Pantler (River Valley)

Of course, their signature Chou a la crème ($5.80 each) is a must-order! I was in love since the very first time I had their cream puff at the previous spot along Telok Ayer Street. The crunchy nougatine studded with the pastry cream was really the best part - the fun contrasting textures and the sweet nutty flavour. The thin, kinda biscuit-like, crispy exterior and creamy smooth cream complete with specks of vanilla bean were also chef’s kisses.

Ughh take my money! 

Though I was there primarily for their ‘Buy 3 get 1 free’ Choux promotion last week, Pantler's seasonal Peach Tart ($12.90) got my whole attention. And it was so freaking good, I practically inhaled it. Felt super lucky as I got the last one on display, the juicy doughnut peach tasted so fresh and sweet. The vanilla custard?/ pastry cream? hidden in the center of the fruit was so yummy. The light Chantilly cream at the very top was a lovely touch too and added that delicate milky fragrance to the handmade crust.

I understand that most people would come here for their cakes, but they also offer plenty of pastries here as well; which I can take away.

It is actually very hard to choose considering there’s many options available on display. I gotten their popular Chou a la crème, spiced fruit pound cake slice and matcha doughnut.

Their chou a la crème is a light and crispy chou pastry, filled with pastry cream.

Pound cake slice and doughnut available in few flavours.

VIVALDI is like a nutty dark chocolate cake with a crunchy exterior. The caramel toffee Choco chantily is like a light Choco flavored ice cream cake on top of the thick layer of rich chocolate mousse and buttery Choco sable👍

At $5.50/pc, the portion size did match up to the price tag. Taste wise- there’s nothing much to shout about with respect to the chou pastry. Other than a crisp shell that did an amazing job staying crisp despite the luscious custard that it holds, it tastes rather mainstream and did not bring any aroma that I had expected. For comparison purposes, I think Beard papa’s puff pastry were a lot more aromatic. On the custard filling, they were luscious, smooth and creamy but nothing out of the ordinary as well. Baristart’s pastry wow-ed me more with the oozy consistency and aromatic custard. Pantler’s rendition was more jelly like. The only unique selling point would be the caramelised bits mixed into the custard. Having said that, you’d find this a plus point only if you’re a fan of caramel. Personally, I just felt it’s rather underwhelming that the highlight of the chou pastry is the caramelised crunch, rather than the pastry shell and custardy interior.

Cherry pistachio: Interesting combo with a twist of usual flavour
Mille-feuille: Light n creamy
Bartlett pear tart: Layers of fresh pear n not too sweet
Yatsura: Strong flavour hazelnut dacquoise n dark choc ganache