Pâtisserie CLÉ (River Valley)

Patisserie CLE is a name that some might find rather familiar — this is especially for those whom are staying in the East, since much of its presence had been concentrated around that part of the island since its inception. There has been a period of time where Patisserie CLE had once operated as a cafe with a dine-in concept when they were based out if a particular shop unit at the former Paya Lebar Fire Station located not too far away from Paya Lebar MRT Station; that being said, the outlet has since ended its operations and Patisserie CLE had pretty much become a takeaway concept ever since with its only location at Lucky Heights in Siglap. It seems that the folks at Patisserie CLE are ready for expansion and had also decided to step out of the East for the very first time — their newest outlet being located at River Valley Road around the same stretch of shophouses where one can find ZAMAS River Valley Restaurant at the time of writing (another new outlet at Dairy Farm is also said to be in the works). Like their outlet at Lucky Heights, the River Valley Road outlet is one that is meant for takeaways — seating is however made available for patrons to rest their legs while waiting for orders to be ready for collection. The interior of the space does seem to be decked in a minimalistic fashion with some use of natural elements and pastel colours, though the counter itself carries a checkered look that gives the space a bit of character. Much like Patisserie CLE in the past, their display chillers are well-stocked with patisserie items such as entremets and tarts, while danishes and other French viennoiserie can be found in the display case beside the counter. Beverages available at Patisserie CLE at River Valley Road includes espresso-based specialty coffee, tea and sodas.

One of the tarts from Patisserie CLE that is a best-seller and also probably a must-try item would essentially be the Orh Blanc Tart, which is one item that has also been mentioned quite a number of times on social media before. Based on the description card placed prominently in front of the various items in the display chiller, Patisserie CLE mentions that the Orh Blanc Tart comes with elements such as baked coconut cream,
yam paste, candied gingko nut, Chantilly cream. One look at the Orh Blanc Tart and it would also be obvious on why the item is actually named this way — the name of the item itself being simply a word play of “Orh Nee” which translates to “yam paste” and “Mont Blanc” which refers to a French dessert that usually features chestnut cream.

Digging in to the Orh Blanc Tart, the Orh Blanc Tart can be described as almost similar to what one would expect out of a Mont Blanc but with the yam paste being the main star of the show; the yam paste here carrying a smooth texture — not too grainy, which also hints of earthy notes without being particularly greasy or sweet. This is accompanied with baked coconut cream and Chantilly cream that comes beneath; the Chantilly cream providing a neutral note that gels everything together, while the baked coconut cream helps to add a bit of fragrance that adds on to the yam paste. All these sat above a tart base that was decently executed — not too dry and brittle, and one that also was able to hold up the weight of everything above without being overly crumbly. While the addition of gingko nut is usually a must for traditional yam pastes, Patisserie CLE has interestingly included a candied gingko nut to the Orh Blanc Tart — replicates the candied chestnut that one can usually find in the classic Mont Blanc. During our visit, we had also tried the Apple Nutmeg — an entremet that features caramalised apples and nutmeg that is shaped just like an apple that seems to be a Christmas special; a rather well-executed entremet in our opinion. Patisserie CLE is one name that seems to have earned itself quite a reputation throughout the years; the co-owners do have quite solid credentials, but it is ultimately the quality of their bakes that brought the brand this far. Looking forward to the opening of their Dairy Farm location; this is especially so since this would be their first proper dine-in location in a while — would give some of their other offerings a go again when that happens!