Matcha and Cruffins are two overhyped food trends that I was so sure I was over... until I tried this Matcha Burnt Cheese Cruffin ($6.50). On surface level it just looks like an ordinary cruffin topped with some matcha glaze, but be prepared to be wowed as soon as you take a bite. Alone, the uji matcha glaze is extremely bitter and earthy. But eaten with the creamy cheese filling and pastry, any bitterness is eliminated and you’re left with the most decadent combination ever. If I had a dollar for every time I said “Omg so good”, I would have enough money to clear out the bakery’s shelf.
Important note: No dining in on weekends, only weekdays.
With Keong Saik Bakery’s spread of innovative pastries and flavors, it’s easy to look past their Sor Hei. But trust me on this - this pastry is not to be missed. Crispy on the outside and oh so soft on the inside, every bite of this black and white danish left me wanting more. Though it was studded with chocolate chips, the chocolate flavor was subtle and allowed the buttery pastry to shine.
Great service, and even greater ice cream. There’s a reason Apiary is my favorite creamery in the whole of Singapore! Featured here is the 69% Dark Chocolate (rich with just the right balance of bitterness and sweetness), Baileys and Brownies, and Blue Milk (creamy milk with a hint of sea salt, my absolute fav). The creamery gets pretty crowded on the weekends so a weekday is the best time to go! Or you can wait for a seat or takeaway - either way, it’s worth it.
My Noodles With Double Roast ($12.50): Springy egg noodles with a generous portion of both char siew and siew yoke! 🤤 I ordered mine with chili and it definitely took it to another level. Prices might be a turn off considering there is a Food Republic right at the basement of Shaw House, but it’s worth a try.
If you love pastries as much as I do, you need to give Keong Saik Bakery a visit. This bakery is constantly coming up with creative pastries and flavors (croissant cubes! matcha with burnt cheese cruffins! pandan burnt cheesecake!) - I’m drooling just thinking of it.
I went with the intention of trying the Orh Nee Cube, but my dining partner suggested grabbing a couple other pastries too. How could I say no?
The Orh Nee Cube ($6) was filled with house made yam paste, shallots and yam cubes. I was expecting the filling to be overly sweet but was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t. My dining partner however (who has an extreme sweet tooth) thought otherwise and had hoped it was sweeter. To each their own 🤷🏻‍♀️. One thing we did agree on was that while the pastry itself was surprisingly light, it didn’t have the same flakiness as a regular croissant.
The Muah Chee Cube ($6) was filled with both black sesame paste and muah chee - you can imagine how decadent it was. The flavor was great but was unfortunately too jelak for me and I (very generously 🙂) let my dining partner finish the rest.
We spent so much time tackling the two croissant cubes (be warned, it was an extremely messy process) that we almost forgot about our Milo Cruffin ($5). The filling itself was rather wet and made the pastry a bit soggy - can’t say that I enjoyed it too much. While the milo flavor was spot on, I would give this pastry a pass.
I’ve always been a fan of Tsukemen (dipping ramen) as opposed to regular ramen, so this was a pleasant discovery! I went for their “Singapore Best” Tsukemen; the noodles were thick and springy, the slice of pork was generous and meaty (albeit tough). The broth was salty and so rich in flavor, just how it’s supposed to be! I just wish they offered some dashi stock to dilute the broth after the noodles were done, it would have made a tasty soup. Overall, it was a good experience and I would definitely go back to try their dry ramen and other versions of Tsukemen.
