The Headless Baker & Sons (The Star Vista)

Too pretty to eat it for sure, and it remains v crispy as we slice into it. The pandan looks a little too green but we enjoy it and it tastes authentic. (~$5)

🍞 Dalgona Coffee Loaf
📍The Headless Baker (@theheadlessbaker)
📌 The Star Vista / @pickupp.sg
💰 $16
🤑 Promo code: 《BREADINOSAUR》for $5 off min spend $14 on @pickupp.sg

Received this loaf from @theheadlessbaker a while back via @pickupp.sg ! This dalgona coffee loaf is suuuuper fragrant with a really strong and aromatic coffee taste. The dalgona on top is sweet and tastes like icing, it complements the coffee cake really really well.

The hazelnuts were the cherry on the cake because they were crunchy and nutty and just made everything so much better.

Get $5 off on @pickupp.sg when you use my code 《BREADINOSAUR》upon checkout with min spend $14!

Got their Christmas special which I think is their pain au chocolat with extra chocolate on top and some marshmallows. Taste is not bad, can give it a try!

Have always wanted to check out The Headless Baker proper but their hawker stall at Ghim Moh Food Centre isn’t quite the most conducive spot to visit for us — pretty excited when we had heard about their new The Headless Baker & Sons outlet at The Star Vista, which takes over the space that formerly housed Thus Coffee’s outlet in the said mall; and that was how we found ourselves making the trip down when they had announced for the start of dine-in operations in this outlet.

The Headless Baker & Sons boasts a different selection of bakes than the variety that is available at The Headless Baker at Ghim Moh Food Centre — while the Ghim Moh location focuses more on scones, Bundt cakes and tea cakes, their location at The Star Vista also serves up viennoiserie, tarts apart from a few cakes, as well as Caneles which are available at both locations. Being the Kouign Amann lover that I am, I went with the Kouign Amann with Cherries — the only version that is available here that sees a welcome twist to the pastry that usually will only come as-is without any other elements. Since we visited them during their opening hour, the Kouign Amann with Cherries was still warm being fresh out of the oven not too long ago; really enjoyed how this one was flaky, buttery and crisp with the sugary layer over the top, while the insides reveal a beautiful layering from the lamination process of the dough. Inside the Kouign Amann will be the macerated cherries; personally would have really loved it if they could do a version with alcohol-infused for the extra luxurious and dreamy feel (but kids), though I still liked how it still carried a deep, yet mellow sweetness; albeit with a slight tang that cuts through the buttery sweetness of the Kouign Amann, and provides a chewiness for a variance of textures for the whole pastry. Pretty thoughtful I will say.

Aside from the Kouign Amann with Cherries, we have also tried the Strawberry Rhubarb Tart (a special) and the Canele (it comes chewy and custardy here when still warm and fresh out of the oven) — both of which left an impression as well; pretty much explains the fanfare of their bakes even during the times when they were only at Ghim Moh Food Centre. It is needless to say that much effort and passion has went into the creations, and despite serving up a new line-up of bakes served here, one could tell the sort of emphasis on quality and execution that they are trying to put out here with every bake served. Dine-in space is pretty limited at their The Star Vista outlet owing to the layout of their store, which shares a space with The Pet Safari (really enjoyed having bakes and coffee with the birds chirping in the background); something that one might want to note before making a visit especially with social-distancing measures in place. Still, a spot which I am looking forward to visit hopefully for the savoury pastries next time!

Thought that the almond croissant was quite nice! The frangipane filling could have more nutty flavours coming through, but I like that it wasn't very sweet (some almond croissant fillings are rly sugary). What made this a solid almond croissant was the delicious almond sauce topping!! Also, the sliced almonds gave a nice crunch and a boost of almond nuttiness. The croissant itself was alright, it was freshly baked but was crisp only at the edges, and the layers/flakiness was quite average.

The canele was decent, with a custardy centre that had a pleasant vanilla flavour, but I thought the caramelized crust could afford to be crunchier. I've only had two caneles so far - theirs and lematin's. I thought this one had nicer flavours (and is 40% cheaper), but lematin's had a nicer crust.

Will be back, as these 2 items left a good enough impression and I would like to try more of their stuff!