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For almost one and a half years, courtesy of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have had to meet our friends in a way that adheres to the changing social gathering mandate. I am the kind who is ever-ready to host a gathering for all of my common friends (the more the merrier, right?) but since that hasn't been possible, every few months I have been catching up with them in small groups or one-on-one. Oh well!

I was scheduled to catch up with my favourite cafe kaki for brunch. Keeping convenience in mind, we usually end up in the Bukit Timah area. Having previously been to Choupinette, Kara Cafe and Atlas Coffeehouse, we settled on Crown Bakery & Café.

Crown Bakery & Café is a collaboration between Singapore’s plants and flowers retail giant, Far East Flora Holdings Pte Ltd, and Japan’s top-notch artisanal bakery, Signifiant Signifié. An amalgamation of local retail experience, Japanese baking expertise and European bread heritage, gives it a boost in the local bakery and café scene.

Crown Bakery & Café opened its doors to the folks of Singapore in 2015. The establishment began with the beliefs that bread can be healthier - without the use of artificial food flavouring, colouring, preservatives, harmful additives, and chemical improvers. Crown bakery has mastered the art and science of sourdough and natural leaven to craft all bread served at the bakery. Using superior ingredients such as French mill wheat flour, Hokkaido Kitanokaori flour, German sourdough, French butter and direct-from-farm honey in their baked goods, Crown bakery offers European-style bread that are wholesome, delicious and pleasing to the local palate. Over the years, it has becomes not only a favourite amongst locals but also the expats, especially those living in the Bukit Timah neighbourhood.

That morning, it started to rain and the rain eventually turned into an incessant downpour. My friend was on time but I ended up reaching 20 minutes late. Located at the nondescript Crown Centre along Bukit Timah Road, the cafe welcomes only walk-in customers and do not take in reservations for seats. Due to the pandemic, indoor dining was restricted to 3 tables and even outdoor seating was limited. The heavy rain probably worked in our favour because we were able to get a table without the customary weekend crowds.

I liked the color scheme of cerulean blue, white and black, French style decor and layout of the cafe. The cute "crown" light fixtures caught my attention almost immediately.

The bakery has a retail area that displays the baked goods, condiments and desserts. The rest of the space is relatively small with some tables indoor and some outdoor for dine-in. If dine-in is not an option, you can always choose to take away the range of artisanal breads.

The menu has a satisfactory selection of soups, salads, sandwiches, breakfast & brunch dishes, mains, pasta, desserts and beverages. You will need to order at the counter and pay first. Customers are given a buzzer that indicates when the food and drinks are ready for collection.

My friend ordered several different kinds of bread to da-bao (take away) for her family. Some of the recommended breads are Kaori Ciabatta, Crown Bread, Earl Grey Brioche, Earl Grey Croissant and Hainanese Chicken Bread.

For dine-in, this is what we ordered,

Cappuccino (S$ 5.50)

The coffee used here is a blend of Sumatra Mandheling, Ethiopian, Arabica & others which is characterized by a rich mellow body; a refreshing floral aroma & chocolatey aftertaste. I thought the cappuccino was fine but nothing special to write home about. I would have preferred it a bit stronger. And unfortunately, no points for the latte art.

Avocado Tartine (S$17.90)

This is one of Crown's signature dish which has Crown's sourdough bread, mashed avocado, feta cheese, a balsamic reduction, pomegranate, dukka and micro herbs.

If you know me, you will know that I LOVE avocado toast. Crown's rendition was pretty good. You have yummy sourdough bread, a generous portion of nicely ripe mashed avocado and perfectly poached eggs. The feta, dukka and pomegranate added layers of flavour and texture to the dish. Overall, wholesome and satisfying.

I would definitely order it again.

Bangers & Mash (S$13.90)

My friend ordered the Bangers & Mash. This dish is featured on the All-Day menu. Bangers & Mash is a traditional dish of Great Britain and Ireland, consisting of sausages served with mashed potatoes.

Crown's rendition had grilled smoked chicken cheese sausage, Italian pork chipolata served with mashed potato and drizzled with onion gravy. If the produce is good, sausages are cooked properly and the mash is smooth and flavourful, there is very little that can go wrong with this dish. My friend was very happy with it.

Berries Waffle (S$15.90)

We were quite full after finishing our respective dishes and beverages but we couldn't pass up on Crown's signature waffles. The Berries Waffle consisted of a sourdough buttermilk waffle, strawberries and blueberries, toasted coconut crumble, roasted almond, a mixed berries compote drizzle, a dusting of icing sugar, maple syrup and a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.

This looked so good and tasted even better. I am not a huge fan of waffles but this was something even I couldn't resist. With a crisp exterior and fluffy tender interior, the waffle was simply perfect. Paired with the delicately flavoured maple syrup, the crunchy nuts, the sweet yet tart berries + compote and the creamy ice-cream, it came together in delightful harmony.

Highly recommended.

Summary

Crown Bakery & Café boasts a great location in the heart of the food haven that is the Bukit Timah area. With proximity to the Botanical garden MRT station (less than a 10 minute walk), it is quite accessible. Since reservation isn't available, I would suggest you pick a time when the cafe isn't too crowded to avoid waiting (note: the peak time is Sat-Sun 9-11am). The dine-in area presently is quite small but pleasant nonetheless. The menu has plenty of interesting options to suit everyone's preferences. I would recommend the Avocado Tartine and the Berries Waffle. You could also consider packing some of their signature breads for takeaway to enjoy with your friends or family. The prices are typically mid-range.

I would recommend Crown Bakery & Café for couples, small groups of friends and families.

My rating for this cafe is,