Breads from Maison Kayser

Seems like hubby’s tastebuds are becoming more gourmet. Without giving him any background on these artisan breads, I asked him, “Nice or not?”

His reply, “Very nice! These breads taste very different. Where did you buy them?”

Answer: The new French boulangerie Maison Kayser from Paris at Scotts Square. The Singapore branch is opened by Shu Kimura, who runs Maison Kayser’s outlets in Japan.

Prices of Maison Kayser’s artisanal breads are definitely on the upscale side. Just these 4 breads alone cost S$11.20! But judging by the crowds at Maison Kayser’s modest-sized bakery cafe, it seems that Singaporeans are willing to pay for good bread.

A breakdown of the above items and prices:

1. Petit raisin Danish – $1.70
2. Chocolate croissant – $2.80
3. Walnut bread – $3.40
4. Yuzu bread – 3.30

The croissants were good. The exterior was very crisp and light, while the innards were buttery and flaky.

But much more interesting texture-wise were the walnut and yuzu loaves. The founder of Maison Kayser — Eric Kayser — is famous for his natural fermentation method. The rustic-style loaves had slightly crisp crust with soft, chewy insides. The dough had exceptional complexity and depth.

Like hubby said, Maison Kayer’s breads taste very different. They have that brilliant quality that’s full of character.

Maison Kayser
6 Scotts Road
#B1-09 Scotts Square
Singapore 228209
Tel: +65 6636 3672
URL: www.maison-kayser.com

Open daily: 8am to 10pm

Steamed buns

Outside Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao at level 2 of Great World City is a kiosk selling Crystal Jade dimsum. I bought these buns there after brunch on Sunday.

BBQ Pork with Preserved Beancurd Sauce Roll 南乳烧腩卷, S$1.50

This kong bak bao 扣肉包 (soy-sauce braised pork belly bun) look-alike is rather hefty. I thought it would be very tasty, but the flavor of the pork belly was surprisingly muted. It tasted nothing like kong bak bao.

Sandwiched together with the meat was a slice of steamed yam. The entire bun was rather dry.

Cream Custard with Salted Egg Yolk Bun 流沙包, S$1.20

I have very fond memories of this item at Crystal Jade Dining IN. This takeaway version is about double the size of the dainty ones served in the restaurant.

Because of its bigger size, the dough skin was a lot thicker. The dough-to-custard ratio was also higher (meaning: less custard = not as satisfying). Also, it seems that the salted egg yolk custard here was grittier and not as smooth.

Don’t think I’ll be buying these takeaway buns again. The pork bun is too plain for our liking, whereas the custard bun is better enjoyed in its mini version at the restaurant.

Butter rolls with ham & tomato

Ham and tomato — a classic pairing that never fails to satisfy.

This morning’s homemade breakfast was quick and easy to assemble, and very satisfying to eat!

1. Split butter roll (from Four Leaves Bakery).
2. Spread interior with butter.
3. Stuff with sliced tomato and shaved honey cured ham.

These mini ham & tomato rolls are also great for a packed lunch or picnic!

Big Breakfast Set, S$18.40++

If you’re looking for another place to add on to your list of all-day breakfast, here’s one. This was our brunch on a late Sunday morning.

We opted for poached instead of scrambled eggs for a healthier option. With tender whites and lava yolks, the poached eggs were flawless.

Sausages, bacon rashers, mushrooms, white sesame toast, and salad leaves made up the rest of this plate. Nicely executed but nothing terribly exciting. The sausages were pretty bland.

Cedele’s Big Breakfast Set comes with a choice of coffee or tea.

Caramelized Banana Pancakes, S$12.90++

What really got us going ooh and ahh was the caramelized banana pancakes. Sweet, melty bananas embedded in soft, moist, and fluffy pancakes — hubby and I agreed that this is definitely something worth returning for!

