So, here I am, sitting at Paris Baguette Raffles City right now, and next to me, the table, a guest is having an iced latte, and what is presently a new favorite cake of mine.
It's difficult to not notice the pretty round white cake that's sitting on its plate on the table in front of her.
It's even more difficult to not notice the three huge strawberries beautifully arranged right in the middle of the cake.
To some, those strawberries are the charm.
To me, it's both the berries, and the cake, that make up the charm.
Because how frequent is it that one can have a small, cute, little sponge cake with gloriously white mousse (or something) in the sweet-sour flavor of yogurt?
I don't think I've ever tried a yogurt cake before.
Much less one that's rich with a generous serving of mousse.
And this- from the collection of Korean confectionary Paris Baguette- was one that I desired to try.
It wasn't that I didn't like Blueberry or Chocolate or Rocher Hazelnut.
But I've definitely had cakes with chocolate or blueberry before, and I'm pretty sure somewhere along the way I've tried cakes with Hazelnut filling or with a Hazelnut base before.
What makes this cake extra special is her aesthetics.
They're hard to describe.
It's just a series of contrasts.
On one hand the perfectly round shape makes her look hardy, solid and stable.
On the other hand, the almost-powdery white makes her look soft and gentle and pleasant to the eye.
Then there're the strawberries glistening in their layer of jelly, adding that bit of summertime cheer.
The flavors too, are of contrasts.
At first bite of the cake, you get the taste of yogurt sour.
Further in however the taste of sweet from the sponge begins to rise and you're tasting both a hint of sour, and a hint of sweet.
I wanted the experience of sliding my spoon into the mousse and scooping it up.
I wanted the experience of having the mousse melt away inside my mouth when I ate it.
And I wanted the joy of relishing a small, single-portion cake to be mine, and mine alone.
But that being said, it had been a friend who remembered me saying I wanted to try this cake, it had been same friend who bought the cake, and so it was impossible for me to have it all by myself without sharing it with anyone.