Bubble tea shops have dominated every corner of our small island. With new brands and businesses popping up every other month with the same variety of drinks, most bubble tea shops don’t catch my attention. However, Yùng Yùng stood out above the rest for one simple reason: bread.
Yùng Yùng is located along Bishan Street 11, a mere five minute walk from Bishan MRT. The shop doesn’t just serve plain old brown sugar milk tea. Despite the fact that Yùng Yùng is primarily a beverage shop, their Thai-style Yaowarat buns, made of a crispy toasted bun filled with an assortment of creamy spreads, were what propelled them to popularity to begin with.
Though small in size, Yùng Yùng’s store was relatively easy to spot due to its vibrant blue colour scheme and modern, bright white signs. The store had a friendly atmosphere, while enticing images of Yùng Yùng’s drinks and Yaowarat buns were plastered around the store.
Due to the petite size of the store, there were only two seats available for dine-in customers to enjoy their drinks and buns. However, as most customers opted to take-away their orders, my dining companion and I were able to dine comfortably without disturbance.
What I tried
The first thing I got was Yùng Yùng’s Yaowarat Bread Buns in all five flavours: Peanut Butter (S$2.80), Pandan Kaya (S$2.80), Chocolate (S$3), Lotus Biscoff (S$3.20) and Bis-Choco (S$3.50). The Yaowarat buns were grilled fresh upon ordering, resulting in a six minute waiting time.
The buns were warm, crispy and fragrant when I received them. Each bun had a liberal coating of melted butter, giving the surfaces of the bread buns a gorgeous yellow sheen. The wells in the centre of each bun contained a generous amount of oozy, flowy fillings.
When I picked up each individual bun, I was surprised at how heavy they were. The surface of the buns were well-toasted and super crispy, while the interior of the bun remained relatively soft and fluffy.
The Peanut Butter Yaowarat Bun was the most generous in terms of fillings. The warm bread had caused the peanut butter to become super flowy, almost like a liquid, as compared to its usual creamy, thick texture.
While the peanut butter tasted like processed, store-bought varieties, you can never go wrong with this familiar sweet and salty combination. When paired with the buttery toasted bread, the Peanut Butter Yaowarat Bun tasted like an elevated version of a nostalgic peanut butter sandwich.
The Pandan Kaya Yaowarat Bun surprised me the most with its incredibly aromatic and complex flavours. Although the kaya filling did not have a satisfying ooze like the others, it wins in terms of taste.
The pandan kaya had many dimensions of flavour, with a rich, creamy coconut fragrance and luscious texture. It left a strong, aromatic aftertaste in my mouth, and the slight saltiness of the buttered bun complemented the sweetness of the kaya.
The Pandan Kaya Yaowarat Bun was the sweetest of all the buns, but also had the most fragrance and was unexpectedly my favourite.
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Next, the Chocolate Yaowarat Bun’s chocolate filling had a strong cocoa profile. Based on its creamy, smooth texture, I had somewhat expected the chocolate filling to be Nutella, but this chocolate filling was definitely a lot richer and less sweet, like dark chocolate.
Similar to the other buns, the buttery, salty bun added a complex flavour to the bittersweet chocolate. It’s another classic combination that Yùng Yùng absolutely nailed.
The Lotus Biscoff Yaowarat Bun’s biscoff filling was creamy and smooth with a lovely caramelised taste. With a rich, flowy centre, this bun is a definite must try for biscoff lovers.
Finally, the Bis-Choco Yaowarat Bun was essentially the same as the Chocolate Yaowarat Bun, but with the addition of crunchy crushed biscoff pieces both on the surface of the chocolate and within the bun itself.
I was surprised at the generosity of the crushed biscoff, which messily spilled out of the bun with each bite. The caramelised biscoff, paired with the rich, silky chocolate spread and the buttered bun, made this bun worth every cent.
