Last Updated on 2016-09-21 , 12:25 pm
In Singapore, there’s an inexplicable trend among youngsters: instead of queuing for traditional food like char kway teow or laksa, they’ve all moved on to queuing for Instagrammable food, as taking the perfect images of the food is more important than consuming it.
A few weeks ago, Insider Food, a publication of the fast-growing Business Insider, posted a video on their Facebook Page and it sort of teased Singaporeans’ taste buds. With over 1.5 million views, 16,900 Shares and 10,000 Likes, it has reached the virality that every social marketer could only dream of.
Here’s the video lest you’re not one of the 1.5 million viewers.
Judging from the responses in Facebook, it seems like a perfect combination of looks and taste. As someone who prefers cai png to anything else, I was lured to it by my girlfriend who insisted that it would be a sin not to try it.
The location of the shop is pretty ulu if you’re going there via public transport: it’s nestled amongst HDB flats and seems to be a heartland shop catered to residents there. However, if you’re driving, you’re in luck: on a Saturday afternoon, there’re ample lots just behind the shop, and even if for some reason it’s full, there’s another large car park just across the street.
On a lazy Saturday afternoon, the shop stands out simply because it seems to be the only shop alive there. With the hype, it’s understandable that there’s a queue, but thankfully they’ve provided chairs for us to wait.
The first thing that comes to my mind is that despite its HDB location, the price isn’t so “HDB”. Each lava toast, together with a scoop of ice-cream, is at $12.80. Due to the limited space within the shop, we’ve to make do with sitting outdoors, fighting both the hot weather and the occasional mosquitoes.
So, how’s the food?
I tried two sets: a charcoal toast with salted egg yolk lava and a matcha toast with Nutella lava. The presentation is undeniable gorgeous: seeing the lava oozing out is completely similar to what you see in the video. Everyone—and I really mean everyone there—was ensuring that they’d taken the perfect shot of the toast leaking that lava. With my sets, the stark contrast of the lava and the toast just makes it even more beautiful.
Now, the taste. The first bite is very—for the lack of a better word—predictable: you’re essentially just having a toast with a filling. The salted egg yolk tastes just like any trending salted egg yolk custard you can find elsewhere, and Nutella tastes like…well, Nutella.
In other words, the presentation was splendid, but the taste was just that: you can practically just imagine it without taking a bite. Want to know how my matcha toast with Nutella lava tastes? Just spread Nutella on a plate, get a slice of Sunshine bread and gently rub it on the plate.
However, here’s one thing: after a while, I feel jaded. It’s almost like having ten slices of bread, so even if it tastes heavenly, one will still get sick of it. I haven’t even eaten half a toast and I was already hoping that I had cai png instead—at least there’s variety in a plate of cai png.
Giving credit where it’s due, it actually tastes good, like a kaya toast with more kaya instead of toast, but I just couldn’t stomach the entire thing myself. It’s therefore better that a toast is shared among two people.
Is it worth it? I for one wouldn’t go again, but the first visit is still worth the money.
One thing to note is that the lava toasts will only be sold from 12:00 p.m. onwards, and based on what I see from their Facebook Page, they’ll usually be sold out around 6:00 p.m. on some days. So make sure you take a look at their Facebook Page before making your way there!
Location:
The Bakery Café
Blk 161 Bukit Merah Central
#01-3711 Singapore 150161
Opening hours:
Monday to Thursday + Sunday: 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Friday & Saturday: 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Top Image: Writer’s contribution
Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:
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