Tarte By Cheryl Koh swung open its doors late April and since then, has become the latest IT dessert. Her tartes are so instagram worthy, I swear I had a deja vu moment about them being just pretty. The latest to join the stables of Les Amis' string of restaurants, business is very brisk and I had to place orders for mine to be collected later in order to secure these tartes over one weekend.
The tarts are available in two sizes - small and regular.
Delightful bakes.
Pistachio ($9)
Iranian pistachios
Pistachio cream with chopped pistachios adorn this nutty number, be a fan to love this to the moon and back.
Caramel Hazelnut ($9)
Milk chocolate, crunchy feuilletine and caramel coast piedmont hazelnuts
Very simply put, a sticky and gooey topping of caramel sauce and hazelnuts. You have been warned of the mess ahead. Word has it that this has since been removed from the menu - why!? I suppose this puts some urgency in eating as many of my favourite flavours as possible before reality strikes.
Seasonal ($8)
Alphonso mango
The lightest tasting of all, the most unfortunate thing is it is a limited editioned tart, previous editions include pineberries. While this is lacking in the mango fragrance and sweetness, I loved the mango and custard combination.
The second visit in July saw a new menu launched and I was miffed not being able to sample all of the previous creations.
Lemon ($8)
Fresh lemon
Made with lime zest and lemon curd, this was a delightfully tangy number. So addictive and if you aren't a zesty fan yet, try this!
As droolicious as egg porn.
Cherry ($8)
Light vanilla cream
One beautiful cherry tart. Was it the uniformly halved cherries or that glistening cherry on top of the already pretty tart?
I was worried about the fresh cream eating into the tart crust and rendering this soggy but none of that predicted mess happened.
Fresh cherries and vanilla cream was nothing fancy yet so delicious. I suppose keeping things simple is the mantra of the Chef.
Passionfruit Meringue ($8)
Fresh passionfruit, light meringue
This was less tangy and zesty than the lemon tart, loved the torched meringue that offset the sourness a fair bit.
White Peach ($9)
French white peach, red currant jam, light vanilla cream
This was a layered one with an almond financier layer and topped with jam, cream and alas, the sweet french white peach slices. For a nano second, it reminded me of all the beautifully decorated confections in Japan.
I could have lost count of the number of times I walked out with a happy box of two, but each visit only promised better things that the last. August's visit brought me new flavours - hoorah!
Roussillon Apricots ($8)
Fresh apricots from Roussillon with mascarpone cream
Apricots are tricky fruits, mascerate them and they either end up too soggy or sweet. Chef Cheryl Koh clearly understands her fruit well and this apricot tart speckled with crushed pistachios would have given pistachio a run for its money. Two loves and this is one of those comforting finds.
Solliès Figs ($8)
Fresh Solliès figs on a light vanilla cream
Fresh or preserved, I love my figs. These sweet starchy bulbs and light vanilla cream created such an impression, the best is yet to be always with these seasonal flavours and the main issue has and will always be - why won't you stay?
The texture of the buttery tart is unbelievably crisp and crunchy, I have ranted enough about tarts lacking bite or in the worst case soggy and finally someone has finally gotten it so right. Each tart is almost spilling over with toppings, it is almost as if every bite should be bursting with flavour. The winning strike for Tarte is, none of the pretentious whipped cream is used - hallelujah!
I find it hard to pick a favourite, and it is definitely one of those "I want them all moments". I suppose by the time this entry goes out, a number of the abovementioned flavours would have made its way into their book of seasonal records. If anything, visit Tarte is as good as a fruit shop, you get the season's best and even more, surprises.
So is it a tarte? Or tart? Dictionary.com offers a simple answer, there's no such spelling as tarte but what about tarte tartin? A french upside down apple tart. So then, tarte or tart its just a french way of tart.
Well if you believed that every good thing comes to an end..I tasted the end of some flavours.
Mirabelle Plums ($9)
Mirabelle Plums on an Almond Fragipane and Plum Jam
Much like a financier tart, I liked the savoury sweetness of this but once again it was missing out on the brilliance of the tart. This monthly special I am actually glad to see it go.
Earl Grey Tea ($8)
Creme Brulee with Earl Grey
The tart was horrendously soggy and sinking in at the edges though I loved the mild earl grey fragrance that came with every bite of custard. Faultless on flavour but the tart base failed me.
I am left with just the coffee and dark chocolate flavours to make this tarte trail complete. They have a range of mini eclairs but I am content with their tartes.
Tarte by Cheryl Koh
Shaw Center
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