Chef Icon is famous for their Brews too. However, i am really not into coffee, so, if you are a coffee junkie, this is a place you may want to consider chilling for a weekend afternoon.

I tried the Organic Tea though:-

Thousand Mile Pineapple Tea $4.90

Tastey and the pineapple taste wasnt too strong.

Never leave the shop without tasting the cakes - yes this is a strong recommendation from Miss Veg.
A pity its new york cheese cake was sold out. Hence I ordered their Boston cheese cake instead. It was a decision i never regret.

Cranberry Boston Cheesecake $5.80

I've tried homemade cheesecakes before but this was close to perfection. The cranberries were fresh and to date i can still remember how the cheese melted in my mouth. Yum~ to perfection! In fact, do note that many of the cakes in the market may not be vegetarian friendly, especially cheeses. But this rennet free cheese totally bought me over. Loved it.

Last is the mini (500g) Cholocate Trovana signature cake which I got for my sister's birthday. The dark chocolate is of top grade quality and ranked 3rd in Belgium. Yumms too. May not be cheap, but for the quality, its worth every bite.

Pure Chcolate Trovana Cake 500g $32.80

My thoughts: Chef Icon is definitely worth a visit for all vegetarians. However, do enquire if you do not take dairy products if they have vegan friendly cakes. They too sell afforable Breads/homemade kaya,jams for your breakfast too. Why not just order the cakes from them for every of your family occassion since its truely, purely vegetarian friendly? hee! I will definitely be back again for the new york cheese cake and yet another clubman sandwich, this time, I will definitely call and order before going. Note: This bakery cafe doesnt have a huge shop space, but for a mini 3-4 pax per table gathering is still possible.

Location:
5 Kampong Bahru Rd (Nearest MRT - TG pagar or Outram) - Opposite SGH
Singapore 169341
Phone: +65 9337 3900
Email: enquiry@cheficon.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/cheficon


Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday from 8am to 8pm.
Closed on Sunday and Public Holidays

I do wish Chef Francis and everyone a Happy New Year ahead!