Tiong Bahru Bakery in Tiong Bahru - Artisan pastries in a hipster setting

I have finally managed to pull myself down from the North to the bustling cafe enclave of Tiong Bahru. Located on Eng Hoon St just a few steps down from the seafood restaurant facing the main road, is the flagship outlet of Tiong Bahru Bakery.


The outlet here, unlike its other two in the city, is really a full-fledged cafe with ample seating and brown-hued interiors. The setting is pretty relaxed in feel, making it pretty ideal for a nice chat over coffee. It was about 75% packed on the Friday afternoon we visited and remained so for the entire duration we stayed. There are no all-day brunch or the usual meal mains, but the substantial sandwiches and pastries more than makes up for it.

Mocha
This coffee owes its origin to beans from 40 Hands. With that, you know it definitely won't be anywhere near bad. The mocha here is for those who like their mocha with less of the chocolate flavour and more of the coffee. I like it the other way round, so this was just alright for me.

Mocha ($5.50)

Bacon and Mushroom Panini

Bacon and Mushroom Panini ($9.90)

This was part of the lunch set on promotion. For $9.90, you get a choice between Bacon and Mushroom Curry or the Salmon and Cream Cheese Panini, accompanied by a side salad. Since I was indifferent and my friend a bacon lover, we got the former.  The panini was slightly doughy in texture, like a thicker kind of flatbread.  It was a little unusual for a sandwich bread. While my friend found it very weird, it didn't affect the taste much for me. There was nary any curry to the filling, and it was just alright, not fantastic. The accompanying salad with generous flakes of cheese (parmesan?)  was good.

Gula Melaka Kouign Amann

Gula Melaka and Coconut Kouign Amann ($4.50)

Its awkward-to-pronounce name (Queen-ah-mann) aside, I have a soft spot for the original Kouign Amann. It is up there on my list of penultimate favourite pastries, so this trip was made in mind to try out the newly-launched version with a 'local' twist - Gula Melaka Kouign Amann. The Gula Melaka, though present, wasn't very apparent. Still, this was excellent because it is just like their original. Same crispy, caramelised edges, with soft and buttery textured layers within. Not sure if I would pay the extra dollar for the Gula Melaka and Coconut again, but the Kouign Amann? Anytime.

No harm trying for the twist, but the original will do otherwise.

Apple Crumble

Apple Crumble ($6)

The most popular of their crumbles, according to the staff. This was crumbly in every mouthful, and the layer with the apple was sweet to a right note, I am not a crumble person, so I couldn't tell, but judging from its popularity and my alright-ness with it, this is probably a good choice if you love crumbles. They do have other flavours too like pear crumble and. The portion is huge and enough for 4 to share as a dessert. We were 3/4 full before this and couldn't finish it between the 2 of us.

Croissant

This was had on another separate weekday morning at the Tiong Bahru Bakery Outlet at Tangs. It is pretty therapeutic to sit in the store and watch the day bustle for that 20 minutes while having your pastry. You can help yourself to the marmalade, butter and complimentary water at the side too.

Croissant ($2.90)

The croissant was crispy outside and the twisted layers gave way to an inside that was a nice balance between substantive and light. I like that it wasn't greasy too.


There are a few more pastries I want to try (like the pretty raved-about Lemon Tart). It will take me a few more trips before I can cover it all, Prices are about on par with most artisan cafe-bakeries. As far as it goes, I would give my nod for its pastries. However, if its city outlets are more convenient, by all means go ahead and skip this trip to this outpost, unless you need a full-fledged cafe setting, since the pastries are the same. Its outlets in the city are smaller (Tangs) and aren't stand-alone cafes (Raffles City basement atrium). 

Tiong Bahru Bakery
56 Eng Hoon St, 160056
6222 3430
Open daily from 8am-8pm
Other outlets at Tangs Orchard and Raffles City Shopping Centre B1