If there is one trend for Singapore cafes, it would be that more and more bakery cafes have opened up.
Serving buttery croissants, fresh bakes and pretty cakes, here are 10 relatively new cafes that opened in Singapore within the last year:
Starter Lab Bakery
721 Havelock Road Singapore 169645 (Tiong Bahru Station)
Tel: +65 9839 0408
Opening Hours: 8:30am – 5pm (Mon – Sun)
Famous Bakery From Bali At Havelock Road
From hipster area of Canggu in Bali to Havelock Road, Starter Lab Bakery has opened its 2nd outpost (in the world) right here in Singapore.
Baker-consultant Emerson Manibo has worked at New York’s Per Se, trained at famed Tartine and Della Fattoria bakeries in California.
The bakery café essentially offers a wholesome menu of posh toast (so much so they have been reviewed to serve the “Gucci Of Bread”), sandwiches and build your own bread boards.
All the loaves and pastries served (other than the scones) contain sourdough/starter, and loaves are fermented over 36 hours before being baked.
If you are lost at what to order, some recommendations include House-Made Mascarpone, sustainable honey, bee pollen and crushed walnuts ($14); Salmon, pickle, house-made creme fraiche on Danish Rye ($14), Country Loaf ($11 for half, $18 for whole, estimated 1.2kg), and Miso Baguette. Starter Lab (Havelock Road)
Petit Pain
315 Joo Chiat Road, Singapore 427566
Opening Hours: 11am – 5pm (Wed – Fri), 10am – 4pm (Sat – Sun), Closed Mon, Tues
Humble Artisanal Bakery Found At Joo Chiat
A small, humble bakery has been making wave with the Katong community, with several of their bakes sold out before 2pm.
Breads and pastries are only available in small batches, free of improvers, preservatives and artificial flavours.
The Classic Croissant ($3) requires a 3-day process to produce.
I decided to have it fresh because the buttery fragrance was just too alluring. And there was that ”wow” moment upon taking that first bite.
Must say that Petit Pain’s take probably ranks top as the crispiest version I had in Singapore. Note: Many of the items are sold out by about noon or even earlier. Petit Pain (Joo Chiat)
Baker’s Bench Bakery
6 Bukit Pasoh Road, Singapore 089820
Opening Hours: 8:30am – 5pm (Wed – Mon, Closed Tues)
Bakery Cafe With Tasty Breads And Scandinavian Vibes
Baker’s Bench Bakery at Bukit Pasoh Road (well, kind of opposite Shake Shack Neil Road), positioned as a “neighbourhood bakery” with an open-concept bakery.
Its objective is to remove the barrier between staff and customers, and therefore you feel like you walking into a home kitchen and can make conversations easily.
I liked how the interior felt cozy with Scandinavian vibes, along with a mouth-watering display of bakes.
All breads and puff pastries naturally leavened by sourdough are baked freshly in the morning, and even many of the ingredients are made in-house such as kimchi, pickles, sauces, jams and butter.
But what first caught my eye was the Sticky Bun ($5) which was majestic-looking compared to all the rest, with all that gloss from caramel and pecan.
It turned out to be better than I expected, with a delightful contrast of sticky, brown-sugary and walnutty toppings with soft and pillowy texture.
Brotherbird Coffeehouse
32 Bali Lane Singapore 189868
Opening Hours: 12pm – 9:30pm (Wed – Mon), 6pm – 9:30pm (Tues)
Creative Croissant And Brunch Cafe With Minimalist Décor
The Brotherbird team has re-opened this outlet with a new “coffeehouse” concept. The lower level contained an industrial-grey minimalist look (reminding me of Lucid at Hamilton Road) of two sections – the pastry counter and the coffee side, with a small seating area.
The display contained more than 10 different types of pastries.
There are basically four different groups you can expect – Twice-baked croissant, the regular croissants (some pumped with fillings), chocolate series, and Danish pastries.
Brother Bird continues to introduce seasonal bakes, such as the current Hae Bee Hiam & Cheese Danish ($5), “Tang Yuan” Pastry ($5) with coconut mochi and adzuki bean, and Mango Sticky Rice ($5) with fresh mango fillings, coconut mochi in a croissant topped with coconut flakes.
If you are heading for the staples, available are Earl Grey Tea Croissant ($5), Churros Croissant ($4), and Double Chocolate Roll ($4) topped with cocoa powder.
Woodlands Sourdough
183 Upper Thomson Road, The Longhaus #01-03 Singapore 574429
Opening Hours: 8:30am – 5pm (Thurs – Sun), Closed Mon – Wed
Popular Bakery Cafe Well-Missed Makes Its Return At Upper Thomson
Fans of Woodlands Sourdough were probably devastated upon hearing the closure of the previous outlet located in Serene Centre. (That shop has been replaced by Microbakery Bakery & Kitchen.)
But good news, owners Chalith and Nur are back at a brand-new location in Upper Thomson.
