Baker & Cook

Baker & Cook
77 Hillcrest Road

64 Namly Place

2 Magazine Road
Level 1, Holiday Inn Express

44 Jalan Merah Saga
#01-56 Chip Bee Gardens

41 Sunset Way
#01-23 Clementi Arcade

1 Swan Lake Avenue

80 Middle Road
Level 1, InterContinental Singapore

87 Serangoon Garden Way

21 Eng Kong Terrace

https://www.bakerandcook.biz/

Ice Finger Fairy Bun (SGD $3.50)

Delicious Artisanal Breads & Dessert Pastries

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 7
Ambience & Setting: 8
Food & Beverage: 6
Service: 7
Value for Money: 7
Spent about SGD $9 per person.


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Founded in February 2012 by celebrity chef and baker Dean Brettschneider, Baker & Cook made waves in Singapore for its delicious artisanal baked goods, all hand crafted with clean, quality ingredients, served throughout the day. To this day, Baker & Cook still attracts crowds hungry for their tasty breads and dessert pastries, even though all their outlets tend to be hidden in private residential areas.

Ambience at Baker & Cook is comfortable and homely, designed to make you linger on. Bright natural light during the day, warm lighting at night, surrounded by natural greenery. Long communal wooden tables designed for groups to share and converse. A wide display of colourful and attractive breads and pastries, the options nearly mind-boggling in variety. The fragrant aroma of baking wafting through the kitchen doors. Lovely.

Service at Baker & Cook is partially self-service, with ordering and payment over the counter, though staff will serve orders to your table. They make efforts to engage, displaying good product knowledge. I note they're quick to clean up when diners leave, due to the limited seating. Staff exercise patience with customers placing orders, and I notice they seem to be very happy and cheerful. Their personalised service is the factor that makes repeat customers return.

Food at Baker & Cook is all about European baked goods, breads, dessert pastries, salads, and more, with British, Australian, French, Italian, and German influences. I've rarely had anything terrible over multiple visits, but that said, their dishes are mostly average. Most other bakeries / pastry shops / dessert shops are better. Portions are sized for individuals. Prices are slightly above market rate, budget about SGD $9 per person for a dessert and drink here.


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Baker & Cook Facade

Baker & Cook Exterior

Baker & Cook Interior

Baker & Cook Menu

Baker & Cook Menu

Display

Bread - Baguette & Sourdough Pain Au Levain

The Latte (SGD $5.30) is robust with a good depth to the body, and a lovely smoky aroma of roasted coffee beans. Good!

Latte (SGD $5.30)

The Hot Chocolate (SGD $5) has a lovely rich chocolatey sweet flavour, with a medium thick texture that makes it easy to drink. An enjoyable warm beverage. Good!

Hot Chocolate (SGD $5)

Love the Vanilla Custard Bombolini (SGD $4.30). This classic Italian filled doughnut has a soft, spongy texture, and is coated with a generous portion of white sugar crystals. The hollow center is filled with a rich, creamy smooth, thick vanilla custard, which has a lovely floral sweet flavour. Decadent.

Vanilla Custard Bombolini (SGD $4.30)

Vanilla Custard Bombolini

Although labelled as a Salted Caramel Doughnut (SGD $5.90), this seemed to me like a regular chocolate doughnut, as I couldn't taste the salted caramel at all. I suspect I was served incorrectly. That said, this is a decent doughnut, with a fluffy soft pastry dough, filled with rich, thick, luscious chocolate cream filling, glazed with chocolate and sprinkled with milk chocolate shavings. Has a deep chocolatey sweet flavour, but as mentioned, I couldn't detect any salted caramel notes.

Salted Caramel Doughnut (SGD $5.90)

Salted Caramel Doughnut

The Ice Finger Fairy Bun (SGD $3.50) is inspired by the classic Australian fairy bread. Basically a warm soft white bread bun, spread with butter, and coated with colourful crunchy nonpareils (a rainbow candy confectionery). Pretty to look at, fun to eat, decently tasty with a candy sweet flavour.

Ice Finger Fairy Bun (SGD $3.50)

Ice Finger Fairy Bun

The Pain Au Raisin (SGD $4.80) is novel because it resembles the decadent cinnamon roll pastry, except this probably has less calories, thus making it more appealing. A soft, flaky spongy pastry round is studded with raisins, and coated with a sugar glaze. Has a delicate fruity sweet spice flavour. Best eaten warm.

Pain Au Raisin (SGD $4.80)

Pain Au Raisin

An iconic Australian dessert cake, the Chocolate Lamington (SGD $5.80) features a light, moist, soft chocolate sponge cake, covered in dessicated coconut. Has a lovely light chocolatey sweet earthy nutty flavour. Named after Charles Wallace Alexander Napier Cochrane-Baillie 2nd Baron Lamington, or Lord Lamington, though ironically, he actually disliked the dessert, calling it "those bloody poofy woolly biscuits".

Chocolate Lamington (SGD $5.80)

Chocolate Lamington

An iconic Australian dessert cake, the Strawberry Lamington (SGD $5.80) features a light, moist, soft vanilla sponge cake, layered with a strawberry coat, covered in dessicated coconut. Has a lovely light fruity sweet earthy nutty flavour. Named after Charles Wallace Alexander Napier Cochrane-Baillie 2nd Baron Lamington, or Lord Lamington, though ironically, he actually disliked the dessert, calling it "those bloody poofy woolly biscuits".

