Ling’s Patisseries

Got to learn about the existence of Ling’s Patisserie whilst scrolling through social media one day — a recently opened cafe, Ling’s Patisseries is hidden deep in the heartlands at Blk 120 Potong Pasir Avenue 1; the location being a short bus ride away into the Potong Pasir estate from Potong Pasir MRT Station. This ‘hood had been seeing a bit of a gentrification of the late; another cafe that had also opened its doors in the same block right at the other end is The Social Space that had opened earlier in the year. Occupying a rather well-sized shop space, Ling’s Patisseries can be described as one of the more spacious cafes situated in the heartlands; the space is being decked in a way that follows the Japandi design language featuring the large use of white walls and wooden furniture and fittings; all that with a splash of grey for the cushioned seats, while there is also a consistent use of blue around the counters for a bit of a visual contrast. There is also the use of faux plants in its decor that helps to inject some life into the space as well. Being a cafe that has more of a focus on its cakes and bakes, Ling’s Patisseries have most of their items being displayed prominently in the display cases at the counter — this includes a variety of bakes such as rolled cakes, scones, Sourdough Brioche Bolo Bun, cookies, brownies and bundt cakes that are stocked in the display case and display chiller at the counter. There is also a display chiller that showcases all of the gelato flavours that they have to offer as well; other food offerings at Ling’s Patisseries include their waffles and sourdough croffles. Beverages available at Ling’s Patisseries will include a selection of espresso-based specialty coffee that is brewed using beans roasted for Nanyang-style Kopi, as well as a line-up of tea and non-coffee beverages.

Skimming through the items that are being stocked Sin their display chiller, we were particularly intrigued with the availability of a Pulut Hitam Coconut Rolled Cake in slices despite the printed menu only indicating the item being retailed as a whole roll. It also stood out to us considering that such infusion of locally-inspired flavours for rolled cakes are rather difficult to find. Sinking our fork into the rolled cake, we found the Pulut Hitam Coconut Rolled Cake to come with an adequate level of density; soft, fluffy and pillowy whilst rolled with a good amount of Pulut Hitam-infused pastry cream within. The pastry cream really replicated the notes and texture of Pulut Hitam well — one can even nibble on bits of black glutinous rice here just like how one would in an actual bowl of Pulut Hitam; the slight nuttiness of the grains and the fragrant aroma of the coconut milk being particularly evident here. During our visit, we had also given their Sourdough Brioche Bolo Bun a go as well; Ling’s Patisseries serves their Sourdough Brioche Bolo Bun in three (3) different variants — the Plain, the Plain with Butter, and the Curry Potato Bolo Bun. For our order, we we went with the Plain with Butter. What Ling’s Patisseries seemed to have done well was the crust of the Bolo Bun; it definitely delivered that crunch that was slightly milky and sweet that is what one would usually expect with a proper Bolo Bun — creates a textural contrast against the bun itself at the bottom. That being said, we weren’t quite fans of the bun itself considering how the exterior seemed a little dry and stiff — thankfully, the insides are still considerably fluffy and moist, though the exterior did make the entire bun feel a little too dense for our liking. The slab of butter that came on the top was adequately sized; salted to provide a slight contrast of flavours.

Curious on how their specialty coffee brewed with Nanyang-style coffee beans would taste like, we went with the Pandan Latte (Hot). Truth to be told, we were quite impressed with how roasty the cuppa here felt even with the addition of froth milk; there was definitely a hint of sweetness that goes along that makes this feel rather close to the local-style Kopi that we are all very familiar with — the infusion of Pandan is also really evident here as well. Being a cafe that focuses on their bakes, we do feel that Ling’s Patisseries does seem to do particularly well with their cakes considering what we had experienced with their Pulut Hitam Coconut Rolled Cake ; while their Sourdough Brioche Bolo Bun does seem to have a some room for improvement, we still liked how they seemed to have nailed it with the crust that many places unfortunately are not able to get right. Prices of their desserts are also well-priced, with the most priciest items (disregarding the whole cakes on the menu) being listed at $8 — these would be the Caramalised Banana Croffle and the Matcha Goma Croffle With its efforts in delivering quality bakes that feature locally-inspired flavours and great specialty coffee with a twist of their own, Ling’s Patisseries would likely be a spot that would capture the attention of both cafe-hoppers and the demographics of the residents around this quaint housing estate that they are situated in; one that would likely be loved by both the young and old for what they have to offer.