Tuesday 24 December 2013

Chocolate Origin @ Bugis Junction (Review)


Was there on Fri 20 Dec. Bought the original flavor cake for $29 sometime in the evening.

I have a very sensitive stomach that easily detects when food is not fresh/not clean within a few minutes. Unfortunately, only after I have eaten it. 

I just recovered by the way. About 98%.  I was ill since Fri night, Sat and Sun.

It is strange that this cake shop doesn't sell slices. Instead, they sell whole cakes for $29 (original) and $36 (dark chocolate). There is also 1 extra thing called Lava Cake Cup.

Overall, strange concept, empty seats when I went there.

Counter staff service could be better. 2 young women. One didn't smile at all and one faked a few smiles occasionally.

The faked-a-few-smiles gave us each a sample to try. It was dark chocolate which bro found a little bitter and didn't like. So, I decided to get the original.

Bro felt $29 was expensive and the taste wasn't that great.

I felt the taste was excellent and better than Awfully Chocolate. I would have recommended it to everyone if not for what happened.

1) Whenever a customer asks to see a cake, the staff takes one out from the fridge to show. Apparently, the same cake, unless it is sold. It means the cake is frequently exposed to the contaminated air (and saliva when staff and customers talk over it) and cannot be properly chilled since it is taken in and out.

They don't have a permanent display set. Their showcase is full of empty cardboard boxes.

2) When I asked if the cake was freshly made, the didn't-smile-staff thought about it and did not mention when, but said that it was "fresh".  What I wanted to know was whether the cake was made that morning. But she did not provide the answer.

3) I asked when is the expiry date. She said 4~5 days. I found it highly doubtful.  A cake can't keep that long without losing its flavor and freshness. This is also considering when the cake was made. If it had been made 2 days ago but nobody bought it, then the expiry day is shortened.

Considering that not many people will want to buy a whole cake at the prices (unless it's a celebration), there is a high chance the cakes have been in the fridge for at least 1~2 days after they were made.

4) I asked if they provided cold packets to go with the cake to keep it chilled. Staff said no, but it would be fine for around 3 hours.


After buying the cake, we went to OG buy a pillow. Took about 30~40 minutes. After that, we took a taxi home where I ate some of the cake before putting it in the fridge.

The next day, I ate a little more of the cake, but noticed that the taste was a little off.  The color of the surface was also less dark (paler off-color).  I assumed it was due to the coldness of my fridge (the box does say to thaw first).  Since it didn't taste as nice, I ate only a little.  Before eating it, I had eaten nothing else. I only ate the cake because I felt a little hungry.

Some minutes later, my stomach didn't feel well. It felt bloated and got worse after dinner (that I personally cooked). My bro who didn't eat it at all was fine.

I was ill since then until Sun, in bed. 

It could have been worse. 

From my stomach's reaction, I would say the cake was not entirely fresh. It is possible that the day I purchased it was actually the expiry date or even maybe a day after the expiry date. Or all that taking it in and out of the shop's fridge contaminated it and shortened its expiry date.




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