New Kid on the Block – Artisan Boulangerie Compagnie

After a night of supporting the Sundown Ultramarathon at East Coast Park, all I wanted was to head back for a hot shower and good sleep but I was outnumbered. One had been raving so much about Tim Ho Wan's Baked Buns with BBQ Pork that another was eager to try the world's cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant. Though the queue was expected to be long on Sunday mornings perfect for yum cha, we decided to try our luck at Plaza Singapura's branch. Waiting time of 75 minutes was too much especially for the sleep-deprived, so we left and were driving along Killiney Road when I recalled that a new French bakery had opened. A quick check for its name and address, availability of a parking lot and a table meant we were destined to dine at Artisan Boulangerie Compagnie. Opened on 26 Aug and run by mover and shaker of the baking world Eran Mayer, it is owned by The Zest Group – an F&B company which also invests in brands such as Twelve Cupcakes.

Enticing display of breads and pastries with an aroma of freshly-bakes welcomed us as we climbed up the grey steps leading to its entrance and swung open the wooden-framed glass doors. Blue lamps hanging over the counter stood out against lots of white (think ceiling, walls and floor) and added cheer to the brightly-lit place with 1,800 sq ft of dine-in space. High stools at a long marble table may not be the most comfortable of its 75 seats as the rest are cushioned bench seats and chairs with backrest at mostly wooden square and round tables and a few marblish-looking ones. But they face the 2,500 sq ft open kitchen where a team of 18 churn out more than 50 different items, including more than 15 types of breads, every day. According to its website, products are made fresh daily using traditional artisan baking techniques with the highest quality natural ingredients found worldwide.

For example, breads are fermented for at least 12 hours with flour from Minoterie Viron, a small family-run flour mill in Chartres, west of Paris and butter from Normandy or possibly Charentes-Poitou in the future. Everything is mixed in-house so expect non-uniformly-shaped baguettes and uneven folds in each flaky layer of its croissants, a reminder of the craftsmanship which goes into bread making and that these are made by humans and not machines. Samples offered were delicious and everything looked so good we were spoilt for choice. To save ourselves the agony of pulling our hair over what to get, we decided to order from the Weekend brunch menu instead. Coffee from Toby's Estate is served here and I started with an espresso – a nice aroma of roasted coffee beans in the smooth and full-bodied but a tad acidic cuppa for a much-needed caffeine kick, while a dining companion had chai latte.

My 1st impression of ABC Breakfast was how small the portion looked compared to those I had at other places. Skinny chipolata I could neither rave about nor fault with Mesclun, a mix of assorted small young salad leaves in vinaigrette so sour I cringed. Sunny side up was done just right with runny yolks not too raw and mushrooms were succulent. Crispy bacon reminiscent of bak kwa tasted caramelised, which we were told was due to honey, and too sweet for my liking as I preferred to have mine savoury. And the highlight of the impromptu breakfast was its warm bread with soft and fluffy insides, crisp crust without being too hard. While they were lovely on their own, the taste was accentuated with butter and fruit preserves I could see bits of berries in. As the supposedly preservative-free breads were not refillable, I had to stop my dining companions from finishing my share. Oh, and did I mention a second branch is opening in Great World City at the end of the year?

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