LE Cafe's famed pineapple tarts ($15.50 for a tub of 20 *before CNY price hike*), each sized as large as a golf ball, have proven so popular that they've been completely sold out two and half weeks before the start of Chinese New Year. Don't fret if you've missed the chance to get your hands on this festive treat though as it's available all-year round!
I loved the way the crisp, rich yet light pastry melted in my mouth. There's nothing to fault about the moist and well-textured jam as well. My sole complaint would be that the buttery fragrance of the tart crust was somewhat muted by the pineapple jam due to the low pastry to jam ratio.
The crumblier texture of the pastry in LE Cafe's pineapple tarts gives them an edge over those from Mirana Cake House. Nevertheless, those from the latter make an excellent alternative.
The crumblier texture of the pastry in LE Cafe's pineapple tarts gives them an edge over those from Mirana Cake House. Nevertheless, those from the latter make an excellent alternative.
LE Cafe is also well-known for its bean curd tarts, a refreshing alternative to the traditional egg tart. The silky smooth tau-huay-like filling that accompanied the buttery and crunchy tart crusts was even similar to egg custard in consistency.
Although these bean curd tarts are only sold in boxes of 8, they keep well overnight and are best served chilled. They retail at $8 for a box of eight original bean curd tarts and $9 for a box of eight assorted bean curd tarts.
Bits of gingko nut & white fungus, slivers of grass jelly and longan chunks all made pleasant additions to the bean curd filling. My favorite was the version with egg white. I was, however, not particularly impressed by the tarts studded with peanuts and red beans. There's also a durian version too which I must definitely try sometime!
LE Cafe Confectionery & Pastry
LE Cafe Confectionery & Pastry
264 Middle Road
Elias Building
Opening hours: 10.30am-7pm (Mon-Fri), 10.30am-3pm (Sat-Sun)
Elias Building
Opening hours: 10.30am-7pm (Mon-Fri), 10.30am-3pm (Sat-Sun)
Looks good. Not really into CNY goodies and I never really thought of bean curd tarts as part of the range. ;P
ReplyDeletelooks nice :)
ReplyDeleteLE Cafe's pineapple tarts are way too expensive. 10 pcs will increase up to $12.80 next week, which translates to about $1.30 per pc. Absolutely crazy and not worth buying in my opinion. Mirana's pineapple tarts are just as excellent, $0.50 per pc is more than reasonable.
ReplyDeletei love how the bean curd is so light..jellylike but yet bursting with a not-too-sweet taste! don't know what you think, but i find the tart a bit too heavy, thick, and solid!
ReplyDeletecavalock: the beancurd tarts and pineapple tarts are available all year-round, actually (:
ReplyDeleteian: go try them sometime!
ice: i think the price of LE cafe's pineapple tarts is alright before the price hike though. while they cost 77.5 cents each when purchased in a box of 20, the pineapple tarts were about 1.5x as large as mirana's.
guiltygoodness: i agree the pastry could have been slightly less solid, but i suppose that's a necessary sacrifice to hold the beancurd filling in place.