Our team has been to a fair share of hawker bakeries in Singapore, but we’ve never seen anything like Sabah Sandakan UFO Tart at Hong Lim Food Centre. The newly opened bakery only sells one item, dubbed the UFO tart or cow “poop” tart. If you’ve not heard of it before, it’s a heritage pastry from Sabah that’s said to have been around since 1955.
The UFO tart is simple in concept, featuring three main parts: a sponge cake base topped with torched meringue, and filled with creamy custard at its core. There are two flavours available here, Original ($1.80) and Pandan ($2).
The meringue part resembles a cow “poop” or “UFO”, hence the name of the tart. The sponge cake at the bottom is said to be slightly crispy on the edges, while moist and fluffy within. As for the meringue, it’s essentially made with whipped egg whites and sugar, and torched for a charred finish.
If you’re getting the Original, it comes packed with a velvety smooth custard, while the Pandan features a fragrant, coconutty filling.
We hear that Chocolate and Matcha flavours are making a debut soon, so keep your eyes peeled for that.
Sabah Sandakan UFO Tart is one of the bakeries that accepts CDC Vouchers! You can find the hawker bakery at Hong Lim Food Centre, which is a quick five-minute walk from Chinatown MRT Station.
For more good eats in the area, read our Chinatown food guide. Alternatively, check out our Kowboy review, where we tried the viral Wagyu UFO burgers in Bugis.
Address: Upper Cross Street 531A, #02-38, Hong Lim Food Market & Food Centre, Singapore 051531
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 7:30am to 2:30pm
Tel: 9227 9455
Sabah Sandakan UFO Tart is not a halal-certified eatery.
Feature image adapted from Mario Ong FB and Andy Aik via Google Maps