Jones The Grocer

I am sorely disappointed with the cakes. But now I understand why the cakes at Becasse Bakery just outside Jones the Grocer on ION Level 4 are equally bad. Same kitchen, same pastry chefs.
I had the lamington previously and that was decent, pretty good. This time I had the flat white (creamy and smooth, not too acidic though it did leave a slight sour aftertaste) and a slice of black forest cake. The cake was awful. The mousse layers were ok, but the sponge layers (I hesitate to call them sponge) were horrid. The base was bread-​y, the texture was like the end of sliced bread made in factory.
I asked the server if the cake was old. I was told the cakes are fresh every morning. My taste bud beg to differ. The server suggested I try another cake as replacement. I was doubtful but he won me over by saying the red velvet cake was a bestseller and received many compliments since they started offering this last month. It looked pretty (no pic as the server stood next to me waiting for me to try it), and that was the only good thing. It was hard and dry, Same as the black forest cake. To the server’s credit, he said he could cancel my cake order or to try the dessert instead. The sticky date pudding was the recommendation. I was seriously in 2 minds as this time, I did check the trusty reviews on Unilocal and saw Sonya’s comment. I felt bad for rejecting the cakes twice and decided to go for it even though I am not a caramel fan.
The sticky date pudding was palatable, at least the cake was moist and really sticky. And like what Sonya mentioned, it reminded me of those microwave cake in a mug recipe. The vanilla ice cream still had ice in it. So I guess the management does not bother with reviews or suggestions. It came with a very generous serving of caramel sauce so yay for caramel lovers. Just too sweet for me so I only had ½ of it.
An expensive lesson learnt as the bill came close to $ 20 for just a dessert and coffee. This is not a place for cakes or desserts. Maybe that explained why I see the other diners mostly ordering food (soup and salad) and juices.

Good breakfast place. Their eggs Benedict is really tasty (though not the most traditional), and the muffins are delicious.
The only thing not so good is the inattentive service. Anytime we needed something, it took some time to get anybody’s attention… if you are waiting on a bunch of tables, i am not sure that looking down at the tip of your shows is what you want to do all the times! :-)

Super posh feel, but then again, this is ION we’re talking about. They stock so many cool cool cool products, including Mast Brother chocolate, straight out of Brooklyn. Too cool.
Its so cool I didn’t even know they were here, until a friend took me… and as we looked at the menus, I realised all I wanted was a juice. Okay I got greedy, and my friend got a fresh juice, and I got a really fruity ginger beer. In true posh fashion, they were served in beautiful glassware, and we were even served ice water too. I felt like a c-​list celeb.
Service win, juice win… price? I didn’t pay, so win for me!

disappointing expensive dessert at this town outpost of the australian delicatessen newly opened on the top floor of the ion orchard mall. here’s another looks-pretty-but-doesn’t-deserve-to dessert that rather had a lot of potential but turned out rather dismal, though nowhere near the fiasco that was dean and deluca. I wish this place actually served good food — orchard really is lacking in nice places you can sit down for a break between shopping — but I think I’ll be sticking with the marmalade pantry for now.
I haven’t tried their savory items, so while I can’t give you a full low-​down on the café, the desserts sure don’t provide any impetus to return.
we had a sticky toffee pudding and a lemongrass panna cotta, both rather doleful renditions. the toffee pud looked great — but the ice cream was icy and not very smooth, and the cake was microwaved. i’ll give them credit for a good salty caramel though, dark and addictive — I was using this to help finish our order of the pannacotta.
the pannacotta was an insult to its name — the eponymous cooked cream invokes ideas of a luscious, wobbly pudding with a luxurious give and the perception of near-​melting — this was a firm pudding, closer in texture to and gelatinous like an asian mango pudding, almost bouncy. the lemongrass proved a soapy aftertaste — it felt almost like eating some sort of soap gel.
I do wish this place had worked — I could do with another addition to my dessert list — but it really didn’t. it’s just as expensive as you’d expect it to be — not ridiculous but you’re better off shopping with that money.
p. s. photos on the blog.