It seems everyone wants a taste of nostalgia these days — and there’s no better place than at these old-school bakeries in Singapore, many of which are family-run.
From Teochew-style pastries and Cantonese egg tarts to impossibly fluffy Swiss rolls, we show off some places worth making the pilgrimage for.
Ng Kim Lee Confectionary
It’s been around since pre-independence Singapore, and Ng Kim Lee Confectionary thankfully remains far removed from its modern counterparts.
Pastries are churned fresh in a concealed kitchen, many of which sell out by late afternoon — so shimmy over quick for a taste of the bakery’s egg tarts, cheesecakes and traditional mini egg cakes.
4 Chun Tin Road | +65 6466 3515
Monday to Saturday 9am to 9pm | Sunday 9am to 1pm
Tong Heng Delicacies
The queues at Tong Heng Delicacies don’t lie: its diamond-shaped shortcrust egg tarts ($1.90 each) are second to none, with addictive wobbly centres. If you don’t manage to snag these (literal) hot-sellers, try the curry puffs — a sweeter, flakier take on the traditional snack.
285 South Bridge Road | +65 6223 3649
Monday to Sunday 9am to 10pm
Loong Fatt Tau Sar Piah
My weakness for tau sar piah is consummate — and at Loong Fatt Tau Sar Piah, the savoury Teochew-style pastries ($0.80/piece) are built from water- and margarine-based doughs, then baked in fired ovens to flaky perfection. You’ll find two permutations built from mung bean paste: a sweet version, and a salty option flecked with shallots.
The bakery, which began as a kopi and toast stall, is today run by the late founder’s grandson, Mr Lee. If you aren’t quite a fan of tau sar piah, though, then its chiffon cakes may be up your alley.
639 Balestier Road | +65 6253 4584
Monday to Saturday 7am to 5pm | Closed on Sundays
Rich & Good Cake Shop
If you’ve been to the original Kandahar Street outlet, you’ll be either relieved — or horrified — to learn of Rich & Good Cake Shop’s expansion into Jewel Changi Airport.
Sellouts!, I’d initially thought.
But consistency lies at the heart of the 23-year-old bakery, and for that we’re grateful. Its melt-in-the-mouth Swiss rolls (from $5/mini roll) are impossibly soft, and make for an addictive midday snack — particularly when paired with a strong cup of freshly strained kopi.
Options on offer include kaya, mango, strawberry, coffee and durian.
Two outlets, including:
#01-232 Jewel Changi Airport
Monday to Sunday 9am to 11pmÂ
24 Kandahar Street | +65 6294 3324
Monday 10.30am to 5pm | Tuesday to Saturday 9am to 5pm | Closed on Sundays
Balmoral Bakery
It’s clear the folks behind Balmoral Bakery know what our stomachs want — and that means an extensive selection of tarts, pastries and puffs.
If you’re stuck on what to get, the 55-year-old bakery is famed for its butter cakes ($1.50/slice), rum balls ($1.50/piece) and sugee cakes (from $5.50). But you’ll also find savoury options, including curry puffs ($1.30/piece) and moreish beef pies ($2/piece).
#01-06 Sunset Way, 105 Clementi Street 12 | +65 6779 2064
Sunday to Wednesday 9am to 8pm | Thursday
Lek Lim Nonya Cake Confectionary
If traditional Nyonya kueh is up your alley, you’ll likely appreciate the homemade bakes at Lek Lim Nonya Cake Confectionary, whose origins hark back to 1967.
Popular options include soon kueh ($0.70/piece), ang ku kueh ($0.65/piece) — a just-right ratio of fragrant mung bean paste to chewy skin — and rainbow kueh lapis ($0.55/piece), the latter of which rivals Bengawan Solo’s version.
#01-21 Block 84, Bedok North Street 4 | +65 6449 0815
Monday to Saturday 6.30am to 6pm | Sunday 6.30am to 2pm
Jie Traditional Bread Bakery
There’s something about ordering a $1.50 ice cream sandwich from a pushcart stand — even if the point of rainbow bread these days is sadly more for the ’Gram than anything.
Besides churning up to 1,000 loaves of the pastel-swirled carb daily, Jie Traditional Bread Bakery also issues preservative-free white bread using time-honoured baking methods.
But better yet are the freshly toasted breads on offer (from $1.60) that include your choice of spread.
123 Upper Paya Lebar Road | +65 6289 7461
Monday to Saturday 7am to 11.30pm | Sunday 10am to 11.30pm
The Pine Garden
The Pine Garden found fame in its buttercream sponge cakes — but the bakery’s secret to longevity lies in riding on food trends, except with fun twists.
The White Rabbit Cake (from $4.50/slice), for instance, is a creamy take on the childhood candy; meantime, the Milk Tea Brown Sugar Bubble Tea Cake (from $4.50/slice) features chewy pearls concealed within tea-infused spongecake.
If you’d rather a classic, though, the Black Forest Cake (from $29.50/whole) — itself spiked with rum-soaked cherries — is at once tart yet light.
Five outlets, including:
#01-236/9, 529 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10
Monday to Sunday 9.30am to 9.30pm
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