Stand up, Singapore. We’ve got a new contender for the title of the best cheesecake in the country. You’ve made them viral. You’ve graced their boutique in the heart of Chinatown with snaking queues. You’ve shown them so much love that they sell out their cakes every day, two hours before they even close. Ladies and gentlemen, this is Queic by Olivia! We’ve seen the queues. We tried their cheesecakes. And we got you the verdict. Are they worth that queue? *Cue dramatic music*
Before we get to the review, let me share a little more about Queic by Olivia! First, let’s clear the air on how it’s pronounced. Seeing this unique spelling, we’d be tempted to say ‘quick’ or ‘queue-k’ or anything else our tongue concocts. So, how is it even pronounced? Drumroll, please…
It’s actually pronounced ‘cake’! In Spanish, the word ‘que’ means ‘what’, and when you add the letters i and c to the back, it becomes the Spanish word for ‘cake’, which kind of translates to ‘what cake?’. And the answer is cheesecake! Queic by Olivia offers a mesmerising range of cheesecakes that first went viral amongst the tourists who came to Singapore. They’d try this during their stay and scurry into Queic by Olivia with their luggage on the way to the airport for a final goodbye to their favourite cheesecake!
And now, they’re a massive hit among Singaporeans! They may open at 11am, but the pastry chef, Chef Pablo, arrives at 6.30am every morning to prepare the cakes! Despite all this incredible prep work, the cakes still sell out before official closing hours. The cheesecakes look delicious, but how good are they in reality? Ladies and gentlemen, we present to you a brutally honest review.
The Ambience
First, let’s start with the boutique itself. It’s a cosy store right in the heart of bustling Chinatown, near other iconic eateries like Potato Head and even the original Olivia Restaurant & Lounge, where the cheesecake was first served and won the heart of every diner!
The interior design concept is a captivating fusion of geometry and colour, with geometric shapes like circles, triangles, rectangles, and squares representing common shapes of scrumptious desserts, marrying the core colours of cheesecakes like yellow and brown. Peep a pop of blue throughout the stunning place to represent the not-so-secret ingredient of the Signature Olivia – blue cheese! These colours make for a unique interior, making it stand out in comparison to many other bakeries and pastry stores today, which have more minimalistic designs!
It has a rather snug seating area, with only up to 16 people being able to dine in at a time. So, given how crazy the queues may get, you might not get a seat to enjoy your yummy treat in-house. That means you need to skip the queues to get that full Queic by Olivia experience! And when’s the perfect time to come on down? You’ll just have to stick around to the end to read that!
Signature Olivia
And now, the moment you’ve been waiting for – the review. But what friend would I be if I didn’t issue you a word of warning?
Disclaimer: the following content will contain sinfully graphic descriptions of the taste of these cheesecakes and will leave you drooling to no end. The visuals will not help either. They will have you frothing at the mouth, reaching for the door as you make your way to Queic by Olivia immediately, wishing for the superpower of teleportation to reach there immediately.
You must be strong, my dearest reader. We will not go easy on you.
Ah, the Signature Olivia, Queic by Olivia’s signature cheesecake. Upon first glance, you look unsuspecting as ever. You do not let on your tale. You sit there, calling our names, beckoning us for a taste.
But when we receive a slice, we see your allure. We heard you were different from all the other cheesecakes, but now we see. We’re scrambling for a fork immediately for a bite. A visual feast sits before us, engaging the sense of sight!
Sitting atop a crumbly almond sable crust base is a luscious blue cheese cream. Now, I know what you’re thinking: blue cheese in cheesecake? In the Signature Olivia, the blue cheese is not at all the main ingredient but rather a touch that adds a savoury kick to an otherwise sweet and rich dessert. Once we finally get ahold of ourselves and complete the ritual of taking pictures, we dig in. As you scoop a bite, your fork sinks right into the ooey-gooey cream, creating a beautiful catastrophe on your plate.
