We Tried This HK-Style Bakery In Chinatown—Matcha Salted Egg Bun, Bolo Bun And More

Mini Toast House has Hong Kong-style bakes in Chinatown

Recently, we chanced upon a stall in Chinatown Complex that seemed rather interesting: Mini Toast House. Rather than offering kaya toast like its name seems to suggest, this bakery serves up Hong Kong-style treats, old-school snacks and more, all at reasonable prices.

We decided to give it a shot, and found ourselves enjoying most of the bakes on offer here.

Food at Mini Toast House

We started with one of my favourite Hong Kong bakes, the Bolo Char Siew Bun ($2). At a glance, its gorgeous golden exterior and impressive size were promising, and biting into it confirmed this was an excellent rendition.

We apologise that the bolo bun looks rather mangled in the photo, but its crumbly exterior and soft interior were so delicate that even attempting to peek inside was difficult. When we say crumbly, we mean that the crust was almost cookie-like in how it fell apart, and tasted sweet, buttery, and slightly eggy. Its char siew filling, meanwhile, had a good sweet-savoury contrast.

While the char siew bolo bun was an undeniable hit, the next dish, the Matcha Salted Egg Lava Bun ($2), was more hit-or-miss.

We appreciated how fluffy and layered this bun was, but had issues with its filling. Despite its bright green appearance, we felt that the salted egg custard overpowered the supposed matcha flavour quite significantly. So yes, matcha fans are going to be a little disappointed. But because the custard was quite rich and creamy, we recommend you go for the Salted Egg Lava Bun ($1.80) instead.

This matcha—I mean, Pandan Egg Tart ($1.60), fared better overall. We liked how crumbly its based was, and how silky and eggy the custard was, with just that hint of caramelised sweetness. The flavouring gave this treat a pleasant fragrance, thought we felt that the grassy notes of pandan could’ve been more pronounced.

When we were at the stall, its owner recommended we try the Hong Kong Style Wrapped Cupcake ($1.80), which he said was a new item on the menu. Personally, I grew up with cupcakes like these, so I was hit by a wave of nostalgia eating this. It was just so soft and spongy, with an egg-forward flavour and a mild sweetness. Some may find this an unexciting treat, but if you’re just looking for a comforting snack, then this would do great.

Besides the aforementioned bakes, you’ll also find old-school pastries such as Heong Piah ($1)—flaky pastry with a sticky maltose filling—Tau Sar Piah ($1), available in sweet and savoury options.

Ambience at Mini Toast House

Mini Toast House is located in the legendary Chinatown Complex, home to plenty of famous stalls. The major downside of the place is that it tends to get quite hot and stuffy in there, so we recommend you look for seats that are on the outskirts of the floor—these usually see more natural light and air.

Chinatown Complex is a six-minute walk from Chinatown MRT Station.

Mini Toast House – Eatbook review

With its impressive range of treats, Mini Toast House will likely impress fans of Hong Kong-style bakes. And even if you don’t fancy yourself a fan, at least check out their amazing char siew bolo bun.

For a hawker bakery with fresh Milo madeleine and orh nee tart, read our My Aunty’s Bakery coverage. For a look at a popular bakery chain from China that recently opened in Singapore, read our Bao’s Pastry coverage.

Address: 335 Smith Street, #02-105, Chinatown Complex, Singapore 050335
Opening hours: Daily 7:30am to 8:30pm
Website
Mini Toast House is not a halal-certified eatery.

Photos taken by Tao Zhi Tan.
This was an independent review by Eatbook.sg.