Sunday, December 14, 2008

201. BonBon Tea


It was the green walls with the word "patisseries" that attracted me. BonBon Tea....it seemed to be a new outlet to me. Or am I wrong? I have not been to Vivocity for quite some time. Anyway, I was at PageOne searching for a book but couldn't remember the name so I gave up searching for it. I saw our local artiste, Joi Tsai. Singapore is so paparazzi-free. My friend and I were tired and there was so many people at Vivocity. We decided to seek a 'hide-out' at Bon Bon Tea.

I felt the decorations was so "Banyan Tree". And guess what? The second level leads to a SPA. Didn't bother to check out what are the available packages because all I wanted was to treat my stomach. Bon Bon Tea offers homemade ice-cream, macarons, pastries, all of which I did not taste.

I was presented with a piece of menu with illustrations. It was a bit like a page torn out of a storybook. From the look of it, the variety of food available was quite limited.


Yummy Tummy Tea @$7.50
What a name! On enquiry, it is a type of tea imported from South Africa which tasted a bit like vanilla. The vanilla wasn't too strong. Instead, it was more like black tea. If you ask me, I think this tea wouldn't go well with pastries. It's that kind of "drink-alone" tea.

Spaghetti with cream sauce @$14
My friend and I wanted something filling so we opt for the pasta. Bon Bon Tea only offers 3 types of pasta. The pasta was a tad too oily. Excessive olive oil you've added, chef. A pool of olive oil remained at the bottom of the plate. It's a rather turn-off sight. Just like eating a plate of oily char kway teow. The pasta was not flavoured enough. The chicken strips (breast meat) were a tad too hard and tasteless. The only flavoured ingredient that I could taste of was the peppers.
Spaghetti Bolognaise @$14

This was much better than the cream sauce but it wasn't expectionally good. A decent plate of paste, I supposed.

I came across a complaint against BonBon Tea and I quote:
"
BonBon Tea
Posted: 2008-08-26 by Xiong

Not to patronize this cafe

Complaint Rating:
This is a later cafe, previous named Red, White & Pure. but stills operate by the same management. The cafe was distasteful painted green and orange. From the look outside it look like a french cafe 'cos it stated "Patisserie". It sure sells pastry but not up to the French standard. The moccorons color is too artificial, putting too much coloring & preservative looks nice but harmful to health. If you eat the pastry, it tasted artificial too.When you look at the menu, you can't tell whether they are selling French or Italian? Pasta, pizza, spaghetti? If so they doesn't taste like French. It is such a rojak stall! The decor hanging an middle east style of lamp doesn't suits it name too. It took so long to get the staff to have the order taken. Managers don't take a demand too when the cafe is almost not busy. You look in the kitchen, pastry and cooking food is done together at the same place! With flour flying around and onto food served. Is that the hygiene? And customers consume that cause food poisoning. It is not advise to patronize.
"
I do agree with Xiong that Bon Bon Tea is not a so 'French' place. But when I was there, the service was prompt and the waitresses were all very friendly. I think it's a matter of opinion. I felt for the amount of pasta for $14 was a bit overpriced. I have gone to a wrong place for pasta. I should have go to Modesto's at level one for a better plate of pasta. Afterall, Bon Bon Tea is a more of a place for pastries and tea. It will be wise to know where and what you should be having at the right place.
BonBon Tea
Vivocity
#02-141
Tel: 6827 0118

6 comments:

  1. Wow, I didn't know the place is so distasteful...

    Before reading your comments, Patisserie sure caught my attention and the pasta looks so yummy...

    First time reading such negative commment on your blog... but nevertheless, if that place is so horrid, it is good to warn unwary victims...

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  2. Haha...Well...I think maybe they are good for their pastries...which I didn't try...But their pasta was quite horrible.

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  3. how come u didn't try their pastries? haha. didn't know abt this place open at vivo. red white pure closed down?

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  4. Pasta craving...Haha..Acc to Xiong, the guy whom I quoted, it was the same mgt, just a chge of name. Not sure if it's so. I tot he was a bit extreme abt the artificial colouring in the macarons. Haha...

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  5. I agree. The painted green wall is pure horrid. The interior designer probably has no taste or a sense of color combination.

    When I saw the macarons at Bonbon Tea, I knew that I could not resist them. I have been trying to find the perfect macarons in Asia since I last visited Laduree, Paris. I've gone to Lenotre and Visage in Bangkok, but they were still incomparible.

    I bought one rose macaron ($1) from Bonbon Tea. When I took my first bite, i knew I have finally found my perfect macaron. Not too chewy or too crumbly. I impulsively bought a box of 15 macarons for $13.50, insisting that I wanted only the rose flavor and they must not be broken as I noticed that most of them were indeed broken. They did not have a whole box filled with unbroken rose macaron, so they asked whether I would like rose, vanilla and lemon. The first time I saw their lemon macarons, my eyes widened in shock. The colors were incredibly artificial. So. Not. Parisian. Then I glanced around trying to find substitution, but then the only other they have were chocolate (plain) and um... mango? Yes. Mango. okay, it's nice to have new exciting flavor, but the color of the Mango macarons were raspberry red which does not make any sense to me. I settled for lemon, vanilla and rose.

    To make myself feel better for buying a whole box of macarons just for myself, I immediately walked to Canele on Scotts road (from Takashimaya, where Bonbon Tea was having a temporary stall). I ordered one rose macaron just for tasting ($2.30). I took just one bite out of it and threw it away (not worth getting fat).

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  6. Hi there! Hmm...it must have been so frustrating. Spent the money and yet got yourself yucky food. I disliked it. I have always checked out where the nice food are before really going to try them out. Unless I didn't have the time, else I will be checking out most of the times. :D

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