As soon as it hits your tongue, your sense of taste is hit with a barrage of flavours. It’s a symphony of sweet and savoury – the sweetness and crumble of the crust with the light, airy and slightly savoury cream. Together, it’s a match made in heaven. The textures and flavours contrast against each other in an enchanting marriage. After all, opposites attract.
It’s not too sweet, and the taste of the cheese is very prominent, which makes this a more savoury cheesecake than sweet. But as Chef Pablo shared with us, the flavours are always balanced. The scary blue cheese has not an overpowering taste at all but rather an accompaniment to the subtle sweetness and bready-ness of the crust.
Its heavy European flavours come into play, making this a unique dessert. In European countries, cheese is usually the end of the meal, while in most Asian countries, including Singapore, dessert is the end. The Signature Olivia is a delicious culmination of cultures! However, if you cannot stand blue cheese, this might not be your favourite thing, making this cheesecake a rather acquired taste. But it’s something you just can’t miss. This beautiful juxtaposition of flavours and textures is nothing short of art. Bravo!
Basque Burnt Cheesecake
When can a Basque Burnt Cheesecake ever go wrong? It has that unmistakable burnt facade. It may not look the most stunning, but, oh, beauty is the eye of the beholder (or the tastebuds of the taster!).
Compared to the Signature Olivia, the Basque Burnt Cheesecake looks more decadent and dense. Despite its burnt appearance, it invites you and calls out for you. Given its density, it holds up much more easily, making for a cleaner scoop with your fork. And when it enters your mouth, it’s the feeling you get when you get a warm hug in a thunderstorm. It just embraces you. It feels like home.
This Basque Burnt Cheesecake would be the dictionary definition of a classic cheesecake. It’s creamy. It’s thick. It’s dense. It’s rich. It melts in your mouth and fills your palate with sweetness. It’s the perfect cheesecake. It’s pretty sweet but not too much that it overpowers your tastebuds, making it perfect for one and all. Be a pro and pair this treat with a cup of latte or cappuccino, and the sweetness of the cake is cut by the lack thereof in the coffee. But the aroma and flavour of the coffee marry the heavy cheese in a pairing like no other.
Olivia Chocolate Cheesecake
Chocolate is the world’s favourite dessert. Cheesecake is a close second. But when these two come together, you expect fireworks, magic and sunshine all at the same time.
At first sight of the Olivia Chocolate Cheesecake, I won’t lie to you, I was scared. Its appearance looked all dark and gloomy, terrifying me that it would carry that bitterness of cocoa that could kill a yummy vibe. But when I cut into it, there she was in all her glory—the creamy chocolatey centre sitting atop a praline base with almonds and hazelnuts that could make even the strongest man’s knees buckle and fall to the ground. We were ready to dig in.
Taking that bite, I closed my eyes and let the flavours take over me. It was rich and chocolatey. However, my inner chocolate fanatic was a little let down. The fireworks, magic and sunshine never really came. I was disappointed when the taste of dark chocolate hit me. I’m sure it was to make sure it didn’t taste too sweet, but instead, it made it just a tad too bitter for my liking and overpowered the classic taste of cheese and the cheesecake itself. We were told it would be sweet, but the dark chocolate was a little too strong.
But I did enjoy how textures were employed in this dessert. The decadence of the chocolate and cheesecake against the crunch of the hazelnuts and almonds was a genius move to break through that richness. While this wouldn’t be my first pick, I love this option for those looking for a less sweet alternative. Nonetheless, it was delicious, just not what you’d expect when they say ‘chocolate cheesecake’.
Homemade Drinks
Queic by Olivia doesn’t just serve you delicious cheesecakes but also offers unique homemade drinks that taste like nothing you’ve had before (I promise).
First, we tried the Spiced Vanilla Lemonade. I know! Three very different flavour profiles all in one beverage! How does that work? At first glance, it looks rather unassuming. It plays with your mind and intrigues you every second till you cannot hold back from taking a sip. But you see, this is a very multi-layered drink, as the name suggests. To get that full profile of the flavours, make sure you pause a little when you take the first sip and let every note pass.
