Joining The Bravery and Windowsill In The Woods in the hipster hood of Jalan Besar on Horne Road is this new artisanal bakery cafe, Two Bakers which is helmed by two Le Cordon Bleu Paris trained pastry chefs.
The cafe not only serves up delectable French & American pastries that are handcrafted and baked fresh daily but also offers a delightful menu of savoury fare including sandwiches with an Asian twist.
Let’s have a look at the menu:
Decent brunch-style food at reasonable prices. My eyes lit up when I saw luncheon fries on the menu.
The husband and I came by around 3pm on a Saturday and the cafe wasn’t that packed which was exactly the type of ambience we appreciated – quiet just so we could eat, talk and enjoy ourselves in peace. The atmosphere was relaxed; the feel was casual and friendly. From the moment we stepped into the cafe, we were greeted with warm smiles and service that made us feel very welcomed as though we just walked into a friend’s house.
As an avid home cook & baker, I always think it’s a joy to see the professionals at work. And here next to the dining room, there was a side stretch of glass window where we could peep into the kitchen and that was where I spotted the TWO BAKERS at work 🙂
What was supposed to be just a mini teatime snack became an early dinner affair as we couldn’t resist ordering the luncheon fries and a sandwich too.
The Luncheon Fries ($8.80) came in a generous portion. I was even joking with the husband that this bowl seemed bottomless as I ate so much of it and yet there was still so much left, lol. These fries were freakingly awesome and just so addictive though the more I had them, the more salty they got but it wasn’t an issue anymore once I started dipping them in tomato ketchup to balance up that saltiness. I just couldn’t stop popping them into my mouth. They were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Best thing was, they weren’t greasy unlike some other spam fries I had elsewhere that would ooze oil. So shareable and snackable, this is a must order!
The TWO bakers TYB ($13.80) was a pulled pork sandwich made from tau yu bak (braised pork in soy sauce) served on ciabatta and topped with a sunny side up. The pork meat was extremely tender and moist and in fact it was almost effortless to chew it. It was also redolent of a robust braising sauce. While I didn’t think the fried egg made any difference to the sandwich (I’d probably prefer braised hard-boiled eggs that are diced up and mixed with the pork), I did enjoy the runny yolk. I mean, who doesn’t right? The fries (seemed freshly cut) were just seasoned in salt and pepper and overall tasted a little weak but there were chilli sauce and ketchup to help ourselves to so they were still alright. The side salad of rocket leaves was just tossed in balsamic vinaigrette.
I really enjoyed this dish because of its fusion factor. Normally we’d eat tau yu bak with steamed bun (as in kong bak bao) but would never think of combining it with ciabatta to make it into a western delight. Surprisingly, it really worked beautifully. Did I also mention the ciabatta bread was airy, pillowy and really soft with a slight chew? This is a sandwich I’d come back for.
The Matcha Profiterole ($5.50) was made up of a vanilla bean choux crowned with a matcha craquelin (a sweet, cookie-like dough topping) and filled with a matcha chantilly cream. I found the pastry to be a little overdone so it wasn’t as airy as I hoped it would be. Texture was quite hard and dense and it had that slightly burnt taste that left behind this bitterness on the tastebud. On the other hand, the generous filling of matcha cream had a lovely consistency and was smooth & silky. It was rich in matcha flavour and wasn’t saccharine sweet.
The Salted Caramel Eclair ($5.50) had the same vanilla bean choux, was filled with a salted caramel mascarpone cream and then glazed with more caramel and topped off with caramel crispies. While I didn’t like the choux pastry, I enjoyed all the salted caramel elements in it. Most of the times we had salted caramel pastries or desserts, the taste of salted caramel was either weak or non-existent. This pastry had a distinctive flavour of what a good salted caramel should be – the combination (and right ratio) of sweet and salty just burst in the mouth with every bite.
And guess what? I’ve already shortlisted what I’m going to order the next time I’m back, lol.
The Key Lime Tart and Citron Chocolate Tart looked delish!
And the irresistible dome-shaped Le Chocolat Noir that were so beautifully made, they were simply glowing. Such artful finesse, really.
Our overall experience was truly enjoyable. Good food, excellent atmosphere – this cafe is going into my list of must visit (and return) cafes. It’s a place where I wouldn’t mind coming back with my laptop and spend a whole afternoon in. Till next time 🙂
Two Bakers
88 Horne Road
Singapore 209083
Tel: +65 6293 0329
Website: http://www.two-bakers.com/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/twobakers
Opening hours:
11.00am to 9.00pm (Mon, Wed, Thu & Sun)
11.00am to 11.00pm (Fri-Sat)
Closed on Tuesdays