I enjoyed every single one of Yùng Yùng’s Yaowarat Bread Buns. Though the flavours were relatively simple, the generous, flowy fillings and the gorgeous crispy toasted bread were fantastic.
If you’re planning on purchasing the Yaowarat Bread Buns, do take note that there is a minimum order of two pieces. But with such an enticing spread of flavours, how could you possibly stop at just two?
Additionally, it is imperative to consume the Yaowarat buns when they are freshly toasted, as the fillings harden a little and the bread becomes slightly tougher if they are left to sit for too long. If you intend on bringing the buns home, be sure to pop them in your oven for around six minutes or your air fryer for about 30 to 40 seconds before consuming.
Moving on to Yùng Yùng’s drinks, I ordered three items on their menu: the Strawberry Lotus Biscoff Smoothie (S$5.80), Mango Jelly Milk Tea (S$4.40) and Golden Oolong Jelly Milk Tea (S$4.80).
As someone who absolutely loves all things biscoff, the Strawberry Lotus Biscoff Smoothie instantly caught my eye when I saw it on the menu. A thick layer of biscoff spread was smeared on the surface of the cup, and generous bits of crushed biscoff sat on top of the smoothie.
Fellow biscoff lovers, trust me when I say that Yùng Yùng did not hold back when it came to providing an intense biscoff experience. Every sip contained the rich flavour of biscoff as generous bits of crushed biscoff were scattered throughout the drink.
The strawberry smoothie itself was smooth and slightly thick with a natural, non-artificial strawberry taste. It had a light milky aftertaste and a very pleasant creaminess.
I was initially sceptical of the combination of biscoff and strawberry, but I was surprised at how well the flavours worked together. The fruitiness of the strawberry complemented the caramelised fragrance of the biscoff, making this smoothie refreshing and mildly addictive.
Next, I tried Yùng Yùng’s Signature Jelly Drinks, which came with customisable sugar levels. For both of my drinks, I opted for a 50% sugar level.
The Mango Jelly Milk Tea came with large cubes of mango-flavoured jelly in pale-coloured milk tea. The milk tea had a very light and milky taste with a hint of tea aroma. Personally, I found it a little too diluted for my liking, as I prefer strong flavours.
The mango jelly was incredibly soft and bouncy. It was sweet with a slightly artificial mango taste, similar to childhood jelly snacks. At first, I wasn’t sure if the thick blocks of jelly could be sucked through the straw, but the jelly broke apart easily due to its soft texture.
I loved the combination of the soft mango jelly with the milk tea. However, given the sweetness of the jelly on its own, I’d suggest getting a lower sugar level for the sweetness to be able to balance itself out.
The second jelly drink I tried was the Golden Oolong Jelly Milk Tea, which was almost identical to the Mango Jelly Milk Tea, except for the flavour of the jelly.
The golden oolong jelly was significantly less sweet than the mango jelly and had a light, refreshing oolong aroma. It was texturally similar to the soft and bouncy mango jelly, though it had a much milder taste and wasn’t as sweet.
Though I preferred the Mango Jelly Milk Tea because of its fruitiness and stronger taste, my dining companion absolutely fell in love with the Golden Oolong Jelly Milk Tea for how light and refreshing it was on the palate. She even said that if Yùng Yùng was located in a more accessible location for her, she would have it everyday.
Final thoughts
Yùng Yùng thoroughly impressed me with its fantastic Yaowarat buns and drinks. In comparison to other bubble tea brands in Singapore, Yùng Yùng’s drinks are relatively more affordable, especially for the unique flavours that it offers. Of course, I loved the Yaowarat buns and will most certainly be back to try them again.
Expected damage: S$5 to S$13 per pax
Price: $
Our Rating: 5 / 5
Yùng Yùng
Blk 509 Bishan Street 11, #01-380, Singapore 570509
Yùng Yùng
Blk 509 Bishan Street 11, #01-380, Singapore 570509