Cedele by the Bakery Depot (Great World City)
1 Kim Seng Promenade
#01-01/02 Great World City
Singapore 237994
Tel: +65 6836 1427
URL: www.cedeledepot.com

Opening hours:
Mon – Thurs: 9.00am to 10.00pm
Fri: 9.00am to 10.30pm
Sat & Eve of Public Holidays: 8.00am to 10.30pm
Sun/Public Holidays: 8.00am to 10.00pm

Hokkaido red bean loaf, S$3.60

No, we’re not having their signature kare-pan (curry bun) today. Decided to try out something different from Pullman Bakery this time.

At first glance, hubby thought that this was a raisin loaf. But no, those red specks are sweetened whole adzuki beans.

The buttery bread is rather sweet, so we simply ate it on its own without any spreads. As for the crumb, it’s so fine and airy that the texture feels more cake-like rather than bread-like.

Quite nice, but this loaf is a little too sweet and cake-like for me. Hubby seemed to enjoy this more than I did!

Pullman Bakery
9 Raffles Boulevard
#01-97/98, Millenia Walk
Singapore 039596
Tel: +65 6337 3575

Mon to Fri: 7.30am – 9.30pm
Sat, Sun, public holidays: 8.30am – 9.30pm

Yup, CBTL’s breakfast sets are available all-day, and include coffee, tea, or iced tea with free refills till 11am daily. We usually stick to the Brek ‘O’ Day (chicken chipolata sausages, scrambled eggs, salad, and toast with butter and jam). But they were out of sausages that day, so we were forced out of our comfort zone to try other items.

Salmon Scramble, S$8.90

Hubby ordered the Salmon Scramble – scrambled eggs with smoked salmon on toast. I didn’t try it cos I was busy feeding the baby.

Egg Club Sandwich, S$8.90

If you’re feeling ravenous, the Egg Club Sandwich is guaranteed to fill you up! It’s a hearty assembly of toasted ciabatta with two poached eggs, ham, and melted cheese, accompanied with salad.

Poached egg, ham and cheese on toasted ciabatta

The ciabatta was nicely airy and lightly crisp on the exterior. The sandwich was rather salty from the ham and generous amount of cheese. Thankfully, the salad was there to serve as a palate cleanser.

By the way, I always look forward to the side salad. Although it’s an unassuming combo of Romaine lettuce, cherry tomato, dried cranberries and toasted almond flakes tossed in a light lemon juice and oil dressing, it’s really likeable!

After eating half the sandwich, I was already feeling full. The Egg Club Sandwich is probably filling enough to be shared by two light eaters.

There are also other popular breakfast items like pancakes, eggs benedict, and oatmeal. Click on the thumbnail to see the full breakfast menu.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (Resorts World Sentosa)
26 Sentosa Gateway
#01-202 Resorts World Sentosa (The Forum, Level 1)
Singapore 098138
URL: www.coffeebean.com.sg

Sun – Thurs, PH: 8am to 12am
Fri, Sat & eve of PH: 8am to 2am

The images in this post were shot with Sony NEX-C3 with SEL1855 lens (on loan from Sony Singapore).

Freshly baked buns!

Last week, hubby bought me a bread making machine. A smart investment on his part, since he’s the main beneficiary of said purchase!

Anyway, I’ve longed toyed with the idea of getting one. The primary push factor is due to health reasons. Did you know that commercially-produced bread contains a fair amount of preservatives and additives? Since we consume bread on a near daily basis, I was concerned about the long-term effects that these additives would do to our bodies.

It might not necessarily be more economical to bake our own bread, but at least we know what exactly goes into it!

Sugar & cheddar cheese-topped buns

Having a bread machine makes life easier for the amateur home baker. For my first 2 attempts, I let the bread machine do all the work. Just measure the ingredients into the pan, and the machine mixes, kneads, proofs, and bakes the loaf.

Chicken viennese rolls

But for fancy shapes or individual buns, we still need a conventional oven.

First, place the ingredients in the bread machine, and select the Dough setting — the machine will mix, knead, and proof the dough. After that, remove the proven dough from the machine. Shape the dough into desired shapes and add toppings if desired. Place on a baking tray and let proof a second time before baking in the oven.

