Paaru Bakery

Moving to the bakery, we managed to snag a handful of bakes. Though there are only 2 long benches in the space, Paaru Bakery does allow for dine-in and I would highly recommend it for the freshly baked pastries. Not a huge fan of Financier, I was skeptical about ordering it but thankfully we changed our minds and found their small French almond cake to be so good! Right out of the oven, the Financier ($2) had a beautifully crisp exterior, and the nutty aroma was superbly heady. Not that dense as well. Same for the Madeleine ($2), best to have it there and then, the shell-shaped cake was soft and moist.

For the Strawberry Shortcake ($10), the sponge was unfortunately not as soft as I expected but helped to hold the cake up nicely. The not-too-milky cream was pleasantly fuwa fuwa and airy. And the best part was the sweet juicy berries layered in between.

The Mont Blanc ($14) with a gently distinct alcohol aftertaste (rum?) fared a little better than the Strawberry Shortcake. A richer number, the moderately sweet chestnut puree was wondrously smooth, delicately earthy and nutty. The bits of chestnut crowned at the top was really nice as well. Great for kuri fans. Though the buttery biscuit base was a little hard to cut into.

Braving the weekend crowd at 195 Pearl’s Hill Terrace, I am glad to have checked out Paaru パール, both cafe and bakery (partly for the ‘gram and vibes). In agreement with most on the internet, the prices are steep for what you are essentially getting but the French Toast Shokupan ($12) was surprisingly good, well-executed and I would say better than your run-of-the-mill cafe brunch fare. The pillowy-soft house-baked Japanese milk bread had a great subtle chew and a lovely caramelised exterior. No soggy mess, I like that the bread wasn’t fully soaked with egg. The kuromitsu drizzle wasn’t overly sweet and the freshly whipped cream kept things light. The savoury sprinkle of sea salt, the crunchy bitter cocoa nibs, the slight char from crispy edges and the delicate eggy fragrance really sealed the deal.

Oat White 3/5
Filter 3/5
Iced black 3/5

Paaru パール is the latest hidden cafe located in 195 pearl hill terrace at Chinatown. Started by the same peeps behind Asaru Studio with interiors that brings you to a mix of modernity and traditional Kyoto House🇯🇵✨
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Starting with a simple menu for now, with toasts from their bakery at the other end of the building, tried their french toast shokupan ($12) which was caramelised on top with fluffy thick inside - served with kuromitsu syrup, cacao nibs and cream✨ the light milky bread goes really well with the sweet syrup and caramel crunch 💯 paired with a cup of hot chocolate ($7) which was pretty rich yet not too milky or heavy… just nice👍
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💡: There is a waiting list!!!! so do check them out early or wait for the crowd to die down. psst… for $12 per toast u can get a whole loaf from their bakery 😉
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