Tea break at Joe & Dough Cafe @ Orchard Gateway

277 Orchard Road #01-01 Orchard Gateway, Singapore 238858

Tel: 6702 4656

I know that Joe & Dough (serving good and honest handcrafted coffee) has been around for a while, but I never got around to visiting it till today. Acclaimed to serve good coffee (even *Damien held praises for it!) and delectable pastries by hands of dedicated bakers - with no shortcuts, no preservatives and no mass producing - well , we shall see about that hmmm...

Nestled along the long aisle at Orchard Central / Orchard Gateway, this open-concept cafe is a cross between rustic and hipster, yet retains a class of its own.

We were really more interested in the variety of food - interesting sandwiches for a savoury treat, or to try a few of the exotic pastries on display?

In the end we succumbed to the lure of the pastries and placed our orders. I had a Chai Latte (SGD$5.90) to start the tea break off. This was a tantalizing cup of aromatic latte with the exotic chai flavor emanating from it unbridled, and the cinnamon powder enhanced the enjoyment of this hot beverage.

The Blueberry Yogurt Tart (SGD$6.50) was a real treat and a palate cacophony of divine textures orchestrated into one - smooth yogurt center that was soft like tofu but creamy as dream, juicy fresh blueberries to balance the sweetness of the crust, and crunchy crust made of ...digestives biscuits (strong flavor), making this dessert almost a sinless choice.

Next, we gave the Strawberry Custard Tart (SGD$5.00) a shot - because it looked so pretty. Well, the base was a little hard, as were the frozen flowers of chocolate sauce and custard. We loved the flavor of this concoction though, and the dark chocolate eaten with juicy strawberries was an absolute delight.

Finally, we tried the Coconut Tart (SGD$3.90) just for fun - it was inexpensive, and it sounded interesting enough. We just didn't expect to be swooned by this deceptively simple-looking pastry.

The crust was crispy - granted, and there was a very light coating of brown sugar toasted to crunchiness on it. The inside was fluffy, and filled with real grated coconut flesh - it was ohmygod delicious, the exotic sweetness of coconut combined with the crunchy feel when one chewed on the grated coconut bits.