Fresh cream puffs with a fruity twist that will have you begging for more

The Lowdown:

In an inconspicuous corner of Margaret Drive, hidden among a block of old flats, overshadowed by the bustling NTUC supermarket--is one of the best-kept confectionery secrets where the patrons are regulars.

The no-frills exterior of this simple HDB shop belies the superb fresh cream puffs and cakes that it sells. What started as a hobby of baking and selling to friends from home for Auntie Helen became a thriving business that she had to set up shop to cope with the demand.

Taste:

Among the puffs that the shop offers, we are hooked on the durian, chempedak and mango puffs. The choux pastry is soft and yet firm with a generous dollop of fruity creamy filling. The cream is fresh and light to taste. When bitten, the cream just oozes out from the puff and fills your mouth. For the durian and chempedak fillings, the fruits are chopped into fine pieces and mixed with the cream. While eating, you can actually see and pull out the fibre of the fruits from the cream. If you can't stand the pungent smell and taste of durian and chempedak, the mango cream puff is a good alternative. Unlike the other commercial mango fillings with artificial yellow or orange colourings, the mango puff has sizable pieces of the fresh fruit placed on top of the fresh white cream that is bursting out of the pastry puff.

Concluding Comments:

Hui: I normally only eat durian fruit and don't like anything else that's made from it. But I must say that this is good--the durian is fresh. I also like it because it's not too sweet.

Paul: It's so rare to find chempedak fruit in the first place, what more chempedak cream puff?! Who cares that it has a pungent smell and taste--the bite is so shiok (satisfying)!

Dish:	Cream Puffs-- Durian, Mango, Chempedak
Where:	Helen's Deli Blk 39A Commonwealth Avenue #01-344 Tel: 4744168
When:	11am-7pm Closed on Monday
Price:	$0.80 per cream puff
Test date:	April 2000
Rating:	Die, die must try...