The year is 2004, 5 September. The Sunday Times publishes a one-pager on where to get the best black forest cake in Singapore. A nondescript Ang Mo Kio bakery places third, and by noon that very day, madness ensues—a four-hour line stretches around the block, chocolate shavings sprawl all over the floors of the cake room, and the bakery’s Managing Director Wei Chan finds himself driving across 17 Phoon Huat stores to buy more cherries.
This is the story of The Pine Garden, a family-run bakery that has withstood the test of time—40 years, to be exact.
Today, the baton has been passed to the second generation: Managing Director Wei Chan, whom I’ve had the pleasure of speaking to, and his sister Yun Chan, who heads the corporate sales and marketing department.
It all started in 1984, when Wei’s family resided in Lorong Tai Seng, now known as Tai Seng Link.
“The government wanted to redevelop the area, so they gave us a choice: to receive a one-time payout or pick a HDB shop to operate a business,” said Wei.
His mother Mdm Law Ngo Moi, whom he often calls “the matriarch”, opted for the latter.
But why the bakery business? Wei answered that most of his relatives were already running multiple bakeries then, so opening another was a no-brainer. Thus, The Pine Garden was born on 28 November 1984.
“At first, there were four families involved in the business. Soon after, one by one, they bowed out, so we’re the only family that’s left helming this brand.”
Interestingly, the bakery still operates in the same unit they’ve been in since day one. Wei explained that he wanted to keep the shop as it was after he took over the business in 2003, which is why there hasn’t been any major renovation work done to the bakery.
“We are due for some touch-ups, but I want it kept as authentic as can be so customers will feel a sense of nostalgia.”
The space is a throwback to the good ol’ days, with its worn-out wooden cabinets displaying an endless assortment of traditional bakes, and a retro counter that has served countless patrons over the past 40 years.
Stepping into The Pine Garden brought back a wave of childhood memories; it reminded me of when I’d visit my favourite bakery after school for a rainbow bun. Here, I’m welcomed by trays of piping hot buns cooling off the shelves and rows of colourful buttercream cakes for me to peruse. It’s as if nothing has changed.
At this point, I asked Wei about his fondest memories growing up at the bakery. After all, he was only 12 when The Pine Garden was launched.
“The business took on well and I was the illegal child labour,” he chuckled. “I walked around all these blocks giving out brochures, which the aunties and uncles took because they pitied me.” He recalled the brochure designed with “chocolate colour text and an old pine tree logo”.
In 2003, the bakery was struggling to stay afloat. “My mum was contemplating closing the business, but I loved my pandan cake too much, so I told her to let me see what I could do. I had also just resigned from my American MNC job back then.”
It was a leap of faith for Wei, who took over the shop, and a huge pay cut from his previous job.
One fateful day, he found himself sitting in a bar at Mandarin Oriental, pondering over the business. “I wondered where this journey would take me, and what kind of value I could bring to the bakery.”
He decided to order a drink and surprise surprise, it was a lychee martini. So he thought: Since no one has ever put alcohol into a cake, why don’t I build something on it with the traditional sponge cakes we’re so known for?
He took his idea to his team of bakers, but the R&D process came with its share of challenges. For one, they had to work on capturing the flavour of the martini in the cake without most of the alcohol evaporating.
After a few rounds of trial and error, the Lychee Martini Cake was born within a week. “Desperate times call for desperate measures,” Wei added.
Their effort paid off eventually. After the novel flavour was introduced in The Pine Garden’s wedding cake-tasting sessions, it became a hit in no time, giving the business a much-needed boost. Today, it remains the bakery’s best-selling cake.
The following year, The Sunday Times published Black Magic, a story on the best bakeries for black forest cake in Singapore. The Pine Garden’s version ranked third, after two major 5-star hotels.
That same morning after the story was published, Wei’s auntie asked him: “How many do you want to make?”
Previously, the bakery only sold one to two black forest cakes every week. “Let’s make 10,” Wei answered with confidence.
She was a little apprehensive, but Wei reassured her that he’d buy them all if they didn’t sell.
By 8:30am when the bakery opened its doors, all 10 cakes were sold. By noon, the queue had wrapped around the entire block.
“There was a huge line and some people didn’t want to leave. We had enough ingredients for the cakes but we were running out of cherries. So I drove around 17 Phoon Huat outlets just to find them. My car was sinking as it was loaded up with cherries!”
It was all hands on deck. Wei roped in all his cousins for help; he recalled how they had to scrub the floors as they were baking because the tiles were covered with chocolate.
“We sold more than 350 cakes that day. We were making while we were selling.”
Fast forward to today, The Pine Garden calls itself a “new old-school bakery”. Why the oxymoron? I asked.
Wei spoke about the importance of catering to changing trends and consumption habits while preserving tradition, especially for an old-school bakery like The Pine Garden. Their recent Red Bean Soya Kinako Mochi Cake and Black Sesame Mochi Cheesecake, for instance, jump on the mochi hype train, as an effort to reach out to the younger crowd.
Each year, the bakery rolls out six to nine new flavours across three main occasions: Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Christmas. Some of these creations have become mainstays on the menu, while the others are rotated as “Cake Of The Month” flavours.
Innovation remains a core part of the business today. “I have 181 potential flavour concoctions in my phone waiting to be tested,” Wei quipped.
Yet, despite the new creations, The Pine Garden stays true to its roots, sticking to tradition wherever possible. Their recipes have remained largely unchanged, as with their key employees—their head baker has been with them for almost 30 years!
Their Pulut Hitam Cake is a nod to the classic black glutinous rice dessert we’re all familiar with, featuring pulut hitam cooked the traditional way. Light sponge cake layers are then infused with the black rice pudding and paired with fresh cream for a delicious blend of textures and flavours. In a similar vein, their Orh Nee Cake, prepared with Mdm Law’s house-made Teochew yam paste, is another winner.
Although The Pine Garden is unlikely to open more outlets for now—they closed all their other branches right before the COVID-19 pandemic—the bakery is not slowing down anytime soon.
For now, the business will focus on growing their social media platforms and improving their online ordering system, while working on the efficiency of their cake delivery service, according to Wei.
Needless to say, we can look forward to more new and innovative cake flavours from Wei and his talented team of bakers!
FYI: In celebration of The Pine Garden’s 40th anniversary, the bakery is running a 20% discount on all online orders in November 2024. Simply apply the code CELEBRATE40 to enjoy the offer. The discount applies to all online orders including these categories: Sliced Cakes, Whole Cakes, Design Cakes, Wedding Tiered Cakes, Guo Da Li, Baby’s Full Month, and Christmas 2024.
Address: 529 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10, #01-2369, Singapore 560529
Opening hours: Daily 8:30am to 8:30pm
Tel: 6457 6159
Website
The Pine Garden is not a halal-certified bakery.
This post was brought to you by The Pine Garden.
Photos taken by John Lery Villanueva.
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