And when you do take that sip, you’re immediately hit by the punch of citrus. Ah, the lemonade. It’s sour and, surprisingly, is very pleasant with the cheesecake, cleansing your palette after the heaviness of cheese fills your mouth. As Chef Pablo introduced the drink to us, he shared that lemon pairs well with cheesecake, making this yet another fascinating yet delicious pairing.
As you swallow the sip and the tartness of the citrus passes, you get that vanilla. You feel it at the back of your mouth as a very, very subtle aftertaste. And as that vanilla passes, you taste a very slight spice (not the kind that makes it spicy!) lingering in your mouth till you take that next sip again and the lemon takes over, and the cycle resumes.
It’s a drink unlike anything I’ve ever had, and it’s fascinating how its many layers translate into every sip. I don’t know what magic went into this, but it’s a must-try for anyone coming down for something special and unique! This will certainly elevate your cheesecake experience too.
The next drink we tried was the Hibiscus and Coconut Ice Tea. When you first hear its name, it sounds mesmerising. It sounds like you’re getting a very tropical, beachy drink. It doesn’t exactly align with the cheesecakes and pastry theme, but it sounds like a refreshing beverage you’d have on a tropical island as the waves crash against the shore.
But the taste is, strangely, far from what its name lets on. When you take a sip, the first flavour you get is definitely that hibiscus. It’s a floral taste right off the bat, with the subtle coconut following right after in a very smooth transition. That’s what the name tells you, right? But there’s another note present in the drink – spice. In fact, it’s a hefty note, and it pretty much overpowers the hibiscus and coconut in a rather overwhelming way. This makes it an acquired taste that not many of us may enjoy.
Usually, you get that spiced taste even in a spiced latte and chai, but without the milk to tone it down, the spice in the Hibiscus and Coconut Ice Tea feels rather intense. It also doesn’t match the cheesecake that well, as it entirely overpowers and mutes the flavour of the cheesecakes. But if a spiced drink sounds like it’s up your alley, go for it and give this a try!
Final Thoughts
Queic by Olivia, you have blown us away. You’ve blown the whole country away! With your crazy long queues, you have us all enraptured in your spell, and rightfully so! That Signature Olivia is one of the most unique cheesecakes we’ve ever tasted, and the Basque Burnt Cheesecake is a classic cheesecake that can never go wrong.
To complete the treat, we recommend pairing any of these cheesecakes with some latte or cappuccino (hot or iced, whichever tickles your fancy!) or even the Spiced Vanilla Lemonade for a little pizzazz.
To close this off, we got you the dirt! Aching to know the best times to go if you want to skip the queue? Well, Queic by Olivia opens at 11am every day, and this is when the boutique is at its emptiest. Everything is warm and fresh. You’ll definitely find a seat and have ample time to sit with your cheesecakes and post-cheesecake coma.
The true crowd starts streaming in after lunchtime, starting around 2pm, and that’s when all hell breaks loose! The queues never subside after that, and the stock of cakes runs out even before closing, by about 5 or 5.30pm. In this queue, it’s likely 20 to 30 minutes between you and your cake. So, get in there early for a yummy breakfast or brunch, and get out before the snaking queues start creeping in!
Ladies and gentlemen, Queic by Olivia is most certainly a contender for the title of the best cheesecake in the country. But the true question remains – are they the best cheesecake you’ve ever had? There’s only one way to find out.
Queic by Olivia
⏰Opening Hours: 11am to 7pm, Monday to Friday
📍Location: 41 Kreta Ayer Rd, #41, Singapore 089003
Stay tuned to all things Queic by Olivia on their official website, and keep up to date with their Instagram page for more hot deets!
Photos by Eshani N J and Leo Chia of the DANAMIC Team.
