Top 7 Traditional Pastry Stores In Singapore

Legacy
13 Mar 2024
9 months ago
SilverStreak Editorial Team

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The traditional pastry stores we grew up with are chock-full of nostalgic biscuits and sweets. For a while, it seemed that the gem biscuits and putu piring were lost in time. But, fortunately, they have made a resurgence in recent years and are readily available around the island.

Next to our sense of smell, the texture and taste of food serves as a powerful tool to transport you back in time. Unlocking your own “Proustian moment” (based on Marcel Proust’s novel Remembrance of Things Past, where he wrote about a man biting into a madeleine and being transported on a journey through a memory) is a delicious way to reconnect with past moments of delight.

Despite warnings about consuming too much sugar, sweets have been key to celebrations in every community.

Some of these pastry stores have lived alongside us through our adulthood and even teenage years. A testimony to the constant evolution of sweets’ preference, these stores have innovated, whilst staying true to certain traditional, old-school, methods and ingredients, so the taste would hit — as close as it can — to home.

Relive the days of playgrounds, homeworks, school backpacks and worry-free lives through the fare at these classic pastry stores.

Traditional Pastry Stores

1. Sze Thye Cake Shop

From the gem biscuits with their drops of sweet icing to powdery, crunchy peanut candies and crumbly bite-sized cakes, Sze Thye Cake Shop is a delight to wander about in, in search of nostalgic snacks.

It is one of the few traditional pastry stores in Singapore able to produce Teochew-style sugar lions and pagodas. With cakes fresh out of the oven every day, Sze Thye Cake Shop’s charm is truly irresistible.

Sze Thye Cake Shop
Location: 2 Beach Road, Singapore 190002
Opening Hours: Daily, 9am - 7pm
Tel: +65 9658 1286
Website: NA

2. Lek Lim Nonya Cake

With a 50-year legacy, Lek Lim Nonya Cake is one of the only traditional pastry stores in Singapore with a halal certification.

Specialising in ang ku kueh and soon kueh, the shop has mastered the perfect balance of chewy kueh skin and fragrant peanut filling.

Frequently innovating with food, the store is also known for its 10-layer kueh lapis (as opposed to 9).

Lek Lim Nonya Cake
Location: 84 Bedok North Street 4, Singapore 460084
Opening Hours: Tue - Sat, 6am - 5pm; Sun, 6am - 2pm
Tel: +65 6449 0815
Website: https://kuehkueh.com.sg/

3. Traditional Haig Road Putu Piring

Starring in Netflix’s Street Food Asia, Traditional Haig Road Putu Piring was opened in 1985. From a roadside stall in the 1930s to a popular franchise, the putu piring recipe has been passed down four generations to Nooraisha Hashim, the current owner.

Beyond their obvious signature dish – with durian, brown coconut and even red velvet flavour variations – the flagship store offers other Malay specialties such as keropok and rojak.

Traditional Haig Road Putu Piring
Location: 970 Geylang Road, Singapore 423492
Opening Hours: Daily, 10:30am – 9:30pm
Tel: +65 9797 5635
Website: https://www.haigroadputupiring.com/

4. Tong Heng

Tong Heng arrived in Singapore in 1935 from Guangdong. The traditional pastry store offers candied melon, wife pastry and their special century egg pastries.

Sticking to the time-worn production methods, all of the store’s pastries are dairy-free. The signature delicious egg tarts come in a unique diamond shape.

Tong Heng
Location: 285 South Bridge Road, Singapore 058833
Opening Hours: Daily, 9am - 6pm
Tel: +65 6223 0398
Website: https://tongheng.com.sg/

5. Loong Fatt Tau Sar Piah

Branded as the “Original Singaporean Tau Sar Piah”, Loong Fatt Tau Sar Piah made a name for itself in 1948. With more butter, the store manages to formulate an even crispier crust than what is commonly sold in the market.

Understanding the divide between sweet versus salty fare, Loong Fatt Tau Sar Piah has mastered the production of both kinds for everyone’s enjoyment.

Loong Fatt Tau Sar Piah
Location: 639 Balestier Rd, Singapore 329922
Opening Hours: Mon - Sat, 7:30am – 4:30pm
Tel: +65 6253 4584
Website: https://loongfatt.com.sg/shop

Traditional Bakeries

6. Jie Bakery

Despite lines of rainbow bread and classic traditional buns in their store, Jie Bakery also offers fillings and jams to complement their cushiony and velvety breads.

Jie Bakery
Location: 123 Upper Paya Lebar Rd, Singapore 534837
Opening Hours: Mon - Sat, 7am – 10:30pm; Sun, 10am – 10:30pm
Tel: +65 9818 8386
Website: NA

7. Balmoral Bakery

Balmoral Bakery, unlike the other traditional pastry stores on this list, is equally popular for its selection of savoury snacks. From hearty chicken samosas and beef pies to rich custard tarts and cream horns, there’s a little something for everyone.

Open since 1965, the bakery was started by a couple of Hainanese ah kors, whose legacy is carried forward for almost 60 years until today.

Balmoral Bakery
Location: 105 Clementi Street 12, #01-06, Singapore 120105
Opening Hours: Daily, 9am - 6pm
Tel: +65 6779 2064
Website: https://balmoralbakery.oddle.me/en_SG/

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SilverStreak Editorial Team

Tags: culture, f&b, foodie, hangout, heritage

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