Sha Zah Confectionery: Family-run bakery with XL beef rendang curry puffs & banana balls since 1997

Those who know me personally know that I’m totally obsessed with puff pastry and curry puffs. I chanced upon Sha Zah Confectionery, a family-run business that’s been situated on the streets of Joo Chiat since 1997.

My mouth was watering as I was browsing through their Facebook page. It showcased a whole range of curry puffs with a variety of fillings enfolded in gorgeous-looking puff pastry— I was determined to pay them a visit!

It was 10am at Joo Chiat as I made my way down, walking past never-ending rows of shops and eateries along the street with the scorching sun above me. After a short walk, I arrived at Sha Zah Confectionery with beads of sweat trickling down my forehead and back.

I spotted a makcik at the stall front organising the counter and getting ready for the day’s operation. The stall looked so quaint and reminded me of my primary school tuckshop stall from the 90’s era. The glass display in front had Epok Epok (S$2 for 5 pieces) with sardine and potato fillings, and towers of muruku kept in large plastic containers.

It was a breath of fresh air to see old-fashioned scenes like this as opposed to the trendy and modern cafes in town— I guess I’m an old soul.

What I tried at Sha Zah Confectionery

Sha Zah Confectionery is a grab-and-go place with no tables and chairs for you to enjoy the pastries. I bought a variety of goodies to savour and headed elsewhere to try them.

I kickstarted my morning with the Potato Curry Puff (S$1.30). The size of the giant samosa lookalike was larger than my hand— it was hugeeee!

I proceeded to bite through the puff pastry, which felt like 50 layers in my mouth. It was shatteringly crispy and messy in a good way as the bits of pastry were flying all over the place— definitely not something you should have on a first date!

The potato filling within was mildly spiced with curry and chillies. While the insides were pretty delicious, my dining partner and I felt that the pastry itself could be slightly more flavourful and more flaky.

I moved on to the next item, the Banana Balls (S$2 for 5 pieces). The round puffy balls were nicely coloured in varying shades of golden brown, some slightly darker due to the natural sugars of the banana.

The texture inside wasn’t dense and the outer layer was pleasantly thin and crispy. I’m glad that my taste buds managed to enjoy the banana flavour without it being too overpowering. If only I had a pot of warm tea with me then, these Banana Balls would have been the perfect afternoon tea snack!

Finally, the Beef Rendang Curry Puff (S$2.50) was next— the pièce de résistance of my morning breakfast. It was a huge rectangle pastry with a little hill popping up in the middle, with tiny diamond-shaped windows on its “slopes” revealing the dark treasure within… the beef rendang filling!

It’s not everyday that you get beef rendang (a dish that I love) enveloped within puff pastry. I could not contain my excitement as I proceeded to have a go.

The beef filling was really generous with its thick huge chunks of meat which were so tender and yummy from the marinated rendang spices.

As soon as you’ve savoured those soft beefy chunks of meat, you’ll be greeted with the spiced chunky potato filling hiding underneath with chilli bits strategically placed, to hit you with tiny sensations of spice every now and then.

In every establishment, there are definitely items that pale in comparison to others. The Vadeh (S$2 for 5 pieces) was one such example. The texture was dense and slightly tough for me, and there wasn’t much taste as compared to other vadehs I’ve tried before. I wished they would review their recipe to improve on the eating experience.

For the last item on today’s puff pastry adventure, I brought the Chicken Curry Puff (S$2) home to pair it with the packets of chilli that was given to me for every puff that I bought.

Even though the pastries were travelling with me on the bus journey home for a good 20 minutes, they were still nice and crispy when I got back.

You have a choice of either dunking the massive puffs in the chilli or slathering them over the puffs (like what I did). The chilli was three-dimensional in taste: tangy, spicy and sweet. It made eating the curry puff feel like a different experience altogether, and helped reduce the richness of it— definitely something I’d recommend.

I regretted not pairing my pastries with the chilli earlier, it was just too troublesome to deal with the sauce outdoors! However, with that being said, I felt that the taste of the potatoes dominated the chicken, I could not taste any difference between the Chicken Curry Puff and the Potato Curry Puff I had earlier on.

Final thoughts

Sha Zah Confectionery bakes delectable rectangles (and triangles) of puff pastry daily. They’ve been in operations since 1997, which tells me that they know their stuff for them to be around for so long.

Puff pastry enthusiasts, head down to Joo Chiat to have a taste of their various curry puff selections and try their shiok Banana Balls. Remember to have it with the chilli and do let me know if it works for you!

Expected damage: S$1 – S$7 per pax

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