Opening its door with little fanfare earlier this year is Fine Dining Bakery by Akira .M, a Japanese bakery specialising in handcrafted breads made with flour from Hokkaido. Head baker chef Akira boasts impressive credentials, having worked at Joël Robuchon as well as béni in Singapore.

Particularly popular amongst the Japanese expats, most get their breads for takeaway but the bakery has a small dine-in area if you wish to enjoy their fresh bakes or sandwiches in house.

We started off with a Croissant (S$3.80). Toasted and served warm, the croissant was buttery and flaky but a tad dry. Fine Dining Bakery offers almond croissants, chocolate croissants and even chocolate banana croissants as well.

What really brought us to Fine Dining Bakery was the Fluffy Shokupan Sandwich (S$14.50) which came in a set with a mini salad and soup. The salad of fresh crunchy greens came with cherry tomatoes and rhubarbs for a splash of colour and was finished off with a homemade vinaigrette while the soup of the day was a sweet and creamy carrot soup that was lightly salted – perfect starters for our sandwich.

Now, for the main event. Made with honey and fresh cream, the shokupan slices were so fluffy and chewy we just couldn’t believe it. Between the two slices of shokupan was a generous amount of luscious egg salad that featured hints of spice from mustard, some tanginess from mayonnaise and was seasoned with chives and black pepper.

Not only was this sandwich such a delight to eat, but it was also filling; we can totally imagine coming back here just for it!

207 River Valley Road
#01-59 UE Square
Singapore 238275
Wed to Mon: 10am – 5pm
(Closed on Tuesday)
Nearest Station: Fort Canning

When artisanal bread was introduced to Singapore’s bakery scene, it became clear that not all bread is created equal. The long fermentation process that artisanal bakeries go through allows the dough to develop for more robust flavour and texture which gives rise to remarkable bakes.

Begin visually as you appreciate the bread’s brown hue. Feel its crispiness and breathe the perfume of the bread itself. Only then do you bite into it and take in its balanced texture of crunchy crust and fluffy soft insides. Let its complex flavours gradually develop in your mouth.

To fully experience this, we rounded up 10 specialty bakeries in Singapore if you are in it to get quality loaves and top-notch breads.

Photo Credit: bakerandcooksg

BAKER & COOK

Baker & Cook is a cosy artisanal bakery in the Holland Village neighbourhood for a place to settle into with a good read while sipping on warm cup of coffee. Bakes include cakes, fruit tarts, and bagels of which all are available for takeaway. Regardless, eating them fresh and warm on the spot is the best way to enjoy their flavours.

44 Jalan Merah Saga, #01-56
Chip Bee Gardens
Singapore 278116
Tel: +65 6472 0998
Mon to Thu: 7:30am – 8pm
Fri & Sat: 7:30am – 10pm
Sun: 7:30am – 8pm
Nearest Station: Holland Village

CARPENTER & COOK

Carpenter & Cook in Upper Bukit Timah is a place that exudes vintage vibes as if you stepped back into the 1960s. Their menu includes choices such as Heavenly Croissant, Pain Au Chocolate, a simple Buttery Plain Scone or Fruit ones. You can also enjoy their daily bakes in savoury flavours such as Smoked Salmon and Avocado Croissant and their Bacon Tartines, both of which sound enticing.

19 Lorong Kilat
#01-06 Singapore
Tel: +65 6463 3648
Mon to Sat: 10am – 10pm
Sat: 9am – 10pm
Sun: 9am – 9pm
Nearest Station: King Albert Park

Photo Credit: Choupinette Singapore

CHOUPINETTE

For a taste of France and its idyllic countryside, Choupinette is a charming little French bakery tucked away in a corner along Bukit Timah road near Coronation Plaza. The scent of their bestselling freshly baked croissants and sour dough bread fill the air as you enter. Bag them with some danishes and macarons and stay for lunch because their Eggs Benedict’s are superb.

