[Dessert] 51 fiveone degrees @ Toa Payoh North

Lemon Meringue Tart, $2.80

I noticed this new shop a few months back when I was doing the late shift at work. It had not quite opened for business yet, but the usual storefront preparations were going on and the baking equipment had already arrived and was visible from the clear glass door. 

When word arrived that it had opened, I didn't manage to make my way down until today, a jolly six weeks since it opened.

First Contact

The whole shop looks like a gigantic display case. The doors are clear glass and I wasn't sure if I should push or pull the doors to go in.

It's a fun concept though, because you can keep in the aircon but still display your wares proudly to curious passersby. And these said passersby needn't be paiseh to go in to see but come out without buying anything. ie can just beo from the outside lah!

Interesting name, 51 fiveone degrees. As it was during my office lunch hour and I had already exhausted most of it, didn't manage to stay long for a chat and ask why. Will perhaps do so the next time I pop over!

I do believe it's a family-run shop, with the parents helping out in front while their daughter Karylan (one-woman-show yeah!) bakes behind. Think her mum(?) also mentioned her daughter is the main baker who specialises in cupcakes, tarts etc.

I was actually under the impression that they would be selling bread :S so I was a bit surprised to walk in and see rows and rows of pretty (and decadent?) cupcakes lined before me inside the glass display.

That's the earl grey choc shavings creation, followed by the green Minty Choco and the Red Velvet peeks from the right side.

Red velvet with cream cheese... salted caramel... chocolate tart... lemon meringue tart *pause* oh, there's a cupcake with chocolate shavings it seems and iridescent flakes on top plus its description says earl grey (everything else is blurred out in my field of vision).

Okay, so there were so many flavours to choose from. 11 on their website, but I saw more flavours at the shop. There was a cupcake with a dollop of light green cream on top and lots of other dainty creations. Can't help but stop to think about the celebrity-owned Twelve Cupcakes at this point.

So I ask, what're your bestsellers? And they tell me everything is a bestseller, but recommend red velvet, salted caramel...etc.

The chocolate tart, Valrhona? Nope it isn't, and as I tend to get reaaaaaaally heaty when I eat chocolate, I finally decide on the lemon meringue. $2.80 and it comes in such a cute bobble plastic container. (I felt a bit sad that I'm not saving the earth, so I recycled the packaging when I was done with it!)

Bobble HOO~~!

The Taste?

For one, it smelled good when I removed the bobble part of the container. You know, the warm, baked goods smell of golden brown and butter?

When I bit into it, the meringue was surprisingly soft but maintained its form well. Not too sweet also, and actually all the tarts look really orderly and neat. Think there was some torching done too from the looks of it, but no burnt taste.

The lemon, tangy, sharp and delivers a smooth but defined kick. I'm the kind of person who thinks lemon curd or custard should be sour that pans into sweet once you get over the citrus sting.

Fresh tart overall, no sign of it being soggy, lemon curd no sign of it curdling and turning hard, tart firm and baked well. No "hollow" taste to the tart either. You know the kind when you buy pre-made shells and it just tastes flat and laohong aka stale?

Made a few friends hungry with my Instagram/Facebook/Twitter today.

Hey for $2.80 and the nice packaging and overall quality I'm not gonna complain. It's a pretty good tart, but might not suit those who love strong flavours. It's light and petite enough, but not too petite that you aren't satisfied. Not too big such that you feel like a glutton either. 

Flavours don't quite linger when I'm done. Again, depends what kind of a foodie you are. I thought that was fine because I don't like people trying to guess what I had for lunch when they speak to me.

Apparently there are people on Instagram who have declared it is their favourite Lemon Meringue Tart ever.

It's a good treat, and probably will make a nice addition to a tea party. They take orders on their website and they are social media savvy with a Facebook and Twitter page and all.

Hope the quality won't slide and I hope to try the other creations! Need to analyse their cupcakes :X because a cupcake if pretty still isn't good if the cake itself isn't. :(

Important Information

 

203 Toa Payoh North #01-1113 S(310203)

Opposite Singapore Press Holdings News Centre

Nearest MRT: Braddell
Buses: 59, 231, 232 (Toa Payoh Lorong 1)
235 (near Yellow Pages Building)
13, 56, 57, 59, 88, 93, 157, 163 (along Braddell Road)

Tel: 6526 9328 

Open Mon-Fri: 11.55am-8.55pm 

Closed Sat-Sun 

Website: http://www.fiveonedegrees.com

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