The quieter sister of Keong Saik Road, Bukit Pasoh Road deserves equal credit for being a foodie’s lane. Lined with hip bars and charming cafes, this preserved street has won our hearts over with its laidback, rustic aura.

And, if you haven’t heard, this stretch has received another addition to its family of establishments.

Meet Bakery’s Bench Bakery — a new artisanal neighbourhood bakery that churns out stellar bakes and gourmet sandwiches. From cranberry scones to croque monsieur, they’ve got everything you need for a dignified brunch. Caffeine junkies, not to worry, they also have a respectable selection of coffee brews and tea beverages.

Their interior brags of elegant Scandinavian vibes, replete with muted greens and lush plants. The granite floor and walls lend a subdued industrial touch to the whole space.

We especially adore the aesthetic of the main counter, which sees dangling lamps and hanging pastries.

The server shared that all their bread and croissant pastries are made with a sourdough base, which endows them with a tarter, deeper flavour.

Starting off with the Savory Swirl (S$4.50), this spiral danish pastry is stuffed with pesto and sprinkled with parmesan cheese. While the pastry itself was gorgeously flaky, it could have used more pesto filling and cheese.

One of their signature pastries is The Sticky Bun (S$5), a cinnamon bun glazed with caramel and toasted pecans. Resembling a gooey caramelised block of gold, it set our expectations pretty high for how it was going to taste.

And, trust us, it was every bit as good as it looked. The dough itself was fluffy with a soft, buttery chewiness. And when accompanied with the sticky caramel and crunchy pecans, it made for a dreamy indulgence.

We also tried the Hazelnut Twice-Baked Croissant (S$5.50). Speckled with hazelnut bits and icing sugar, the croissant had a deliciously crisp exterior.

However, we wished they were more generous with the hazelnut-infused frangipane filling, which was merely concentrated in the middle. Also, they could work on the overall flakiness of the croissant, which was slightly lacking.

Although Baker’s Bench Bakery’s pastries aren’t out-of-this-world amazing, they speak of incredible thoughtfulness and soul. We can’t get enough of their alluring atmosphere and warm service.

We can see this place getting really packed soon, so you might want to head there soon before this place gets big.

6 Bukit Pasoh Rd
Singapore 089820
Wed – Mon: 8.30am – 5pm
Nearest Station: Outram Park

If you’re in the mood for some freshly-baked buttery, crisp croissants and pastries, you’re in luck because we’ve found a bakery nestled in Joo Chiat that serves just that.

Established in August 2019, Petit Pain specialises in bread and pastries such as croissants, danishes and escargot rolls. Check out what we had from this cosy bakery and our thoughts on their bakes!

The humble bakery has a simple display counter with all their freshly-baked goods lined up neatly behind a glass case. Stepping into the space, the immediate smell of butter and bread tantalized our tastebuds, enticing us toward the golden-brown goodies.

If you’d like to have your pastries at the store, they do have a few tables and chairs to sit and relax while you munch!

We first tried their Classic Croissant. This seemingly-simple pastry was definitely the highlight of our trip down. Taking a painstaking 3 days to make, this croissant is certainly a labour of love we enjoyed to the fullest.

We loved how the pastry had a slight saltiness from the sea salt added to it. It was certainly one of the best croissants we have ever tried in Singapore.

We also had the Orange Chocolate Escargot, a flaky twist of puff pastry chocked full of Orange Confit and Dark Chocolate. Orange and chocolate are a classic pairing and it could not have been emphasized better than in such a decadent pastry.

It’s really nice that we don’t have to simply dream about heading to Paris for some really good pastries and croissants when there are such amazing options available at home!

Petit Pain
315 Joo Chiat Road
Singapore 427566
Tue to Fri: 11am – 7pm
Sat & Sun: 10am – 7pm
(Closed on Mondays)
Nearest Station: Dakota

Lee’s Confectionery, the newest gem in the West of Singapore, is tucked away in a quiet neighbourhood of Jurong East. Near the entrance of an HDB carpark, it’s a sight that would intrigue many. Its glass walls display a stark white interior that plays up its minimalist decor as well as a glass display filled with an assortment of gorgeous haute pastries.

Lee’s Confectionery is not just a pretty rarity in the West of Singapore. It’s an exhibition of passion and a work of heart and soul, fuelled with a sense of nostalgia.

Stepping past the doors of Lee’s Confectionery, you’ll see a young man hunched behind the counter constructing pastries like a sculptor. Lee Yin Quan has been running a one-man show here since he opened the classy café last December and he sells elegant patisseries that are made to order.

Instead of trays of the day’s bakes, Lee’s Confectionery has a long glass case of seven exquisitely designed pastries on display. They not only add to the aesthetic look of uncluttered and clean simplicity but are also a testament to Lee’s attention to quality.

His insistence on making each piece upon order is to ensure that the original texture of each pastry isn’t lost to sitting in its moisture and to keep it from the subtle staleness from baking in batches.

Jiao (S$8), named after the Chinese translation of banana, is a very experiential dessert. A thin film of white chocolate was sprayed on, making a shell that cracks with a crisp as your teeth sink into a moist and fluffy banana sponge cake.

Jiao is injected with banana compote and creamy mascarpone. As Lee confirmed, it’s essentially like a traditional banana cake upgraded to haute pastry. The sponge was light and mildly flavoured. Slices of banana were sprinkled with caramelised brown sugar but the overall sweetness of Jiao was balanced by its tart compote and its base of cinnamon oat crumble.

Tart (S$8) was the best part of our trip. The base of its crisp tart shell was lined with almonds and layered with cream that had a citrus flavour without any artificial taste. Its tanginess, nuttiness, and baked cookie flavour was a very pleasant combination.

Lee’s attempt at finding kaya another partner other than toast is Puff (S$7) which is earl grey-infused kaya clasped between pastry puffs. Kaya is cooked with earl grey leaves to create a spread that has the fragrance of earl grey but with the essence of coconut and pandan of kaya. Take in its generous centre—thick, sweet, and very smooth—together with the hint of bitterness of flaky feuilletines that have a sugary glaze and crispy croissant-like crunch. 

The current selection also includes Beri (S$8) which is Lee’s favourite but, as he sighs while saying, also the most complicated to create. It’s a chou filled with tea-infused cream cheese and mascarpone then topped with a shortbread cookie and strawberry jam-filled dome.

The owner Lee Yin Quan spent two years in Paris learning under the award-winning chef patissier Nina Métayer in the two Michelin starred-Restaurant Jean-François Piège, and famed chef patissier François Perret in Ritz Paris. He returned to reunite with family and embarked on this first solo venture in the heartlands of the West to give back to where he grew up in.

Lee’s Confectionery
343 Jurong East Street 31, #01-59
Singapore 600343
Tel: +65 9183 8447
Wed to Mon: 12pm – 10pm
Sat & Sun: 11am – 10pm
(Closed on Tuesdays)
Nearest Station: Chinese Garden