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Boulanger/Patisserie

A basic necessity in Cuisine/Dining definitely includes Bread, much less so for Singapore than Western/French dining. No matter, for the first article, we shall discuss Bread and also bakeries in Singapore and France. Too, to be discussed is their importance to dining and food culture.

Bread is not high on the ‘want’ list of the average Singaporean teenage consumer. Probably, bread is associated more with Burgers than anything else. Otherwise, it’s usually considered a convenient food to curb hunger or a cheap takeaway, something you bring from home if you want to save money on food. Often you’ll see Bread being given out as ‘refreshments’ during events. That’s the social standing of Bread in Singapore it seems. Let’s just examine some of the ingredients used for breads sold in Singaporean stores. They include: cream cheese, ham, hotdogs, fish/chicken ‘patties’, chocolate nibs, cream, the famous pork floss. Usually it’s these ingredients being baked on dough to create the many soft ‘breads’ we see in being served on those trays for you to choose and pick. Despite the many names of these breads, they usually involved a play around of these ‘basic’ ingredients adding with flavouring agents like chilli sauce and the ilk. Thus, it’s seen that Bread in Singapore is one of the products that fall into the ‘Consumer Personalization & Product Variety’ Trend in Singapore. This trend, in its gist, means having such a wide variety of flavours to cater to everyone’s choices. Many other popular food products fall under this trend: namely doughnuts, bubble tea, yogurt, ice cream etc. (This trend will be discussed in detail in another entry.)

Back to Bread, when people buy bread in Singapore, they are spoilt for choice, there are promotion posters for $1 breads (mainly at stores at MRT Stations, pretty ironic how they don’t allow people to eat on trains yet sell these convenient foods/snacks at almost every station on the island, as if tempting people to flaunt the rules). Thus, when you look at Bread in Singapore, there is almost every flavor you can think of, but yet it’s a repetition somehow, there is no history about these breads. Just novelty. Culinary19 feels that the health value is not high too, the breads and cakes in these heartland stores seem to be just meeting demand for convenience, and the number of them in each area is alarming. What, like 4 stores selling the same Breads within the same area?

Next, let’s talk about the ‘Branded’ Breads, these are the BreadTalk, Four Leaves etc. Bakeries you usually see in shopping centres. They appear to have ‘better’ innovation with their products in terms of names, presentation of their shops. But in essence, Culinary19 feels that the breads are no different from heartland stores, except for possibly the Prices. The pastries and cakes too, seem to be repetitive amongst the many different chains, several tarts, chocolate cakes and the ilk of it. Usually if one wants a pastry is that considered to be authentic, or has more of a standing in cuisine, one has to go to a more distinct, high priced pastry shop or restaurant. The examples here include Canele , Bakerzin and the likes of it. But do the products really justify the prices? Or is it just a matter of demand not being met by heartland stores. With heartland shops focused on the ‘soft breads’ with various convenient ‘toppings’, pastries are usually minimal. It thus appears that the Bread/Pastry sector in Singapore is divided into three clear definitions with their price range.

Heartlands/Mrt Stations	-	Prices: Low-Average
Shopping malls	Eg: Breadtalk, Four Leaves etc	Prices: Average
Niche restaurants/cafes	Eg: Canele, Bakerzin etc	Prices: High

In the eyes of Culinary19, it seems that Heartland stores and Shopping mall stores are actually selling identical products, with difference only on branding and locations. For the niche restaurants and cafes, the products might not be Magnificent, but often are hard to find elsewhere. Thus, there are people who have to buy at those prices for pastries, and apparently they do not mind much. Thinking in the shoes of people similar to us at Culinary19 though, pastries as such then become a ‘once in a while’ treat due to the inhibitive prices.

Now then, let us examine a Boulanger/patisserie in France. It’s just a simple shop front that people pick from the extensive display of pastries and breads. The breads however are unlike what is ‘on display’ in Singapore. There are sold in loaves of different shapes, and each name seems to suggest a history or specific making method. The breads often share the same characteristics of a hard crust and irregularly regular air sacs. For the people in France, it’s a staple and every morning there are people about carrying loaves of baguette etc. For the pastries, there is a similar but extensive variety in the different stores. Examples of pastries include: éclairs, baba au rhum, mille feuille, caneles, macarons etc. The significance of these stores are how these ‘niche’ pastries you do not find easily in heartlands in Singapore are widely available. Obviously the culture is different, henceforth this. However, the point here is, is it possible to offer such pastries too at more affordable, everyday prices in Singapore. Since in France, these shops are like everyday heartlands bakeries in Singapore.

At Culinary19, we feel it’s a possible venture. Of such a Boulanger/patisserie idea taking off in Singapore, offering such pastries and breads to everyone, especially demographics like Culinary19, possibly filling in the gap in between heartlands and shopping mall stores while offering pastries. What do you think about the Bread/Pastry scene in Singapore? Feel free to air any personal views at our discussion board.

That’s all for the first article on Breads and Pastries. Watch for more updates.

Culinary19

Food, A Constant in Life