Tiong Bahru Bakery : More than Croissants

The name Tiong Bahru Bakery caught my attention since I have been back here as the place is famous for its signature croissant. Since August, I have been trying out several breads and pastries with both hits and misses.

The signature croissant (eaten up before any photos could be taken) lived up to my expectation partly because I had reheated it in my oven till the crispness I want. But I doubt it will be the same eating in the shop unless they are straight out the oven. 

 
However, I think their Almond croissant with Chocolate filling (left) and Kouig Aman (right) are equally competent , if not better than its croissant if you prefer something sweet.
Both flaky and fragrant, the almond croissant was heavenly while the latter, despite its ugly appearance, was swirled with salted caramel remains my personal favourite.
If you don't like chocolate, do try the Plain Almond Croissant. It was consumed at room temperature but remained crispy.
 

However, some of the pastries left me in a blur. The Raisin Roll (right) was average while the Pandan Flan (Bottom Left) lacked any distinct pandan aroma or flavour and the pastry was soggy. Meanwhile, The Rapsberry Crumble (Top Left) was underbaked resulting in a slightly chewy lacklustre pastry and the crumble toppings were too little. 
Managed to takeaway the Triple Chocolate Mousse with a praline crunchy base despite the staff insisting that it can only be dined in for fear that the mousse might melt. But the fact that it reached my house safe and sound proved that the mousse was not really as soft as they expected. However, the varying textures and flavours of the three chocolates satisfied the chocolate crave.
 
 

The Chocolate Mendiant Tart (Right) is a more elaborate version of a chocolate mendiant-the tart is filled with dried fruits and nuts topped with rich dark chocolate ganache. The Lemon Tart (Left) was simple without the extra white meringue and sour to my liking. Probably one of the better lemon tarts in town.

 
Just as I thought there would be no new items anymore, it's Christmas specials- A Chocolate Snowball Globe tart took me by surprise. Filled with sweet milk chocolate mousse and the tangy pineapple and passionfruit compote, the chocolate ball sat on a crumbly almond tart whose sweetness was just right.

At the centre sits a mini delicate red balloon of salty raspberry sauce which burst open at the poke of a fork. This is not something new but still very interesting to have in local bakeries.
 
Galette De Rois or King's Cake: a traditional puff pastry filled with almond paste. The lucky one will find a king miniature and be blessed for the year ahead. Many places sell this as a whole pastry but I was glad they had it in individual serving size as well.
 
 
After trying their range of croissants, I do think that it is very close to my No.1 Croissant- the Echire Croissant in Tokyo Marunouchi and is able to satisfy my cravings for the simple yet often overlooked pastry. Despite having so much for their sweet pastries, the bread lover shall return for its croque monsieurs, black squid ink buns and other more delectable goodies.
 
Tiong Bahru Bakery by Gontran Cherrier:
Raffles City Shopping Centre Basement
56 Eng Hoon Street #01-70, Tiong Bahru Estate, Singapore 160056

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