607 Bukit Timah Road #01-01
Singapore 269708
Tel: +65 6466 0613
Tue to Sat: 7am – 7pm
Sun: 8am – 6pm
(Closed on Mondays)
Nearest Station: Tan Kah Kee

ELEMENTS

Elements Cake is the bakery concept by the Fresh Fruits Lab group and they offer a range of delicious bakes including croissants, Basque Burnt Cheesecake, Strawberry Shortcake and tarts at reasonable prices.

Their latest creation is these assorted flavoured croissants (S$24 for a box of 6). they’ve been such a hit and makes a great gifting idea too! Our favourites are Espresso Lotus and Chocolate Almond. There are also Lychee, Oreo, Boba and Fruit Custard. How not to love?

They offer islandwide delivery and you can place your order on their website.

ENJOUÉ BAKERY

enjoué bakery works with numerous F&B brands including the Black Hole Group, Bayswater Kitchen by Privé, Redtail by Zouk, Burgernomics, and more. The sturdy crusts of their breads are imbued with the natural flavours of fermentation and have a robust mouthfeel. Their bakes include a mean collection of pastries, croissants, cookies and cakes to whet every demanding appetite.

174 Joo Chiat Road,
Singapore 427445
Tel: +65 6440 3028
Tue to Sat: 8.30am – 5pm
Sun: 8.30am – 3pm
(Closed on Mondays)
Nearest Station: Eunos

Photo Credit: maisonkaysersingapore

MAISON KAYSER

Maison Kayser is Eric Kayser’s eponymous bakery chain from France with sweet and savoury bakes and it has been named by Paris’ Figaro newspaper to be the best. Besides their famed croissant, they are good with classic breads, viennoiseries, snacks, sandwiches, soups, and salads. Keeping things exciting are unexpected flavours that they bring to traditional French recipes.

6 Scotts Rd, #B1-25
Singapore 228209
Tel: +65 6636 3672
Daily: 8:30am – 9pm
Nearest Station: Somerset

MOTHER DOUGH

Mother Dough was an active pop-up selling Halal artisanal bakes but has now settled in Bugis so you can get their pains au chocolat straight from their store. Their name takes inspiration from the fermentation starter used to make bread and they source flour from environmentally friendly grain millers. Their baked goodies include their crusty sourdough baguettes and warm buttery sourdough croissant.

749 North Bridge Rd, #01-01
Singapore 198717
Tel: +65 6909 6604
Tue & Thu to Sat: 12pm – 7pm
Sun: 11am – 5pm
(Closed on Monday & Wednesday)
Nearest Station: Bugis/ Jalan Besar

PAUL

The largest bakery chain from France, PAUL, began doling out fresh loaves in 1889 and now has a presence in over 33 countries. Besides their must-try croissant, they have a variety of country-style and fancy breads, pre-made sandwiches, flaky pastries, and desserts that succeed because of their respect for tradition. For us, their eclairs and palmier, in particular, are to die for.

PAUL Takashimaya
391 Orchard Road, #03-16/16A/17
Ngee Ann City
Singapore 238872
Tel: +65 6836 5932
Mon to Thu: 9:30am – 9:30pm
Fri: 9:30am – 10:30pm
Sat: 9am – 10:30pm
Sun: 9am – 9:30pm
Nearest Station: Somerset

THE PROVIDORE

The Providore at Raffles Place is the perfect solution for the downtown crowd be it for dine-in lunches, after work bites, or office-friendly pickup meals. From their menu, choice of breads include sourdoughs, bagels, baguettes. They offer Danish pastries, pain au chocolat, almond croissants, and fruit scones too as well as a flourless chocolate cake that is served with vanilla gelato.

7 Raffles Place
Singapore 048625
Tel: +65 6533 1352
Mon to Sat: 8am – 10pm
Sun: 9am – 6pm
Nearest Station: Raffles Place

THE BREAD RACK

The Bread Rack is an artisan bakery cafe near Serangoon and Kovan which specialises in freshly-baked sourdough, croissants and baguette.

