Pantler – Elegant Cakes with a Mish-Mash of Flavours at River Valley Road

Compared to popular cafe hotspots like Tiong Bahru and Upper Thomson, River Valley Road isn’t your typical brunch neighbourhood. Wondering if you’re missing out? Fo’ sure, especially with the re-opening of a certain cafe that made its move from Telok Ayer to 474 River Valley Road. That’s right, Pantler is back and with a more spacious interior to boot. 

The open “central kitchen” was right smack in the middle of the space, along with a shelf of packaged cookies such as Speculoos ($6.30) and Gruyere Palmiers ($6.80). Head towards the back and you’ll find that the seating area is divided into two sections. One side boasts tons of light with a big ol’ potted plant and a charging outlet for those tapping away on their laptops while the other has muted lighting to create a more intimate setting — kind of like yin-and-yang. 

Apart from classic flavours such as chocolate and earl grey, Pantler also offers a couple of alcohol-infused cakes for those who enjoy a sweet and boozy treat. I was sad to see that their Strawberry Shortcake ($9.50) and Ruby Tart ($8) were nowhere in sight so I guess I’ll have to make my next trip a little earlier during the day. That doesn’t make choosing what to get any easier though. Hmm, decisions decisions…

After waffling on for a while and getting some recommendations from the staff, I ended up with the Raspberry Pistachio ($9.50), Figaro ($9.50) and Yatsura ($9.50). 

At first, I pegged the pale pink toppings on the Raspberry Pistachio for marshmallows but to my surprise, they turned out to be delicate pieces of meringue. Those added a touch of sweetness to the otherwise tart raspberry buttercream. However, I felt that the taste of the pistachio sponge was overwhelmed and thus, couldn’t be fully appreciated. 

I was told that between the Monarch ($9.50) and Figaro, the latter had higher alcohol content, which I was eagerly looking forward to. Either my alcohol senses have dulled or they used very gentle liquor because I couldn’t taste it at all even after picking the layers apart. 

While I was a little disappointed, that’s not to say that the cake itself was bad. The creamy layers of strawberry, raspberry and mascarpone formed a beautiful symphony of flavours that complemented each other. 

Hailed as Pantler’s signature item, Yatsura was a glistening chocolate-y beauty. Taste-wise, it’s basically a deconstructed Ferrero Rocher. Richness takes the form of hazelnut dacquoise, dark chocolate mousse and hazelnut feuilletine. It wasn’t until I took it apart (like I do with all my cakes) that I realised that there was more to the dacquoise than I could taste. Like the Raspberry Pistachio, it got overwhelmed by the mousse and feuilletine. I felt like there’s more to be appreciated about this sweet, dense layer.

As per my cafe usual, I ordered a Cafe Latte ($5.80), which wasn’t too acidic and went well with my desserts. 

Pantler does have their flavours pat down; it’s just that the harmony between them was a bit off. I will be back to try the Strawberry Shortcake though. After all, how could you resist such a beautiful-looking classic?

MissTamChiak.com made an anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the stall featured here.

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