Heartwarming homecooked fare
Looking at its casual setting, it's hard to tell if the chef-owner here is running a cafe professionally or as a hobby.
But one thing is for sure: Ms Cannice Lee cooks as if she is doing it at home for discerning foodies.
She has 71 cheesecake items in her repertoire, of which "69 are listed on our website", says the former Certified Public Accountant.
"I have a 'quiet' fussy-eater husband. He tells me how he feels about my food by keeping quiet," she says with a laugh.
She came up with a seafood and abalone laksa pasta that her "in-laws from Hong Kong swear by", though it was a tad salty for me.
But surprisingly, the salted egg yolk pasta hit the spot. It was neither salty nor cloying, tamed by a pleasant stock and did not come carbonara-rich. It's the No. 1 item on her regular menu.
Young ones would love her baked pork ribs and chicken wings, both done in a very agreeable char siew sauce and marinade.
The fried yam ball with duck was a great way to earn calorie points properly.
But call a day ahead and you see what this home-cooking fanatic will come up with for you, off menu.
LYCHEE
I fell over for the fried lychee ball, stuffed with minced seafood and greens. The crisp, fruity sweetness and the savoury fillings were strange but wonderful.
I had to pop a second one to confirm the taste, followed by a third, just to be sure.
The flower crab glutinous rice was pleasant enough but I think my palate is way more intense than her pilot hubby's on this one.
An item that floored me was her steamed egg with seafood mushroom sauce, done Japanese chawanmushi style with dashi stock. She wrapped it in lotus leaf and it came wobbly smooth and soft.
Now, back to her stunning cheesecakes.
The pulot hitam version was clearly a winner, just like the runner-up chendol version. Both were not very sweet, surprisingly light and moist.
She goes sugar-easy on the other local flavours as well. The mango-pomelo was very refreshing, with a tang so well contained by the light cream cheese.
Although the bo bo cha cha rendition sounded fabulous, it was tamer that the others.
The durian version uses D24 and mao shan wang which she buys in bulk when in season and freezes. She does not put them on display because of the smell.
Now, if only her husband would tell me what other dishes he has kept quiet about so I can try them on my next visit.
Chezcake Bistro
328, Joo Chiat Road, #01-05
Tuesday to Sunday: Noon to 10pm Tel: 6346-6646
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