Woodlands Sourdough is known for their sourdough bread and brownies, which we argue may probably be one of the best in Singapore.
Apart from the usual brownies such as the Rye Hazelnut Almond Brownie ($5.50), some new items include the Tartine ($8) which is essentially a slice of their signature sourdough bread topped with fresh mozzarella, pesto and salad greens served alongside some roasted tomatoes. Woodlands Sourdough (Upper Thomson)
Micro Bakery & Kitchen – Red House
63 East Coast Road #01-06 Singapore 428776
Opening Hours: 8:30pm – 5pm Last Order 3pm (Wed – Fri), 8:30pm – 5pm, Last Order 4:30pm (Sat – Sun)
Bakery Café With Delicious Breads Hidden Within The Iconic Red House
The Red House is an iconic fixture along East Coast Building, now housed by Micro Bakery & Kitchen.
Their breads are naturally leavened using organic and sustainable flour, using natural ingredients and no additives.
Its brunch menu includes Big Breakfast ($18), Granola ($8), Smoked Salmon on Sourdough English Muffin ($18), Micro Club Sandwich ($14), Grilled 3 Cheese Sandwich ($12), Ricotta Tartine ($12), Smashed Avocado Tartine ($14) and Scrambled Free Range Egg Tartine ($14).
The Brownies ($5, $6 each) here are not to be missed – chocolatey, dense and moist, sometimes coming with interesting flavours such as cookies and cream, Bischof, and even miso with coconut flakes suitable for vegans. Micro Bakery & Kitchen Red House (East Coast)
The Better Half
1 Everton Park, #01-43, Singapore 081001
Tel: 9248 7088
Opening Hours: 8:30am – 5:30pm (Tues – Fri), 9:30am – 5:30pm (Sat – Sun), Closed on Mon
Bakery Café With Korean Vibes And Delicious Cakes
Established by two passionate individuals who also happens to be each other’s better half, the café aims to serve honest and real fare to everyone who visits.
The bakes are placed in the shop exudes a certain Korean bakery vibe – kind of what you see in Layered 레이어드 or Cafe Highwaist.
All the bakes you see in The Better Half all made from scratch in-house. Even if you order a toast, the bread is made within the store and not from a supplier.
While I was thinking of what to get, the owners kindly suggested a slice of Rose Raspberry Cake ($8) which they were just about to display.
Essentially a rose sponge cake with raspberry cream cheese, the cake was fluffy in texture and not dry at all. The Better Half (Everton Park)
Kamome Bakery かもめベーカリー
Goldhill Shopping Centre, 169 Thomson Road Singapore 307621
Opening Hours: 8am – 7pm (Mon – Sun)
Japanese Bakery-Café At Novena
Kamome Bakery is a new Japanese bakery-café at Goldhill Shopping Centre, located near Novena MRT Station.
There are a couple of varied sandwich choices of Meat Loaf ($5.80), Croquette ($5.20), Tonkatsu ($5.60).
Breads are quite uniquely-Japanese, with the offering of Red Bean & Butter, Teriyaki Chicken Pizza, Yuzu Chestnut, Dark Cherry Tart, Cinnamon Roll, Banana Brown Sugar – all priced from $3 to $5 thereabout.
The Japanese Red Bean with salted butter bun was a moderate delight with its smooth paste and thick slab of butter. Kamome Bakery (Goldhill Shopping Centre)
Fine Dining Bakery
207 River Valley Road, 01-59 UE Square, Singapore 238275
Opening Hours: 9am – 3pm (Mon, Thurs – Sun), Closed Tues, Wed
French-trained Baker with quality European-style Breads
You would find many Japanese expats and ladies hanging around the café, and find that some of the recommended breads are quickly snapped up.
The head baker Chef Maekochi’s or “Akira” used to work at La Boutique de Joël Robuchon in Roppongi, Joël Robuchon at Resorts World Sentosa, and béni Singapore. That’s why the name of “fine dining bakery” due to his experience.
The bakery café specialises in handcrafted breads using Hokkaido flours, and baked throughout the day in small quantities so that the goods stay fresh.
Its signature is the Shokupan White Bread – deliciously soft and fluffy that may just transport you to Japan. You would also find the bread used for sandwiches such as the Fluffy Egg Salad Sandwich ($8.50).
Au Croissant
12 Kallang Ave, #01-35, Singapore 339509
Opening Hours: 7:30am – 7:30pm (Mon – Fri), Closed Sat
(Other outlets at The Centrepoint and Waterway Point)
As the name implies, this is a croissant-specialty cafe that somehow has gone under the radar. Other than the main outlet at Aperia Mall (Kallang), you can find it at The Centrepoint basement and Waterway Point.
Do not expect just the conventional Croissant, but with fanciful flavours such as peanut butter, gula melaka, purple sweet potato and yuzu apple. Each is priced at about $4.80.
There are also offerings of Croissant Sandwich, though that didn’t work that well for me due to the discrepancy of the temperatures – the fillings were still slightly cold when served.
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