50年 Taste of Tradition (Capitol Singapore)

Hokkaido Cheese Tart ($1.70) I felt that it's quite thick texture for cheese tbh but too much creamy inside tart.

Portuguese Tart ($1.40) I felt that its quite sweet aftertaste but mild eggy taste. Its quite crispy and crunchy for egg custard.

It does seem that there is a trend of existing F&B establishments expanding their operations with a fresh-faced concept of the late — 50年 Taste of Tradition is likely a name in the F&B scene that is not too much of a stranger to most. Having multiple stalls situated all across the island, 50年 Taste of Tradition stalls generally look like an average mom-and-pop stall, though its presence in noticeable spots all over the island including stalls located at People’s Park Complex, Toa Payoh, Marine Parade, Yishun Central and The Bencoolen does somehow make them quite a familiar name to those whom frequent those areas. Mostly an establishment that one would associate white bread loaves that are sold being sliced up with spreads applied to bread on the spot, or one that is notable for their egg tarts, 50年 Taste of Tradition had since opened a brand new outlet in the heart of town — at the basement of Capitol Singapore. 50年 Taste of Tradition’s outlet at Capitol Singapore replaces that of a former art gallery dedicated to the works of Patrick Bezalel; one common theme across 50年 Taste of Tradition is the wafting smell of their buttery pastry — the said fragrance can be detected from the underpass linking up City Hall MRT Station with Capitol Singapore. Their Capitol Singapore outlet is an entirely different set-up from what is known to be of their style; despite being a little spartan as compared to that of their neighbours, the Capitol Singapore location features a modern look with geometrical shapes around the walls and counters and sports a vibrant yellow-and-white colour scheme. For the first time, the outlet also boasts of a modestly-sized dine-in space as well. Considering so, the 50年 Taste of Tradition at Capitol Singapore does not only serve up their usual line-up of pastries (which is ever-increasing in variety, with Cronuts, Crispy Cream Puff and a Chicken Cheese Pie being added in recent times) and sliced white bread loaves with spreads, but also local-style Nanyang Kopi and Teh as well to go along.

The Cronut has been one of the items that had been added to the pastry line-up of 50年 Taste of Tradition for quite a while; 50年 Taste of Tradition had in its earlier days, only served up their Portuguese Tart until the Cronut was added — perhaps in an attempt to modernise their menu to further attract the younger crowd. Having seen an entire tray of Cronuts sitting in the display case, we decided to go for one, especially since we had already been planning to give them a try having passed by 50年 Taste of Tradition at their multiple locations and having noticed the pastry in the display case while at it. 50年 Taste of Tradition at Capitol Singapore serves up their pastries as-is; we were not asked by the staff if we would like to have the pastries warmed up, and while disposable paper trays are used for smaller orders, larger orders are typically packed in boxes instead even for dine-in with the bakes being stacked above each other in the most appropriate manner possible.

There is only one version of Cronut available at 50年 Taste of Tradition; the chocolate rendition. On first sight, the Cronut is already pretty appealing — despite being smaller-sized than that of what a lot of other establishments are either serving or had served during the whole Cronut craze a number of years ago, the Cronut does look pretty flaky and well-layered to say the least. Sinking our teeth into the Cronut, we note that the buttery, flaky and layered pastry of the Cronut does come with a bit of bite; not that it was thick, but definitely heftier than that of some artisanal croissants which have had from other establishments that is noticeable lighter. That being said, it is still a relatively decent eat; while the chocolate ganache piped over the pastry is rather obvious and actually quite aplenty, what really surprised us was how the insides of the pastry also comes lined with layers of chocolate ganache in the middle — this makes for a surprising ooze of suitably sweet, chocolatey notes that make it all the more fun to eat. Other pastries that we have had are also of a surprisingly good quality as well; the Portuguese Tart needs no introduction here with its flaky and buttery, layered pastry while the Crispy Vanilla Cream Puff (also available in Chocolate) checks all the right boxes of a good choux puff with its crusty exterior and well-filled interior without being overly sweet / jelak. 50年 Taste of Tradition’s popularity has always stemmed from how they offer really quality bakes comparable to that served at established patisseries, yet at a really affordable price that most can pay for; all of the bakes are priced below $3 per piece even for the Cronut, which is the priciest pastry offered at $2.70 — definitely a place that we would be seeing a good crowd sitting in an enjoying their bakes for a cup of coffee on both weekdays and weekends!