Tai Cheong Bakery at Takashimaya Department Store, Singapore
Question: Where you can find the best restaurants / hawker stall / food kiosks here in Singapore?
So, on those rare occassions that I found myself with a couple of hours to spare, I found Tai Cheong Bakery at the basement of Takashimaya Department Store. Paul and I love egg tarts and while we are more familiar with the Macau version, I knew that Paul would be delighted to try these Hong Kong-style ones too. Luckily, I was there at a very odd time so the line was pretty bearable. With a full battery phone, I patiently waited for my turn while catching a handful of Pokemons and battling at the gym.
Finally, it was my turn! The menu was pretty simple but I am deadset on getting those egg tarts and nothing else. I'd say that the egg tarts are reasonably priced at S$7.60 for a box of 4. Not so bad as it's coming out to be less than S$2 a piece. They also have Chicken Pies (S$2.80), Cocktail Buns (S$1.80), Char Siew Bolo Buns (S$2.20) and Butter Egg Rolls (S$15/box).
The smell can really make your mouth water. The air around the store is filled with buttery aroma as each tart is made in-house. As soon as I got my box of tarts, I quickly went home in order for me and Paul to finally try them together. Can you feel my excitement?
One bite and I knew that it was definitely worth the wait. The filling was so silky and creamy which was a good contrast to the flaky, buttery crust. While enjoying our tarts, we wondered what makes this different from the Macau version and Paul pointed out that the Macau version has a caramelized top and the crust has a more flaky texture similar to a puff pastry as opposed to Hong Kong's tart-like crust. Good point!
The answer? Just follow the queue!
I heard this tip a long time ago and thought that friends and colleagues were probably joking. Let me tell you that this is one thing you have to believe and take seriously as we speak the truth. The simplest way to know where to eat is to go for the stall with the longest queue. I got to admit though that the Pinoy in me hates queuing up and while I will never jump or cut queues, I have the tendency to go for the ones with the shorter line or even those with none at all. We gotta support them too, right? I'd like to think that there can never be a bad meal here in Singapore. With hawker stalls lasting for decades and restaurants opening one after the other, the food industry here is definitely alive and kicking.
The previous batch ran out just before it was my turn to lucky me! I get the newest, hot off the oven batch of egg tarts. Yay! I had to wait for 5 minutes to wait for the egg tarts to cool but I didn't mind at all. Look at all these beauties.
I'm so happy we were able to try Tai Cheong's egg tart. Now we know where to go should we start craving for these delicious baked treats.
Check out Tai Cheong Bakery at 391 Orchard Road, Takashimaya Basement 2, Singapore 238873. For bulk orders (10 boxes and up), you can call +65-82231954