Cross-sectioned cheese bun

As this is only my 4th attempt at bread making, I’ve still a long way to go. Definitely need to improve on the appearance of these crude-looking buns! But I was quite happy with the texture of the bread — it was airy and quite moist.

Oh, and nothing beats the aroma of freshly baked bread wafting through the home!

From left: Loh mai gai (S$1.50) & siew mai (S$0.70)

There’s something rather nostalgic about this kind of loh mai gai (steamed glutinous rice with chicken / 糯米鸡) in takeaway tin-foil bowls. I remember having this quite often at recess time during my secondary school days. Those days, it cost only S$0.70 at my school canteen!

Of course, this style of loh mai gai isn’t as fancy or refined as the lotus leaf-wrapped variety that’s served in dim sum restaurants, but it’ll suffice for an easy home breakfast. Just pop it in the steamer for 10 minutes (in the meantime, you can go brush your teeth/wash your face/shave), and a hot brekkie is ready!

Teck Kee‘s version is sufficiently tasty. Besides chicken, there’s also a slice of char siew. The siew mai isn’t half bad as well. But they really need to do something about that watery, diluted chilli sauce.

Click here for Teck Kee Tanglin Pau’s locations.

Western Breakfast Set, S$13.50 nett

Now that the food court has ceased operation, the next most pocket-friendly F&B outlet in Botanic Gardens is Casa Verde. It’s also the only place that serves early breakfast (7.30am to 11am daily). The breakfast menu consists of Western fare such as English breakfast, French toast, waffles, as well as local dishes like chicken congee and mee siam.

Bread basket - part of Western breakfast set

Hubby ordered the Western Breakfast Set — fried/scrambled eggs, chicken sausages, bacon, grilled tomato, hash brown, mini croissant, 2 slices of toast served with butter & jam, fresh fruit/orange juice, and coffee/tea.

The food was competently executed but predictable. In fact, hubby commented that the food wasn’t piping hot enough.

But the Western Breakfast Set was definitely very filling, and we thought, rather value-for-money. In fact, it’s probably hearty enough to share between two light eaters.

Colazione Della Mamma, S$12.50 nett

“Colazione della mamma” means “mom’s breakfast” in Italian. In this case, it was Italian sausage frittata, toast, and coffee/tea.

Frittata = Italian omelette

Regretted my choice of frittata aka baked omelette. It was overcooked, which resulted in rubbery and dense texture. Taste-wise, it was rather bland too. Definitely not worth the $$.

Casa Verde = "green house" in Italian

While the food was just average, its pleasant surroundings more than made up for it.

Al fresco dining area

Most diners prefer to chill out in the patio, where one can enjoy lush greenery and gushing sounds of nearby mini fountains and waterfall.

Super adorable West Highland white terriers!

Being a child-friendly and pet-friendly joint means that this is a very popular destination for families. There’s a kid’s menu for little tikes, and water bowls are available for furry paws!

Casa Verde
1 Cluny Road, Singapore Botanic Gardens
(Casa Verde is located next to Visitor Centre)
Singapore 259569
Tel: +65 6467 7326
URL: www.lesamis.com.sg

Open daily: 7.30am to 11pm (last order at 9.30pm)
Breakfast hours – 7.30am to 11am
All-day dining – 11am to 6pm
Dinner – 6pm onwards

Sausage McMuffin with Egg breakfast set (S$4.00 during McValue Breakfast hours)

Hubby took a day off to trek the KTM railway track, starting from Bukit Timah Railway Station all the way to Tanjong Pagar Railway Station. The total distance covered was 10 km!

I didn’t tag along (no way was I going to walk 10 km!), but accompanied him for breakfast at King Albert Park’s McDonald’s outlet before he started his adventure.

On weekdays (Mon to Fri, excluding public holidays) from 6am to 9am, McD’s breakfast set meals are on average about S$2.00 off the usual price. Prices start from S$4.00.

Not sure when this McValue Breakfast promo will end, as I couldn’t find any info on McDonald’s Singapore website. It’ll be nice if they could extend this promo to weekends as well.