It opened earlier in January 2021 and it has already garnered a following amongst residents in the neighbourhood for its delicious croissants and pastries. They bake everything on premise daily and you can be assured of the freshness of their bakes.

The Bread Rack
9 Yio Chu Kang Rd
#01-55, Space@Kovan 545523
Tel: +65 8875 5407

TIONG BAHRU BAKERY

Tiong Bahru Bakery an iconic bakery for French pastries. Their kouign amann—which is a buttery pastry or cake—as well chocolate croissants are what are wildly popular on their menu and have been dubbed as one of the bests in Singapore. There is also a dine-in area at TBB outlets where you can relax with a gourmet sandwich and a coffee.

56 Eng Hoon St, #01-70
Singapore 160056
Tel: +65 6220 3430
Daily: 8am – 8pm
Nearest Station: Tiong Bahru

The popular artisanal bakery and patisserie Lavender from Johor Bahru is finally crossing over the causeway to set up shop on our sunny little island. The opening is slated to be 17 April 2019 at Jewel Changi Airport.

Founded way back in 2000, they have come a long way since then and have expanded from a humble bakery to a cafe, bistro and restaurant business. They will be opening up just a bakery here in Singapore for the time being.

Lavender is well-known for its desserts and cakes that are made from Japanese and French pastry making techniques. The result is premium quality confectioneries that are an absolute treat to the senses.

The food here is a fusion between modern European, French, Italian and Japanese cuisines so you can expect to sink your teeth into a number of unique creations that you won’t be able to find anywhere else. They also have a pretty extensive array of drinks to go along with your pastries and cakes.

So, get ready to indulge yourselves in some really high-quality desserts and pastries!

Lavender Bakery Singapore

78 Airport Boulevard
Jewel Changi Airport
Singapore 819666
Nearest Station: Changi Airport

Read: Jewel Changi Airport Food Directory – 111 restaurants, cafes and eateries to dine at.

When it comes to artisanal bread and pastries baked fresh, very few do it better than the good folks over at Enjoué Bakery. Specialising in a vast array of quality European-style artisanal bread, pastries and cakes, each and every one of this humble bakery’s authentic bakes come with sturdy crusts imbued with the natural flavours of fermentation and a robust mouthfeel that is quite unlike any other.

All their products are hand-made, freshly-baked daily and free from any preservatives and other unnatural ingredients. In essence, what you are likely to get is real-deal, healthy loaves that boast spectacular flavour profiles and textures—something you probably will not be able to find at commercial bread shops.

Artisanal bread is all-natural and do not come laden with preservative, additives and chemicals—not to mention they taste so much better. It may take a bit of getting used to, but the pros of switching over to artisanal bread truly outweigh the cons, and Enjoué Bakery is perhaps one of the few in sunny Singapore that guarantees superior quality, wholesome loaves that come with the promise of unbeatable flavour.

Enjoué Bakery is having a special promotion of S$1 butter croissant (limited to 3 pieces per customer, daily) from now until 8 August 2018.

THE ORIGINAL ENJOUÉ BAKERY

Mention the name Enjoué and you’d probably get eye rolls and cynical remarks. But here’s the thing—Enjoué Bakery is the original Enjoué, but in recent times, it has been misrepresented and more often than not misunderstood for being the infamous cakes and dessert table company.

That Enjoué is now operating and known as Euphorique Bakery, but there is still a confusion between the two. The distinguishment is simple: Enjoué Bakery is a properly registered company with a proper shopfront, and they specialise in quality European artisanal bakes; while Euphorique Bakery is… Euphorique Bakery.

The latter leaves much to be desired with their endless scandals and sagas. We’ll leave you to decide if Euphorique Bakery is worth the time, but for us, we’d very much prefer to stick to the original Enjoué Bakery who is, by no means, affiliated to Euphorique at all.

