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Bread and buns are a typical pick-me-up for a pre-work breakfast. If you’re trying to avoid anything too pricey (especially from the larger bakery chains), old-school bakery shops are a good option. Simple is best – that’s why I decided to pay Sin Lee Huat Confectionery in Jurong a visit.
I discovered it while exploring the nearby HDB blocks recently when the smell of freshly baked bread caught my attention.
Established in 1991, this hidden bread shop prepares its bread and confectionery daily. Everything is baked in-store every morning before it hits the shelves.
When I stepped into the bakery, I was instantly spoilt for choice. The myriad of buns was insane – they came in tear-away loaves, slices, and individually packaged buns of different flavours. A small selection of cakes and pastries were also available in the fridge and on the display trays.
Sin Lee Huat Confectionery also sells tidbits like Chinese New Year goodies and packaged sweets and snacks. There seemed plenty but according to the auntie running the shop, they’d been running low on stocks recently.
I took note of some of the flavours I didn’t select, which ranged from mango to black pepper chicken. While not feeling them this time, I made a mental note to check them out in the future.
What I tried at Sin Lee Huat Confectionery
When assessing the quality of a bun, always start with the original – I selected the “plain” one, which appeared to be Butter Sugar (S$1.30).
It was a soft, pillowy roll with a browned exterior topped with sugar crystals. It was definitely a milk bread— it possessed a mild milky sweetness and a delicate crust, reminiscent of shokupan. The sugar on top provided bits of crunch, which complemented the softness.
Fluffy dough stretched and revealed a fluffy, airy interior with a hollow centre, which I assumed was made by a butter or margarine core. True enough, there was a slight salty butteriness that created a nice contrast to the sugar. While it already tasted good as it was, it would be quite nice if eaten toasted.
It wouldn’t be a fair assessment if I failed to include both a sweet and savoury option in my bun taste test. For savoury, I selected Tuna Fish (S$1.30).
The tuna filling had a warm tinge of pepper, and I could taste hints of onion. While eating, I also discovered a few kernels of corn that were hidden among the fish.
The bread itself became slightly moist from the tuna, but that’s a usual occurrence for filled buns like these. Its crust somehow had a light smokey, but not burnt flavour, that added to the savouriness.
My sweet option was Sweet Potato (S$1.30). It was exactly as the name suggested, yet it was done so well!
Filled with mashed golden sweet potato, it was creamy and with a taste that reminded me of honey. It did not feel like they added a lot of sugar to the filling, but every bite seemed to get sweeter. Even so, it wasn’t too overwhelming.
It felt like a luxurious treat. Rather filling, though, and I tried to push the thoughts screaming “carbs on carbs” at me out of my head. Let me eat my breakfast in peace!
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Since the confectioneries were quite cheap, I decided to buy a couple back to sample as well.
Surprisingly, I found Sin Lee Huat Confectionery‘s Eclair (S$1) less sweet than the Sweet Potato bun.
The choux pastry was soft and quite eggy, and it was piped full of whipped cream. It tasted more like a thicker, slightly oily buttercream reminiscent of the type used to top old-school neighbourhood bakery cakes. I was surprised to find that it wasn’t as sweet as I initially expected.
Instead of being dipped in melted chocolate, the Eclair was topped with a handful of chocolate sprinkles, which added a nice sugariness. The chocolate wasn’t the fanciest kind, of course, since it tasted more of sugar than anything, but that was alright. It would’ve been nice to have more chocolate to balance out the unsweetened cream and pastry’s flavour, though.
The Mini Rolls cost S$0.60 each, which is insanely low. They come with cream or jam fillings, and I selected the latter.
Rolled into a swirl, the cake was light and cloud-like. It tasted very old school, like those Swiss rolls you’d get as a kid. The crust created from the baking had been left on, and it was soft and flaked off very easily.
This was definitely on the sweeter side. While fruity, the blueberry jam tasted a little artificial. Not entirely a put-off, but not my best choice either.
Final Thoughts
Well, that was a nice experience! Other than the wrath of the mosquitoes that attacked me while I was making my selection (monsoon things…), it was pretty pleasant.
I love how Sin Lee Huat Confectionery balances the sweetness in their cakes and buns so that it isn’t too overwhelming. For instance, while I felt like the Mini Roll was still a tad sweet, it wasn’t unbearably so. There were so many other flavours available, and it’s such a shame I didn’t get to try more.
Did the place stand out particularly? I don’t think so, but it’s a nice place for a pick-me-up snack that won’t disappoint.
Expected damage: S$0.60 – S$1.30
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