food & travel
32 JULY 25 – AUGust 7, 2014
Epoch Times
Continued from Local Interview Page 3 Fred Fan/Epoch Times
Grin Affair
Address: 3 Everton Park #01-77A Singapore 080003 Tel: (+65) 8222 2678 Website: http://grinaffair.com/
Courtesy of Jody Ang
Honey Lavender
Li Yen/Epoch Times
Fred Fan/Epoch Times
Durian
Courtesy of Jody Ang
The gooey goodness of the durian cake fresh from Grin Affair’s kitchen has to be tried to be believed. S$6 This jar of sinful durian cake consists of vanilla sponge layered with durian mousse and sprinkled with baked crusts. It contains 100 per cent Mao Shan Wang durian puree which literally melts in the mouth. With each spoonful, my mouth was bursting with the sweetness of durian. This is definitely a treat for durian-loving fans.
This elegant-looking treat is a vanilla cake mixed with lavender-scented honey mousse and topped with S$6 fresh blueberries. The lavender aroma was generous and intense, and this heavenly scent sent a cooling effect down my throat that lasted even hours after eating this punchy yet refreshing cake. This is truly a comforting reprieve for summer!
Matcha Azuki
Drinks
Courtesy of Jody Ang
Fred Fan/Epoch Times
Fred Fan/Epoch Times
Grin Affair bakes everything from scratch using fresh and natural ingredients. They do not use readymade ingredients and there are no preservatives, artificial enhancers, flavouring added to their baking goods. Baking everything from scratch enables them to change their recipes flexibly, and that is also the reason why their cakes taste uniquely different from other bakeries. Jody revealed, “In a lot of F&B, they use a lot of processed food, like ready-made ingredients. It saves on labour costs, but everything will turn out like you are eating the same things. But if you make things from scratch, you can change things, and it will turn out different.” The self-taught baker drew inspiration from cake books, and invented all the cake recipes on Grin Affair’s menu three years ago. Grin Affair has a special concept in which sponge cake, mousse, fruits and nuts are cleverly stacked layer by layer into glass jars. There are currently more than a dozen unique savoury flavours of cakes to select from. A new flavour will be added once in a while, whenever she and her brother have a new inspiration. Prices range from S$6 – S$6.50 a jar. Grin Affair’s most popular flavours are strawberry cheese, cookie & cream, lychee passion and dark chocolate. Jody’s personal favourite is Bonoffee, which is a yummy coffee cake with banana slices topped with crispy baked crust, dulce de leche and pecans. Donq Bakery at Takashimaya is one of Jody’s favourite bakery shops in Singapore, but her aunt’s bakery is still the best. Jody enthused, “I love her cakes. She makes awesome cakes.”
Michelle zhang/Epoch Times
Matcha Azuki is a vanilla cake layered with green tea mousse, soft azuki beans, and topped with S$6 light coffee cake and walnuts. The walnuts are terrifically chunky, and the matcha and azuki beans are refreshingly sweet and flavoursome. The varied range of flavours in one cake make each bite unique from the last—a truly gastronomic experience.
Drinks available on the menu include apple brew, coffee, matcha milk and rosella tea. Apple brew is specially made by Jody’s mother, and it is a drink she has had since young.
Grin Affair is one of those little gems that you want to tell everyone. I will definitely make a return visit and relish these superbly addictive and heavenly, gorgeous rainbow-like jar cakes.