BREAD THAT’S ALL-NATURAL

Enjoué Bakery works with numerous high-end restaurants and F&B brands across the country with notable names including the likes of Black Hole Group—the ones behind Working Title, The Mad Sailors, The Great Mischief & Santap—Bayswater Kitchen by Privé, Redtail by Zouk,  Burgernomics and more.

The secret behind their bakes lies in organic flour and their starter dough, which for the uninitiated, is what many bakers rely on to make incredible naturally leavened bread. It is a fermented substance that consists of flour, water, salt and a lot of patience and is what’s responsible for kickstarting the fermentation process necessary for preparing tasty bread.

No preservatives, unnatural ingredients, or artificial enhancers and food colourings are used in any of their bakery offerings. Granted that the average shelf life of their products is shortened without preservatives, what you can expect is a much healthier (and tastier) option to regular store-bought bread.

You can look forward to classic breads including rye, pain aux céréales, Flaxseed Rye as well as gluten-free breads which are diabetic friendly and low in GI.

Enjoué Bakery prides themselves with using their own house-cultivated starter dough that has been with them for several years now.

Bread made from natural sourdough starter has a distinctive aroma and subtle sour tinge at the end of the palate. The result of using a start dough instead of conventional yeast? A much chewier, crustier and more flavourful loaf—perfect as a meal-time accompaniment or even as a snack on its own.

Besides artisanal sourdough and rye bread, they also specialise in a wide array of sweet buns. We particularly like their Apple Cinnamon Brioche that boasts a sugary glazed apple atop a sweet, buttery brioche.

ARTISANAL TARTS & CAKES

A great accompaniment to an afternoon tea or coffee and an irresistible treat for those with a sweet tooth, Enjoué’s range of sweet bakes are sure to delight the palate as well.

From luscious tarts to decadent cakes, their premium flavours are highly profiled and guaranteed to hit the right spot. Who needs a fancy patisserie when you can get just as indulgent a treat from this humble bakery?

HOME-MADE GOURMET SANDWICHES

A sandwich is only as good as the bread that holds everything together, which makes us all the more thankful that Enjoué Bakery also makes their own sandwiches. Perfect as a quick and hassle-free meal on-the-go, their gourmet sandwiches come packed with quality meat fillings and an abundance of fresh greens.

These gourmet sandwiches are available in Cold Storage at One-North (1 Fusionpolis Way #B2-03 Cold Storage @ One-North). Other than the gourmet sandwiches, the One-North outlet also has a selection of breads and viennoiseries.

VIENNOISERIES TO-DIE-FOR

For the love of all things flaky, buttery and golden, there are few things in the spectrum of artisanal bakes that can beat a good viennoiserie pastry. From the puff pastry itself that requires the careful manipulation of technique and time by a master baker to the filling that can neither be too profoundly flavoured nor excessively added, the work that goes into making just one is painstaking.

Their viennoiserie pastries are all hand rolled daily, using only French sheet butter which has a higher butter content, resulting in a unique flakiness, and just like all their bakery offerings, no preservatives, unnatural ingredients, or artificial food colourings are used.

Enjoué undoubtedly takes the cake (or in this case, bake) when it comes to croissants. Buttery and crunchy with a lovely hint of sweetness, these bad boys are a surefire way to put you in the right mood in the morning.

Their croissants are made of a layered leavened dough they repeatedly layer with butter. The dough is then rolled, folded and rested several times until a multi-layered structure of dough and butter is formed—a tedious process nonetheless, but one that yields superb results.

Light, airy, flaky and buttery all at the same, there are only so many places we know of that execute the humble croissant just right.

Enjoué Bakery
29 International Business Park Road #01-2a&2b
ACER Building, 609923
Tel: +65 9191 6145
Mon to Thu: 9am – 2am
Nearest Station: Singapore Expo

This post is brought to you by Enjoué Bakery.