Japan-Famous Bakery Chain From NYC Opens At Mandarin Gallery—Here’s What To Try

The City Bakery opens at Mandarin Gallery

PSA to all bread lovers: THE CITY BAKERY, a bakery brand with roots in New York City and Japan, has opened its first Singapore outlet at Mandarin Gallery.

The new bakery cafe, which also has a separate restaurant section next to it, is located on Level 2 of the mall, a six-minute walk from Somerset MRT Station.

For those who don’t know, THE CITY BAKERY was founded in New York City in 1990 as a small neighbourhood bakery. The shop soon gained a following for its freshly baked pastries, sandwiches, and signature Pretzel Croissant ($5). The brand later expanded overseas to Japan, where it opened multiple outlets and continues to operate to this day.

While its original New York outlet has since closed, the chain remains active in Japan, with over 40 outlets globally, most of which are located there. The Singapore opening at Mandarin Gallery marks its first outlet here, bringing its signature bakes and restaurant concept to local diners.

The bakery’s famous Pretzel Croissant has the flaky, well-defined layers you’d expect from a croissant, but with a distinct pretzel-like crust that’s more savoury than your usual butter croissant.

It makes for an interesting twist on the classic.

The Sausage Danish ($6.20) was another favourite. It comes with a juicy sausage nestled in flaky, golden-brown laminated pastry. The sausage had a nice snap that complemented the buttery pastry, though the whole thing was a little greasy.

The Coffee Cinnamon Roll ($5) is a zhnged-up take on the classic, with aromatic coffee notes woven through the cinnamon.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t too sweet, and I enjoyed how the fragrant coffee brought out the cinnamon flavour.

The Coconut Cookie ($4.50) is an ultra-thin, chewy cookie studded with shredded coconut.

It has a buttery, nutty and toasty flavour that pairs nicely with coffee, though it wasn’t my top pick. I personally prefer my cookies chunkier and richer.

If you prefer your scones on the cakier side, try the Mixed Berry Scone ($5). It’s closer to a New York-style drop scone, with a caramelised exterior and moist, cake-like centre, rather than the crumbly English-style scones.

The buttery, craggly scone is studded with berries for a bit of tang, and it’s best enjoyed warm.

Surprisingly, the Hot Chocolate With Marshmallow ($8.70) was one of the highlights of our visit. The chocolate is rich and decadent, with a darker flavour on its own, while the house-made marshmallow melts into the drink and adds a lovely hit of sweetness. It was a tad too sweet for me, so I’d pair it with the savoury Pretzel Croissant to balance things out.

In other exciting food openings, Seoul & Co has opened at the National Gallery with premium K-BBQ. You can also check out our Chin Mee Chin NEX coverage if you’re planning a visit to the iconic bakery’s second outlet soon.

Address: 333A Orchard Road, #02-05 Mandarin Gallery, Singapore 238897
Opening hours: Daily 9am to 9:30pm
Website
THE CITY BAKERY is not halal-certified.

Photos taken by Marcus Neo.
This was an independent visit by Eatbook.sg.