Tiong Bahru Bakery Revisited @ Raffles City

9am seems to be the hour for Sunday brunch goers, at least for this outlet there was a steady stream of people gathering at 845am in anticipation of its opening. It could be the overhype that put me off visiting Tiong Bahru Bakery at Tiong Bahru and subsequently being less than excited about the Raffles City outlet because of the lacklustre display the last visit. I was close to waving off the crowd as a result of being the only other brunch place open at 9am apart from Cedele.



Rows of freshly baked goodies.



Take your pick of beverage off the wall!

Some of their recommended eats.



Flavours of bread available.



Water bottles are available for refill.

Croissant ($2.80)

Fresh off the oven certainly proved why this was the “best” croissant as reviewed by Sunday Life! And several other instagramers. Yes, yes, yes…I concur…only after Jones The Grocer.



For sure the design was slightly different from the horn shaped pastry that I have been eating all my life. Slightly gummy in the middle with a burst of buttery fragrance.



Pairing with their jams, I was in brunch heaven. It is that simple to be over the moon about a simpleton like a croissant but the few who get it so right…remain so few.

Olive Bread ($3.50)

Rock hard and dense, generous olives fill the bread and made a hearty start for breakfast.

Black Pesto Bun ($8.50)

Squid ink bun is the other black twin of their baked repertoire which includes squid ink baguette. I never quite got the whole fanfare about squid ink which works as a dye and pretty much that. I could blame my tastebuds for not being sensitive enough but it hardly flavoured the bread. Much like a soft bun, I was more fixated with the smoked salmon and iberico ham used together – savoury goodness!

Croque Monsieur ($9.50)

Even after microwaving, this cheesy treat refused to melt beyond being a warm treat. No melted cheese threads, what remained were stubborn cheese crusts. One can hardly go wrong with ham, cheese and bread. I figure Paul trumped here.

Chocolate Mendiant ($6.50)

Chocolate lovers rejoice! Smooth chocolate mousse on top a financier. I found this rich and absolutely delicious.

Lemon Tart ($6)

This came with curd or lemon rinds. The latter seemed like one made with a financier base like the chocolate mendiant. I love the zesty curd which worked wonders in waking the tastebuds.



Lemon Zest Tart ($6)

This was the other lemon tart available - the sweeter cousin I call it with a sponge base, almost like a financier. Not too huge a fan, I'm definitely sticking with the curd!

Pandan Flan ($6)

Ranked tops with Lemon Tart as best seller. I probably was sold at “pandan” rather than “flan” and given the portion, this was far more worth it than their lemon tart. It smelt better than it looked though – the waft of pandan fragrance that greets the nostrils was incredible, infact what I would expect from pandan chiffon cake. Yet the thick custard and flaky pastry was hardly wonderful. Good things come in small packages, and not so good in large.

Kouign Aman ($3.50)

Sugared buttery pastry that could have been better served warm.



Almond Croissant ($3.50)



Loved the old fashioned icing sugar dusting on the almond flakes encrusted pastry. For some reason I was searching for a squirt of custard somewhere but I must have been mistaken that there was custard filling! A nice sweet treat. 



Tea Cake Slice ($2.50)

Slightly disappointed with this coarse textured cake studded with raspberries.

Piccolo Latte ($5)

Pretty good coffee, the first taste of 40hands and I’m sold already.

I say their baked stuff actually tastes better in the day than at night which baffles me hugely.

Tiong Bahru Bakery

Raffles City