the cheesecake cafe, singapore

so, i went for coffee with a friend and we ended up at the cheesecake cafe at Siglap. and wow, what a surprise when i walked in the door. the decor of the inside was very baroque...but kinda overdone for me. i love concept cafes...don't get me wrong but this was a little too much. all that gold, all those statues...more like a renaissance brothel, perhaps, than a cheesecake cafe. anyway, then to my surprise we were handed a menu...which was a DVD cover! it was like huh? you decide on a concept cafe...but then you don't follow through...you make the menu a DVD cover which just doesn't blend with your theme...have a scroll, have something velvet-y...

ok so, after peering in the glass case i decided on a peanut butter cheesecake and my friend on a strawberry oreo cheesecake. the selection was a tad disappointing - i was expecting more...more cakes, more experimental flavours, more temptation. you're a cheesecake cafe, pretty much only selling cheesecake, so surprise me! tempt me! shake things up a bit!

the cheesecakes came and presentation was simple...the cake on the plate with not too much decoration on top, nothing additional on the plate...but then i shouldn't complain...i mean it's a cheesecake cafe so you serve it straight up because it's all about the cheesecake, right.

the strawberry oreo cheesecake was good - very light and i liked the oreo in the middle of it. the strawberry wasn't too overpowering and was more like a mousse and the plain cheesecake below was just nice, also light...the flavours blended together well and it was a good combination, even though personally i'm not a big fan of strawberry-flavoured things. i liked also that there was an oreo biscuit base...i've made one of those before and they're yummy!


then i had the peanut butter cheesecake...oh dear...it was a little too much. i thought the combination would be interesting but it the peanut butter combined with the cheesecake which seemed very thick and heavy, left a very pasty sensation in your mouth...so that you kinda felt like your mouth was sticking together and you needed to follow each mouthful with a gulp of water. for me, cheesecake needs to be light and even more so when you pair it with peanut butter - which is ntaurally quite heavy and gooey. i was obviously a little disappointed with this. i think i might have swirled the peanut butter through the cheesecake...rather than a layer on top and definitely lightened up the cheesecake itself.
finally, i must add, that as i attempted to take photos of both the cakes and the decor, i was swiftly informed by a staff member that photography of the cafe was only allowed if a member of the party were in it! huh? but by then i'd taken the shots i'd needed...but that's a first time for me to receive a warning like that...interesting...

the cheesecake cafe
685 East Coast Road Singapore 459054 (Near Siglap Centre)

no bake strawberry cheesecake

so the 'no-bake' mission continues with gusto...and what's on the menu for today? well who can resist a bit of cheesecake now and again! i do love cheesecake and have tried a few flavours and variations in my time. so i found a no bake cheesecake recipe and thought i'd give it a go. the recipe again was pretty basic...you can't go too wrong. just cream cheese, ricotta, honey and some lemon rind (which i didn't have and so had to replace with lime rind), a biscuit base and strawberries on top. easy-peasy! pop it in the fridge and leave to delicately firm up and it did too! very nicely. the taste of the cheesecake was incredibly light and creamy - so don't go looking for your super firm baked cheesecake texture, this is more on the side of mousse consistency or the cream sheese part of tiramisu. but the whole thing comes together so nicely - the crumbly biscuit base (for which i splurged and bought digestives for...they are SO expensive here!) the light creamy cheese and the sweet strawberries. a perfect afternoon tea delight!

No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Bars

Time: 20 minutes, plus 1 hour’s chilling

10 digestive biscuits, crushed
5 tablespoons melted butter
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons honey, or to taste
Rind of a lemon, freshly grated
Pinch salt
About 1 1/2 cups strawberries

1. Combine crushed biscuits with melted butter. press into a pan to form a crust about 1/4-inch thick. Put in refrigerator until ready to use.
2. Using a standing or hand mixer, or a whisk, combine cream cheese, ricotta, honey, lemon rind and salt, and blend until smooth.
3. Spread cheese mixture carefully and evenly over crust, using a spatula or butter knife to smooth top. Cover with fresh strawberries and chill for at least an hour, or until set.

Cut into squares or bars and serve.

Yield: 8 to 12 servings.