Keong Saik Bakery Review: Muah Chee Croissant Cube, Otak Mac N Cheese And More In Bendemeer

Keong Saik Bakery is now open at Luzerne in Bendemeer

The last time we reviewed Keong Saik Bakery, they were still located on the road they’re named after. Fast forward three years, and their flagship has now moved to a spanking new premise at Luzerne in Bendemeer, complete with an #aesthetic dining space and all-new hot food items━a siren call that we had to answer.

Food at Keong Saik Bakery

My colleague and I were stumped by the close-to-20 pastries so sleekly and enticingly displayed; it took us a while to contain the urge to order too many. We ultimately decided on a Miso Salmon Kouign-amann ($6.60++), Mentaiko Cheese Croissant Cube ($6.40++), and Muah Chee Croissant Cube ($5.90++). 

I’m not one for sweet things, but I have little resistance when it comes to kouign-amann. The idea of adding umami miso to this butter- and caramelised sugar-laden pastry was fascinating, and I knew right away that we had to order this. 

Sadly, they had already sold out of the Miso Kouign-amann ($4.70++) when we arrived, so I had to settle for the smoked salmon version, which is also topped with mozzarella.

This was intensely sweet and salty at the same time━in fact, we found it a little too salty, what with the triple dose of sodium in the smoked salmon, cheese, and miso. Eating the miso-laced kouign-amann without the toppings was very satisfyingly balanced in flavour, but piling the other stuff on was a bit much for both of us.

Keong Saik Bakery is known for the way in which they inject local and traditional flavours into Western pastries, and the Muah Chee Croissant Cube is one such item that we thoroughly enjoyed, in spite of its petite size.

Flaky, with a liquid BSSM centre and a lump of sticky muah chee within, this croissant cube was our favourite order of the day. The black sesame paste was smooth, aromatic and nutty, without being overly sweet, or having a starchy consistency.

Featuring a similar molten centre was the Mentaiko Cheese Croissant Cube, though this isn’t local or traditional, but simply rides on how we all love mentaiko-anything. 

Since the made-to-order items on the menu were new, we had to try these too: Kimchi Korean Fishcake Sando ($14++) and Otak Mac N Cheese ($15.90++). I’d thought that the former sandwiched, literally, a Korean fishcake that’s spiked with kimchi, but I was wrong.

What you get, between slices of house-made Charcoal Brioche Loaf (from $5+), are kimchi, melted cheese, and slices of flat, folded eomuk (어묵). Novel, and addictive if you like kimchi and eomuk, but it was a pretty fun-sized sando. 

Since my colleague and I had only just recently raved about the sandos at Hello Arigato at Everton Park, we found ourselves preferring their thicker, more satisfying sandwiches, and the slightly chewy, Japanese-style bread. This isn’t to say we didn’t like the kimchi-eomuk sando—we just liked the other ones better.

The Otak Mac N Cheese, on the other hand, was an immediate hit. If you find regular mac ‘n cheeses jelak, the addition of rempah-spiced fish paste to the baked dish makes a whole lot of difference.

It’s best to eat this while it’s hot from the oven, before the cheese hardens. You’ll find chunks of actual otak in this━and the occasional fish bone. I appreciated how the macaroni wasn’t too soft, and the otak was evenly distributed throughout the bowl.

To finish, we went with Chendol Delight 2.0 ($8.40++), one of Keong Saik Bakery’s OG signature cakes, though it has undergone a facelift since 2017.

TL;DR: it is chendol in cake form, with a gula jawa AKA gula melaka coconut custard, with red beans, atap seeds, and pandan noodles on a gula jawa genoise base.

We also ordered Pulau Limau ($8.50++), one of their newest desserts. Where our other cake tasted like the dessert, this was, as I told my colleague, lime juice in a tart. 

It spins off of the usual lemon meringue tart with a distinctive lime flavour, which you can ramp up even more with the provided pipette of lime juice. Don’t expect a firm citrus custard here; it gets pretty messy, especially if you’ve gone a bit ham on squeezing the lime juice into the tart.

The flavour requires a little bit of getting used to, but I liked how the meringue wasn’t too overwhelming for the custard. I thought it could have been more tart as well, but that’s just me.

Other signatures that remain on the menu at Keong Saik Bakery include Original Burnt Cheesecake ($8.20++), baked with a blend of four cheeses, with a prominent note of lemon, and an ultra oozy, gooey centre.

The Burnt Cheese Cruffin ($6++) is another mainstay that you ought to try if you haven’t already. 

Expect the same buttery, flaky pastry as with the croissant cubes, and a flowy cheese centre that proved to be a hit with our colleague when she had it previously.

The menu here has got your usual cafe drinks, but consider ordering a Lychee Lemon Iced Tea ($6.50++), a refreshing cooler topped with canned fruit, and lemon zest to finish.

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Ambience at Keong Saik Bakery

In an aesthetic that the IG world has gone crazy for abroad, Keong Saik Bakery’s new Bendemeer space starts with a walk-through display of their viennoiserie and bakes that greets you as you enter. Clean white walls form the backdrop for two long, narrow counters that curve to form a passageway, each pastry exhibited like an art piece with a tag that tells you what it is.

You then reach the granite-fronted, semi-circular counter, a midpoint that leads to the unfinished cement floors of the dine-in area. Choose from a row of seats facing the square outside, cosy tables in a recessed nook, a communal table, or a long wooden bench that runs around the cafe.

Luzerne, where Keong Saik Bakery is located, is a short six-minute walk from Bendemeer MRT Station, but the route is not sheltered, making it an uncomfortable walk in the heat, or inaccessible if it rains.

The verdict

Keong Saik Bakery is dangerously near our office, considering how much we loved the Muah Chee Croissant Cube. They only make a limited number of each pastry, though, and there are lots of other offices in the area. Definitely head down early to get the best picks, or be disappointed like I was when they’d run out of the Muah Chee by the time we left the cafe. My colleagues have already bookmarked this spot for future work dates, and you should consider it too.

Check out our list of quiet cafes in Singapore for more inspo when you’re looking for a place to work. If Keong Saik Bakery is full, SYIP has an outlet right across too!

Address: 70 Bendemeer Road, #01-03, Luzerne, Singapore 339940
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 8am to 7pm, Sat-Sun 8am to 6pm
Tel: 9021 9626
Website
Keong Saik Bakery is not a halal-certified eatery.

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Photos taken by Chew Yi En.
This was an independent review by Eatbook.sg.