Strawberry Lamington (SGD $5.80)

Strawberry Lamington

The Pear & Almond Tart (SGD $6.50) is decent. It tends to get dense and firm the longer it's been left out, otherwise, it has a crumbly soft texture with delicate fruity nutty sweet flavour. The ratio of poached pear to almond tart could be better balanced though, during my visit, there was too much of the crust.

Pear & Almond Tart (SGD $6.50)

Pear & Almond Tart

The Apricot Tart (SGD $6) looks pretty, but didn't appeal to me in taste. The pastry crust wasn't as buttery crumbly as expected, and the apricot is a thin, sticky layer within, studded with pistachio nuts. Didn't have the bold fruity sweet nutty flavours I'd like. There's a possibility it'll be a lot better if freshly baked, as I had this late in the evening. Skip this.

Apricot Tart (SGD $6)

Apricot Tart

A lovely Lemon Tart (SGD $6), decorated with thin milk chocolate strings, with bold sharp sour sweet flavour. The pastry crust crumbles easily, and the wobbly gelatinous lemon curd pudding within yield softly. Nice.

Lemon Tart (SGD $6)

Lemon Tart

The Carrot Cake (SGD $6) is nice. Topped with a luscious smooth cream cheese frosting, studded with chewy candied orange zest and crunchy sunflower seeds, the carrot cake has a moist, semi-dense but soft texture, cutting through easily. On the palate, it has a fruity sweet spice flavour. Good dessert cake, feels comforting and warm. Good!

Carrot Cake (SGD $6)

Carrot Cake

The Pancake Stack (SGD $19) features 2 medium sized pancakes, caramelised banana, raspberry compote, apple compote, caramel yoghurt, toasted almond flakes, salted caramel sauce lashings, and powdered icing sugar. On a particular visit, the pancakes were of inconsistent texture, the top pancake was dense and bordered on dry, the bottom pancake was overly soft and crumbly. At least the garnishings helped save this dish, with their fruity sweet salty sour milky flavours, and tender juicy creamy fluffy textures.

Pancake Stack (SGD $19)

Pancake Stack

The Croissant (SGD $3.90) is slightly above average. This classic French bread has a crisp, flaky exterior, and a soft, bready interior, with a bready sweet flavour. Lacks that buttery edge, although it's pretty fragrant. Best paired with some butter.

Croissant (SGD $3.90)

Croissant

Loved the Ham & Cheese Croissant (SGD $8), a satisfying and straightforward meal. The warm crisp flaky bready soft croissant is filled with a generous portion of tender thinly sliced picnic ham and gooey cheddar cheese. The buttery bready sweet flavour of the bread is complemented by the salty savoury cheesy flavours of the fillings. Love it.

Ham & Cheese Croissant (SGD $8)

Ham & Cheese Croissant

The Vegetable Quiche (SGD $7.50) or Vege Quiche features a buttery flaky crumbly pastry crust base, filled with a soft moist flan made from eggs, milk, and feta cheese. Studded with vegetables, including roasted pumpkin, green bell peppers / capsicum, white onions, cherry tomatoes, black olives, and spinach. This has a nice chew to texture, with a bold vegetal sweet earthy savoury flavour. Slightly expensive for a slice though, and it seems the price isn't stated on the signage.

Vegetable Quiche (SGD $7.50)

The Wild Mushroom & Bacon Tart (SGD $7.80) features a buttery flaky crumbly pastry crust base, filled with a soft chewy shortcrust pastry made from eggs, cream, and parmesan cheese. Studded with a trio of mushrooms (portobello, button, shiitake), white onions, and pork bacon. Has a chewy crumbly texture, with a buttery earthy vegetal savoury salty flavour. Decent enough.

Wild Mushroom & Bacon Tart (SGD $7.80)

Wild Mushroom & Bacon Tart

The Lamb Mutton Rogan Josh Pie (SGD $7.80) features a softly crisp pastry pie crust, filled with a generous, luscious, piping hot mix of lamb chunks, white onions, yoghurt, and heavy cream. Cooked till soft, tender, and easy to eat, with a bold robust meaty savoury herbal flavour. Actually, the herbal notes of cloves and star anise were much too strong, overwhelming the lamb. Would be better if they toned it down.

Lamb Mutton Rogan Josh Pie (SGD $7.80)

Lamb Mutton Rogan Josh Pie

The Minced Beef & Cheese Pie (SGD $7.80) features a softly crisp pastry pie crust, filled with a generous, luscious, piping hot mix of minced beef, white onions, cheddar cheese, and balsamic vinegar. Cooked till soft, tender, and easy to eat, with a lovely robust meaty savoury salty flavour. I like it.

Minced Beef & Cheese Pie (SGD $7.80)

Minced Beef & Cheese Pie

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Update Apr-2020: The circuit breaker period in Singapore is underway, in an attempt to mitigate the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As such, Baker & Cook during this period has switched to a full takeaway and self-pickup approach.

Got the traditional Hot Cross Bun (SGD $15 per pack of 6) for the Good Friday and Easter Sunday weekend. These soft, dense hot cross buns are studded with juicy raisins, and the bread is spiced with cinnamon, sugar, salt, and orange zest. This gives it a bready fruity sweet spice flavour. Best eaten hot. Good!

Hot Cross Bun (SGD $15 per pack of 6)

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