On’Lee Artisan Bakery Review: $3 Artisanal Croissants And Premium Cream Puffs By Ex-Ritz Carlton Baker

On’Lee Artisan Bakery at Woodlands MRT Station is run by an ex-Ritz Carlton baker

I must confess that I’ve a soft spot for pastries and bakes. When I do wish to indulge in them, however, I’m slightly reluctant when I see the price of these goods, as they can easily be priced at around $5 or $6. Recently, there’s a new bakery in town, On’Lee Artisan Bakery, selling affordable artisanal croissants made by an ex-Ritz Carlton and MBS baker. I knew that I definitely had to go down and see what they have to offer. 

Food at On’Lee Artisan Bakery

We started with the Garlic Cream Cheese Croissant ($3), which sees garlic crumbs atop a buttery and flaky croissant, which held a garlicky, cheesy cream centre.

While the croissant was relatively small, I found its size just right for me as I didn’t feel jelak after finishing it. Considering its affordable price point as well, there’s nothing much I could complain about. 

We moved on to their Pistachio Croissant ($4), which stars a green crust studded with crushed pistachio, giving the crust a nutty and buttery flavour. To my surprise, the thin filling tasted strongly of pistachio. While I found it a tad too sweet, my colleague didn’t mind it. 

Lastly, we couldn’t miss their bestselling Japanese White Sauce Ham & Cheese Croissant ($3.80). This came coated in melted cheese, while encased within the pastry were a creamy white sauce, along with sliced ham and cheddar. The ham, cheddar, and melted cheese topping lent savouriness to the whole croissant, but I couldn’t help feeling that this needed something brighter in flavour to cut through the richness.

Apart from their signature croissants, they have Matcha Puffs ($6.90) that come in a box of four. Each puff boasts a dark green, crispy crust, which contrasts texturally against the matcha cream. Upon tasting the cream, I found that it held a good balance of sweetness and bitterness—a legit matcha treat! These puffs also come in Original and Chocolate, though we didn’t get these. You’re also getting your money’s worth for a mid-sized puff that costs less than $2 each.

On my visit, I also picked out On’Lee’s Bread & Butter Pudding ($2.70). The bread is topped with toasted bread bits and raisins, and has a soft custard pudding within it. Surprisingly, the pudding tasted pleasantly buttery and milky. The insides of the bread was also soft and moist, which I enjoyed, against the crisp baked bread bits. Though I’m not huge on raisins, I would get this again because it’s such a simple, sweet treat. 

Lastly, we ended the experience with their Banana Walnut Cake ($2.40). Unlike the fluffy and airy banana cakes I’ve tried before, this was a dense cake, packed with thinly sliced banana, and walnuts that gave a nice nutty crunch. The cake was rich in banana flavour, and we also liked how the cake was moist and wasn’t overly sweet.

Ambience at On’Lee Artisan Bakery

On’Lee Artisan Bakery is located at Woodlands MRT Station so that means you can grab a quick breakfast before you start your day—they’re open as early as 8am. However, when we arrived there at 11:45am, we were shocked by the selection of bakes because they were mostly wiped out. But they reassured us that there was a fresh batch coming in at 12:30pm, and we could pre-order first to collect later. Do note that they’re only available for takeaway.

The verdict

I would get On’Lee’s fresh bakes again when I’m around the area. Their affordable and quality bakes exceeded my expectations, especially with the ham and cheese croissant. They probably deserve the positive reviews online and their popularity as observed by them selling out before lunchtime! 

For more options to pick out your favourite croissant, check out our guide to the best croissants in Singapore. Alternatively, for old-school bakes such as custard buns, read our Lau Chong Kee Mini review.

Address: Woodlands Square, Woodlands MRT Station – Exit 7 (Thomson East Coast Line B1), Singapore 737736
Opening hours: Daily 8am to 8pm
Tel: 6908 7069
Website
On’Lee Artisan Bakery is a halal-certified eatery

Photos taken by Hui Hui Lau.
This was an independent review by Eatbook.sg