Dough Review: Chio Glasshouse Bakery-Cafe With Azuki Mochi Danish And More

Dough is a pretty glasshouse bakery and cafe at CHIJMES

NGL, I wasn’t expecting much ahead of my visit to Dough, a bakery-cafe at CHIJMES that’s been around for a couple of years—just another cafe, I thought. They’ve been pretty popular, even after all this while, and I must admit that I see why now, too, after my visit there.

Founded by the same guys who opened Glyph Supply Co at Somerset, and Runes at Lau Pa Sat, you’ll find the same sleek, clean lines here, with an aesthetic that wouldn’t be out of place at a cafe in Seoul. According to their website, their breads, pastries, and even pastas are all made in-house—though we didn’t manage to try the last of these.

Food at Dough

The item that first caught my eye at Dough was Adzuki Mochi Danish ($5.50++), with its layers of laminated pastry, dusting of icing sugar, and that shiny glob of mochi peeking out.

It’s not a mochi-anything without attempting a mochi pull, and this totally delivered on that front—but not before I’d crushed through the crackling, flaky layers of pastry. TBH, I’m not the biggest fan of mochi, unless its texture favours that of warabi mochi, and the version in this pastry checked that box with its soft, gooey finish.

Mochi and azuki, AKA red bean, is a match made in heaven. This version was a shoo-in, without the red bean being too sweet, thus allowing its natural earthy flavour to come through. Paired with the buttery, toasted notes of baked pastry, it’s an easy favourite to have at Dough.

The oozing BSSM-mochi croissant cube I’d had at Keong Saik Bakery recently was a tough act to follow, but I thought Dough’s Pistachio Raspberry ($6.50++) stood its own pretty well too.

There are two kinds of pistachio fillings in this little croissant cube: a pistachio cream, and a stronger, punchier pistachio butter. I actually preferred the latter and wished there was more of it within, and less of the raspberry jam—though I also see how the tart berry notes balance out the more cloying flavour of the nut.

The Pistachio Raspberry is only one of several croissant cubes on offer; we also spied Mango Basil ($6++), which I thought might be an interesting blend of flavours.

Another pastry that stood out was the Kaffir Lime Guava Strawberry ($5.50++). It’s not often you see these three fruit combined, but I imagine it would be pretty refreshing, especially with the lumps of real fruit, and sugar pearls to temper the tartness of the jam.

Moving on to more savoury options, we went for the Shio Kombu Mascarpone Biscuit ($5). This treat looked rather cute with its craggy, glossed finish, and a cap of mascarpone studded with cubes of cheddar, plus sprinkles of shio kombu and chives.

If you haven’t had it before, shio kombu is a salted kelp which packs a whole lot of umami. You’ll find bits of it throughout the rather dense biscuit; I’d definitely recommend warming this bake up. While I enjoyed the flavour, and how it was pretty moist, I thought it could have been more crumbly and light in texture.

We spied several tables also having the Mala Sausage Croissant ($6.50++), stuffed with a chonky whole sausage, and topped generously with Sichuan pepper dust.

What we did have was from the breakfast menu instead—a selection of six toasts, of which we picked Hummus & Guacamole Toast ($10++).

It arrived at the table looking a properly splendid sight, with the stark contrast in colour of house-made guacamole, piped over with fuschia dragonfruit hummus, then drizzles of honey, crushed pistachio, and little knobs of ricotta.

This tasted as good as it looked, though I did wish they were more generous with the various toppings.

Signature drinks at Dough include Dirty Matcha ($10++) and Iced White ($9++), topped with a house-made cream cheese foam which adds extra creaminess, plus a touch of savouriness.

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Ambience at Dough

The space at Dough is pretty expansive, with both indoor and al fresco seats. The main indoor dining area is minimalist in design, with a little alcove at the back that offers a slightly more cosy dining experience.

Behind the counter, you’ll find a small number of low marble tables with a long bench that lines the full-length windows of the cafe. These are probably best if you’re just having pastries and drinks; the low tables are not the most comfortable for eating heartier mains.

Then, there’s the outdoor dining area: it’s almost like someone’s backyard porch, with cushions, hanging lights, greenery and space that would make a great space for gatherings with kids.

Dough is located off the main square inside CHIJMES, a five-minute walk from City Hall MRT Station. It can be a little hard to spot as it’s well hidden by the lush greens which front its outdoor space. You’ll find their bakes in a glass display as you enter, and a window through which you can watch their bakers hard at work.

The verdict

I can’t wait to bring my family to try the house-made pasta dishes and more here at Dough. The wide variety of items on the bakery and mains front also gives you another reason to make repeated visits. It was pretty quiet on a weekday morning too, which I’m sure many would appreciate.

In the meantime, check out The Homme Baker in the new Margaret Market for cute cakes made to look like wedges of Swiss cheese. Otherwise, another Korean-inspired bakery-cafe to put on your list is NOWAFTER Cafe at Design Orchard, which has a charcoal garlic bun on the menu!

Address: 30 Victoria Street, #01-30, CHJIMES, Singapore 187996
Opening hours: Tue-Thurs, Sun 8:30am to 6pm, Fri-Sat 8:30am to 9:45pm
Website
Dough is not a halal-certified eatery

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Photos taken by Aldrich Tan.
This was an independent visit by Eatbook.sg