Caro Patisserie (Joo Chiat)

For those whom have been following us for quite a while, the mention of the name Caro Patisserie might ring some bells — this was an establishment that we had visited some time back when we had first heard about it their existence at The Stradia along Yio Chu Kang Road. These folks had since expanded their operations with a new location in the East — occupying the shop unit that is located right beside Cafe Wabi Sabi’s newest location along Joo Chiat Road, Caro Patisserie takes over the premises that used to house the now-defunct gelatolabo location there. Whilst still being a quite a hole-in-the-wall space, it is interesting to note that the folks behind Caro Patisserie had since included a dine-in section for their Joo Chiat location; the most visible dine-in area when one looks at the establishment from the outside would be the outdoor seating space, though there is a limited number of high chairs facing a mirror within the establishment that dine-in patrons can choose to take a seat and enjoy the tarts that Caro Patisseire has to offer. The interior of Caro Patisserie is decked in a quaint and almost cottage-like flair, giving the interior a slight European-chic vibe with its large use of white elements with contrasts of bright colours and gold embellishments that adds on to the vibes. Being an establishment that is noted for their lineup of dessert tarts, the dessert tarts are central to whatever that they have to offer; that being said, Caro Patisserie also does serve up French baguettes and also do have a good variety of cookies that are available for retail as well.

The first tart that had caught our attention whilst skimming through what they have stocked up in the display fridge. While Caro Patisserie does not describe on the elements that is included in their various creations, it can be observed from our order that the Lemon Meringue Tartlet comes with the usual suspects like lemon curd and carefully-piped meringue that is “plopped” onto the lemon curd meticulously for a visual appeal — all of that sitting atop a tart base. The tart base at Caro Patisserie could be likened to that of a shortbread; whilst it does take a little more effort than usual to dissect the tart, the tart base still slices off pretty neatly without crumbling into a mess — it also held the wet elements atop of it quite well as well. Here, the lemon curd itself leans towards sweeter notes; still providing a slight zing, though it ends off with a sweetness in its finish. This is also where the meringue steps in; itself carrying a slightly more neutral profile that not only bridges between the lemon curd and the tart shell, but also mellows out the flavours of the lemon curd at the same time for a good balance.

We had also checked out their Pistachio Chocolate Tartlet during the very same visit and this is definitely something more on the indulgent side when compared against that of the Lemon Meringue Tartlet. The chocolate is the more prominent element here, with the pistachio being a bit similar to the likes of a pistachio paste that is not only piped atop the chocolate filling, but also in between the chocolate ganache and the tart shell that gives a somewhat subtle sweetness and nuttiness. These folks had also included a sliced raspberry in the middle; provides a zing that refreshes the tastebuds considering the heavier-tasting elements featured in this tart. Caro Patisserie has been pretty consistent with the quality of their tarts thus far; we do feel that they so however have a slight edge in the fruit tarts that they have to offer as compared to those that makes use of other elements though this could also be a matter of preference anyway. Prices of their tartlets which are sized just about right for an individual diner are priced around $8.80 to $9.80; the sort of price that one would expect for such offerings these days. An addition to the Joo Chiat neighbourhood that we think the residents around the area would enjoy despite the number of cafes and bakeries operating within the area.