Paris Baguette

Seems it is not just the local coffee scene that is booming but also the bakery scene with Tiong Bahru Bakery and Drips Bakery opening their 2nd branches at Raffles City Shopping Centre and along Sunset Way respectively. Within walking distance from French's Paul bakery at Takashimaya and Japanese's Maison Kayser at Scotts Square, is Korean's Paris Baguette at Wisma Atria. Brought in by SPC Group with more than 3,000 outlets in Korea, this is its 1st concept merging the bakery's offerings with menu items from upmarket restaurant Passion 5 in Seoul. The 24-year-old European-style Korean bakery chain also has presence in China, the United States and Vietnam. Do not be misled by the stand with a menu near its front (no entrance to speak of since the café is not enclosed with passers-by gawking at you eat) as customers are supposed to find their own seats. This involves Lady Luck shining on the right table and breathing down others' neck while waiting, no different from a food court.

Sitting at a table with old-fashioned grey leather armchairs, our original intent was to order an item or two such as brunch from the menu and complement with a few fresh-bakes. But the enticing arrays of tempting breads, pastries and sandwiches as well as cakes, salads and its signature Royal Pudding in bottles meant the plan was abandoned. Croissant had a charred and butter aroma, was crispy on the outside with flaky layers and a soft inside. One of the best I have eaten and told myself to revisit Maison Kayser to determine which is better. Pain Au Chocolat had the additional bonus of a sweet, rich and not-too-cloying chocolate filling. Loved how ingredients of Korean Bulgogi Sandwich came well together – soft sandwich bread, marbled beef and mushroom, fresh tomatoes and crunchy lettuce. I loved the nuts in Caramel Nuts Buttons and Apple Pecan Bread though the former was a tad sweet and the latter, a sweetened bread, a tad hard. Everything tasted as yummy as it looked good.

A perfect end to the sumptuous meal was my smooth mocha, which I would have preferred with more coffee and less milk. As this cost more than a cuppa at coffee chains and artisanal coffee cafés, asked for iced water when I next visited and ordered Maple Pecan Scone. Biscuit-crisp on the outside and crumbly inside like how a scone should be, well-balanced by sweetness from the thick maple syrup with a nice aroma of butter and nut. Thumbs-up! During my subsequent visit, I got Twisted Donut and Choco Half Ring. There was an aroma of black sesame seeds and nuts inside the Korean chewing donut with cinnamon powder and sugar on top. Lacking a crisp on the outside and an aroma possibly because it was cold, the latter was soft and fluffy but a tad moist inside. Maybe it was Singapore's humidity. While the rich and not-overwhelmingly-sweet chocolate was perfect with the walnuts, found the dried cranberries too sweet for my liking. Definitely would be back to try more.