Nick Vina Artisan Bakery

One of the perks of working in the CBD is the many delicious lunch options within walking distance. So when I was meeting a friend for lunch the other day I had no hesitation to accommodate her by going somewhere near her workplace at Tanjong Pagar.
With only one hour's time, we went into the Icon Village and found Nick Vina Artisan Bakery at a hidden corner of the shopping mall. Although the lunch promotion had finished 15 minutes before our arrival, the staff very kindly let us order the lunch set. 

A simple lunch set of picnic ham sandwich, brownie and fruit juice

The bread is definitely a winner. After being re-heated in the toaster oven, the crust was crispy and crumbly. The inside was fluffy, with the aroma of wheat. The ham, however, was no better than the luncheon ham sold at any supermarket. It was thankfully rescued by a dressing of mustard and apple chutney, which added both sweetness and acidity to the otherwise bland filling of ham and lettuce.
A meal always ends better with a nice dessert and lunch is no different. Their brownie was firm but moist and the top was slightly crumbly. The richness of the chocolate was occasionally interrupted by the generous amount of crunchy walnut. Its small serving was just enough to be satisfying without giving you the sense of guilt.

I could not help myself but selected something from their small range of artisan bread. I bought their mini walnut and was impressed by the aroma and the flavour of the sourdough. Chopped pieces of walnuts and black sesame seeds were scattered evenly in the small bun. It made a delicious breakfast even in the following day. 

Despite the high quality of the bread, the price are very affordable. The lunch set cost only SGD$5 and their pastry and bread ranged from $1-$5. If Nick Vina was any closer to my home I'm sure I would be a frequent customer there!

Nick Vina Artisan Bakery

#01-54/55 Icon Village

12 Gopeng Street

Paul

Since the opening of Paul's Singaporean outlet at Takashimaya, the only item I have tried from them was take-away croissant, which was not nearly enough to satisfy my craving for decent French pastry. 

I wanted to treat myself to a nice breakfast and it was a no-brainer-decision to go to Paul. They have closed off the main dining area so I got a table by the inside the mall. Otherwise it would have been nice to sit by the window with a view of Orchard Road. 

Several breakfast sets were available on the menu, most consisting of French bread or a croissant and a hot drink of your choice, with an option of an additional juice. (And I have to say that having both a cold and a hot drink in the same morning meal is a very French thing.) Waffles, pancakes and full breakfast sets with eggs were also on the menu. Not wishing for anything too heavy, I ordered a Petit Déjeuner Parisien.

My café au lait was smooth and milky. The mellow coffee is nice when you do not feel like something too strong for breakfast. 

Included in the breakfast set was half a loaf of flûte. Although it did not look much to start with, it was actually quite filling! The freshly toasted bread had a golden brown thin crust and a soft and fluffy interior. Topped with the creamy butter and apricot jam, it made a delicious breakfast.

I also brought home a loaf of pain complet. The wholemeal, sourdough bread was aromatic, dense and flavourful. Air bubbles randomly scattered throughout the loaf, giving it a spongy and coarse texture. I made sandwiches with it for lunch and it had kept well for the next few days.

After enjoying the delicious bread from Paul, it will be impossible to go back to having supermarket bread!

PAUL
#03-16/17, Takashimaya Shopping Centre
391 Orchard Road

Tiong Bahru Bakery

After a dissatisfying dinner at NamNam Noodle Bar, I was in need of some nice and fulfilling desserts. Walking past Tiong Bahru Bakery at the corner of the basement of the Raffles Shopping Centre, I had my attention captured by their wonderful display of sandwiches, bread and pastries. Unable to resist the temptation, we sat down for some desserts.

Lemon Calamansi Tart was recommended by their staff as a best seller. The buttery pasty was filled with lemon custard, topped with a piece of white chocolate and some meringue sticks. The tangy lemon curd was smooth and gooey and had the right balance between sweet and sour. The tart, however, did not have enough crunch and could have done with a bit more time in the oven.

My love affairs with crumble started when I was in boarding school and it is definitely one of my favourite sweet treats. They had both apple and berry crumble and I chose the latter. To make it possible for takeaway, they had put the berry mixture on a layer of pastry, which was so buttery that it had overpowered the rest of the dessert. There was not enough fruits in the berry sauce and the crumble on the top was not crunchy enough. Overall the pastry tasted too heavy and needed more freshness from the berries. It would probably have tasted better if served warm rather than room temperature.

With a menu including coffee, sandwiches and soups, Tiong Bahru Bakery is more of a café than a bakery. Seating is very comfortably spaced with very cute pencil-legged tables that you can see in the picture above. Even though their desserts were not the best I'd still like to return to try the coffee and danishes.

Tiong Bahru Bakery
#B1-11/12, 252 North Bridge Road
Raffles City Shopping Centre