Katong Sin Chew Confectionery: Old School Curry Buns!!

My friend, Cactuskit, has been wanting to introduce me to this old school bakery for the longest time!  I don’t know why it took me so long before I finally got to visit, but when I finally held the soft, fluffy and warm buns in my hands, I knew I was holding something special.

The buns don’t feel like the ones you commonly get at your neighborhood bakery.  They were slightly heavier and lack the shiny egg glaze. They aren’t exactly the best looking buns around.  Each one looked like they were hastily put together without much effort to make them look more uniform.  But I guess, it is their “ugliness” that made them attractive. Unlike a lot of food nowadays which are all style without substance, when you hold the warm curry bun in your hand, you know you are holding the real deal.  In many ways, I was reminded of the buns at Serangoon Gardens Bakery, my go-to place for old school buns.  Now there is another place to go-to!

The bakery was founded by  Mr Foo Chee Kio, 82, a self taught baker who started his first store in 1962 along East Coast Road  opposite the now defunct Odean Katong cinema.  He used to be an electrician, but when he decided to go into the food business, he bought himself a stack of books and taught himself how to bake.  They moved to their present premises in 1978 and is well known amongst the local residents for their curry buns, buttercream cakes, cup cakes, banana cake, pandan chiffon cake and other old school confectionery.

“Our breads are made with all natural ingredients and we use real butter!” said daughter, Adeline Foo.  “We still make our own rempah for the curry from scratch and have our own blend of spices which are ground to order.”

No wonder their buns taste so good.  Not only are they a little more heavy than the typical soft bun, there is a distinct buttery flavor that is easily detectable with each bite!  The curry buns come out of the ovens around 2pm and are quickly sold out, so you need to go at the right time.  4.5/5  Aside from the curry buns, other readers have also recommended their hae bee hiam and coconut buns!

Aside from the buns, the old school cakes have also been highly recommended.  I have recently had my interest in the Pandan Chiffon cake rekindled again, so I had to try theirs. I was told by Adeline that they use only pandan leaves for the flavour without artificial flavouring.  It was light and fluffy and had a nice aroma.  Perhaps not the ultimate Pandan Chiffon Cake, but certainly one of the best ones available commercially.  4.25/5

Conclusion

Happiness is a box of freshly baked curry buns!  Life doesn’t get any better than that!

Note the following timings to avoid disappointment:

11 am Custard cream puffs, muffins
11.45am Egg cup cakes
12.55pm – 2.30pm Curry, hae bee hiam, coconut buns, etc
1.15pm Banana cake
4pm Milk bread, Corn bread, raisin bread
5pm French loaves/Baguette
6pm Pandan chiffon cake, butter cake, fruit cakes

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