Christmas is approaching, and the year is coming to a close. And I always look out really hard for special treats and little surprises this time of the year.
Well today for me, is cake day. Cheesecake day, that is. And here’s where I went for the perfect fix – Geek Café.
First things first. Have you heard of Cat & the Fiddle? No? Well go slap yourself a little bit (I’m just kidding, don’t do that please). Because it is THE current trending cheesecake brand of the moment. Not a cheesecake fan? Tell me that after you’ve had a sample of these cheesecakes.
The brainchild of Daniel Tay, renowned luxury dessert chef and founder of Bakerzin, Cat & the Fiddle is an unique range of cheesecakes that delivers 12 smashingly awesome flavours. Yup, just 12. Because Cat & the Fiddle is all about quality over quantity, a philosophy that I’ve come to embrace over the years. It’s simple, it’s classy, and it’s timeless.
But more about the cheesecakes later on.
Let’s talk about the café for a moment, before I go deeper (or dig deeper?) into these mouthwatering cakes.
This little café is located very conveniently for me at Marine Parade Central. It’s also graphic designer’s dream come true, with beautiful typography and modern, sleek prints. Plus, now you CAN have your cake and eat it. This is where Geek Café’s unique selling point comes into play. They aren’t just a coffee and cake place, they also repair computers as well. Fascinating, eh?
The interior is tiny. It’s really just a single shop unit. Somewhat sandwiched between clinics and manicure shops and whatnot, it’s so terribly easy to overlook this hidden heartland gem.
There are two main sections of the café.
On this side is the coffee geeks area. This is where you can find a whole range of exquisite, retro-looking coffee gadgets. Which is not an accurate term, because I’m not a coffee geek, so Google it.
A geek is someone who’s really, really good at something that they’re also deeply passionate about. I wave my geek flag proudly in the air, and so does Geek Café. Just look at the care and detail they’ve put into a neat collection of coffee gadget goodies.
Apart from the array of coffee making equipment, there’s also a little shelf stuffed somewhat sheepishly into a corner. Upon further probing, I discovered that these are LP players.
The café staff (love her tatts btw) gave me a little demonstration on how to work these babies. This particular red one is a portable player that looks like a seriously cool briefcase.
How neat is that? I SO WANT ONE NOW.
Over at the other side (or wall) is where the IT geeks hang out. And that gorgeous signage is love. Buy electronic devices, or get a device repaired, all whilst enjoying the variety of cakes and artisanal brew.
Now on to the cakes.
Earlier, I talked about the Cat & the Fiddle cheesecakes. I should also mention that they’re having a Christmas special right now – 2 exclusive, limited edition cheesecakes, from 8 December 2014 onwards, priced at $38.90 for a whole cake.
But before I go into these 2 slices of bliss on a paper doily plate, let me talk about the other cheesecakes first, online at $19.90 – $35.90 for one whole cake.
Just a quick peek at the cute little labels, and you might start to salivate. With the quirkiest names like “Milo Dinosaur”, “Queen of Hearts” and “The Modern Day Duke”, AND (my personal favourite) ingredients such as Coconut, Malibu and pineapple in the “Caribbean Surfari”. these cakes promise to be packed with a cool variety of tastes.
As a side mention, these are the cutest little Christmassy figurines that can be ordered together with your cakes and a pretty stencil set, at just $5.90 each. The stencil set contains the Christmas stencil, sieve, and either chocolate or snow powder. In the Christmas decorative set, you’ll get a mini hut, merry ol’ Santa Claus, his reindeer, a colourful lil snowman, a pine leaf, ten chocolate pebbles and three chocolate tree figurines.
I’d especially recommend getting these sets if you’re expecting guests, because the cakes on their own are rather plain. And also, the decorated cakes REALLY put me in that festive mood. Almost like I’m in a little cakeshop in the middle of a tiny European village, on a white Christmas day.
Cat & the Fiddle is exclusive in almost every sense of the word. That’s because they’re being sold ONLY online. Or they were, anyway. Because with Geek Café in the picture now, you can enjoy one of these awesome cakes in a cozy setting right at the heart of the Marine Parade neighbourhood. You can now treat yourself to 11 permanent varieties, freshly baked to boot.
Of course the Catch 22 is that they only come in petite little slices like the ones above. But there’s a way to work around that as well – simply order online, and collect the cakes when you pop over to Geek Café.
And finally, these are the dynamic Christmas duo – the “Have a Meowy Christmas” cheesecake, and the “Snowy Christmas” cheesecake.
I have to admit that while I love the presentation, I wasn’t too impressed with the cakes. I DO get the minimalistic approach, but I like my food to be visually appealing. Thankfully the cakes taste much, much better than they look.
Here’s “Have a Meowy Christmas”.
Topped with chocolate powder, this is a definite must-have for your sweet-toothed, chocolate craving boyfriend. You can see also, the generous chunks of brownie bits. I’m not much of a sweet-taste person though, so my personal favourite is…
“Snowy Christmas”.
Sink your teeth into this cake and you’ll discover layers of flavours. Savour her creamy, chocolate cheesy goodness until you hit some brandied cherries. Top it off with a crumbly, crunchy gingerbread base. Discover, maybe, that you might have gone to a little bit of cheesecake heaven.
I am quite smitten. and am so glad to have found Cat & the Fiddle at Geek Café.
The festive season is approaching, and it’s that time of the year again.
It’s also time to indulge. To give yourself a little treat, however small or insignificant it might seem to others. To smile a little wider, laugh a little harder, and to always remember that the coming new year will be a beautiful year.
Today, I indulged in Cat & the Fiddle cheesecakes at Geek Café. What will your festive indulgence be?
Ling is an advocate of imperfection, a lover of cats and flowers, a collector of leather notebooks, and a pursuer of many passions For a collection of her personal love letters, visit http://lingslovelythings.com or drop her one yourself at [email protected]
