While Instagram-worthy aesthetic might be the initial draw at Bloom’s Cafe, the place has more than enough to offer that warrants sticking around. The location — Redmond’s Hill — is at the intersection of Aungier Street and Camden Street, with little to show for itself in terms of accolades as compared to the two hotspots. And so, a cafe whose strength is patisserie is very welcome.
A counter that displays the day’s selection of pastries is right by the entrance, and massive faux flowers adorn corners on the two floors that the cafe occupies. Ordering is meant to be done at the counter, after which the staff bring dishes and drinks to tables.
The floral theme extends to the coffee menu, which allows you to choose from a lavender or rose latte among other, standard options. My lavender latte is a beautiful purple, fragrant with a discreet lavender flavour. It veers into dessert territory, owing to both its floral taste and sweetness.
Getting savoury bites to contrast a sweet drink is a good idea. The “tofu cottage avocado sandwich” is the best rendition of avocado-on-toast in the city. A sourdough toast is slathered with creamed tofu, topped with chunky slices of avocado that are then sprinkled with nuts and crushed chilli, and finished with a drizzle of golden syrup. The spice is distinct from regular western chilli; it’s heavily reminiscent of Guizhou chilli. Our suspicions are confirmed when our server tells us that the owner, Caroline Yu, is Chinese. We're told Yu hails from Shanghai and was renowned pastry chef Nicolas Pierot's apprentice in Changsha.
Each bite of the open sandwich is different from the last, sometimes with more heat from the chilli and at other times more sweetness from the golden syrup. Both flavours work exceptionally well with the avocado and tofu.
We get a butter croissant on the side to fill us up. It’s flaky and audibly crunchy, tiny shards of pastry flying everywhere as we bite into it. Another hot drink would have made it even better, but we decide to save palate space so we can try multiple types of dessert.
Mousse cakes are the protagonists in Bloom Cafe’s story, and this is evident from the multiple Instagram reels dedicated to them. The cafe’s Instagram page refers to them as “trompe l’oeil”, which they most certainly are.
A life-size mango-shaped pastry soon appears in front of us, neatly painted green, yellow, and a reddish coral. It’s too beautiful to destroy, but we’re curious and manage to shatter it with one hit of a spoon. The outer casing is made of sugar, while the inside is a mango mousse that has been set around a mango and mint compote. All three layers form incredible bites, the mango flavour coming through in each one.
On similar lines is a lemon mousse cake, shaped like an actual lemon with a shiny, textured surface (if there were points for realistic culinary artistry, this place would win all of them). It’s slightly harder to break than the mango version, but cuts open with enough pressure — to reveal a centre of lemon curd surrounded by a lemon mousse. Its citrusy sweetness is similar to that of most lemon desserts, but the creation still stands out for expert assemblage.
Our last order for the day is the “coconut” (that’s its name), made up of a caramel-like brown outer shell and coconut mousse filling. It’s topped with chunks of almost-raw mango that are neither too tart nor too sweet. The play on flavours and textures is genius: a smooth coconutty mousse contrasted by the brittle, sugary basket, with fresh mango pieces.
By the time we’re done, we’ve had enough sugar to give us a rush that might last days. Since Bloom’s is a late cafe, our first visit was one that allowed us to enjoy a cafe menu in the latter half of the day. However, we’ll return for brunch soon to try the breakfast plate and French toast. Until then, our Instagram will join the ranks of those who can’t stop filming and posting dessert that’s a rare combination: worthy of both virality and praise.
