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After our first round of desserts at Do.Main Bakery, we decided to walk off those calories for our second round / fourth stop for the day. Just down the street from Rochor Thai, it's easy to miss out on this gem with the vibrancy of the area and a dark shop front that seemed to blend into the background. Stepping in gives a vibe like no other, greeted with a very Chinese-looking traditional signboard, with old-school Chinese songs playing in the background, vintage sewing machines as tables, and a long table of goodies in the middle.

However, don't be mistaken by their seemingly Chinese touch, what they really sell is Western pastries and interestingly, I like how they give different items a personified name and a 'character' to it.


Ugly Sue (S$3)


Fraiche (S$7)
Matcha Tee-soo (S$8) 
Cappuccino (S$6) 

Third stop in our trail, after filling our tummies with Datouxia and Laneway Market, Do.Main was located just down the street, catching our attention with the bread loaves on display.

Helmed by veterans in the pastry industry, Do.Main Bakery is run by the previous CEO of At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy, and French native Chef Deshayes who had developed all pastry programmes and taught at At-Sunrice for the past 9 years. Given such accolades, it is no wonder that we were greeted by a whiff of heavenly freshly baked pastries and a kitchen that seemed bigger than the seating area.

Pulled Pork Sandwich | S$19
Sea Salt Chocolate | S$6

Spacious with friendly staff who are always willing to help, it's a good spot to chill out over the weekend. We liked that portions were pretty generous and all prices were nett, leaving us feeling super full when this was only our second stop for the day! Still pretty new, I sure hope they'll be making some tweaks to their recipes especially for their buns!

A creation inspired by the classic Kouign Aman, a Breton cake, it was originally a round cake that was made with bread dough containing layers of butter and sugar folded in. Similar to puff pastry, it looked like a variation from croissant and I really loved its distinct folded layers of puff pastry where it was still crispy despite exposing to air for long. I would suggest this rendition of pastry being categorised as Valentine's Day sweet treat too due to its rich chocolate and heart-like shape, it's something that I would want to hand it to my boyfriend!


Orange and Chocolate Marble Cake | S$18 for whole cake | S$4.50 per slice
*All CNY creations are available from February 2 to March 3,2015, at all TBB outlets.


All these localised delicious festive delicacies are perfect for welcoming guests with or can even be served as gifts while visiting family and friends!

After a tiring work week, all we want for the weekend is enjoying some peace and good food without having to hustle for it. Nestled right in the middle of the park, this was undoubtedly on our list for weekend brunch especially when we've enjoyed our visit to Whisk and Paddle for some scenic quiet brunch!

With a history that traces back to 1933, Asanoya started as a store catering to foreign embassies and diplomats of various countries in Karuizawa, Japan. With an increase in demand for European-type of bread, Asanoya was the first in Japan to introduce Spanish-made stone oven. The oven traps and radiates heat from a fire, either built within the oven itself or in a firebox that vents into the oven. Specially designed for baking of bread, the oven is able to store several hours' worth of heat after completely burning a load of wood.

Showcasing more than 30 types of bakes, the flagship product at Asanoya was the fruit rye loaf with orange peel, rum raisin, walnuts and almonds on rye dough. Available only in half or full loaf, we decided to pass but managed to get a sample of it to taste a balanced level of sweetness and fragrance.

Chocolate Lava Cube | S$4.50/-
Oozing with decadence of cocoa, the little cube was indeed calories worthy, with a chewy and fluffy chocolate-flavoured bread containing a rich chocolate molten core. We enjoyed the dense chocolate on the inside which had just the right level of sweetness to please our palate without any satiation.

We also learnt that you can request for the cubes to be heated up so on your visit, it would be a handy tip to bear in mind!

Banana Bagel | S$3/-

While this plain looking banana bagel did not receive a 'Baker's Recommendation' tag, it surely deserves a lot more recognition. An inconspicuous bagel of caramel dough with dried banana imported from Japan, it is further dipped in coconut fondant. Like the chocolate cube, the sweetness of the bake was very well contained and a cup of Americano paired it just fine. The combination of caramel, banana and coconut fondant sounded overwhelming on one's palate but it went surprisingly well.


Orange sugar brioche | S$2.80/-

An all time favourite snack of mine, this fluffy bake checked all the criteria of a good buttery brioche. With dried orange peel generously tucked within, the seemingly dry brioche was actually soft and relatively moist. The coarse sugar pieces made all the difference with a medley of textures with each delightful bite.


Tomato & Mozzarella | S$2.60/-

What seemed like an innocent donut was anything but, concealing cherry tomatoes and mozzarella cheese with pizza dough on the inside. We loved the chewy texture on the inside as the cooled mozzarella cheese worked its wonder. Be warned though that the cherry tomato centre bursts easily so be prepared for that!


The tantalising treats were elegantly showcased but with plenty of golden brown delicious-looking bakes on offer, it took us moments before we could make up our mind on which ones to try! There were a couple of other recommended pastries such as the maple walnut and apple cinnamon that we would return to try.

Being a huge fan of Japanese patisseries or rather bakeries of any forms, I found Asanoya a close match to Maison Kayser, one of our top-ranked bakeries in Singapore. Offering quite a different range of sweet bakes, it was a touch more creative with a separate dessert menu and even offer alcoholic drinks (yes, they carry my favourite Asahi beer!).


Apart from the bakery section, there was a separate portion to the bakery which retails different types of tea, coffee and even appliances.

In terms of customer service, it was passable since everything was pretty much self-service. If there are any items which require waiting time such as drinks and sandwiches, you would be handed the UFO buzzer that calls for your attention to collect it at the self-service kiosk beside the cashier.

Note to self - never to visit after a hearty lunch meal as we were too full to try anything else and there were easily another two or three pastries that looked too good to miss! Definitely returning to satisfy my curiosity! 

P.S: All pictures were taken with Nikon D810.