Yip's by Andik Nurdiany

So we received a message awhile back to visit a makan place called Yip's.

Apparently 'Yip's Cookies & More' had been around for years before the current Chef De Patisserie (aka Makan Mastermind), Andik Nurdiany, took over to continue the fine art of the tasty pastry and original mouth-watering creations baked freshly on-site!!

One fine day after a check-up, we finally had the chance to sample some tasty treats.

Chilli Ikan Bilis Puff ($2.00)

We started off with something that I seem to have taken a liking to recently - Sambal Ikan Bilis!
And it's not that often I find something unique that incorporates this spicy-sweet favourite of many.

The pastry itself was simply marvelous. As a Home Ec student myself in secondary school, I know how much work it takes to perfect your pastry making and we're talking about professional baking here. Light and buttery (not oily) flavour once you chomp down. Loads of Ikan Bilis to keep you company.

And for those of you who get worried when the words 'Sambal' and 'Chilli' appear, don't worry.
The description says 'Spice - MILD' so you can breathe a sigh of relief. The Sambal Ikan Bilis is full of flavour but will not burn your mouth off.

In fact, I'd say it was more on the sweet side than the spicy side.

Tom Yam Chicken Puff ($2.00)

As most of you probably know by now, I love Thai food and my darling wife follows suit.
So how exactly do you expect us to not try something that has TOM YAM in the name???

And they really don't fool around with the Tom Yam. I guessing it's something they concocted because this is potent stuff. Tom Yam flavour definitely shoots through!

Shredded chicken meat bursting with Tom Yam flavour.
But like the Chilli Ikan Bilis Puff, you might consider sharing with someone unless you're really hungry.

I'm a greedy guy but even I shared because I wanted to have enough space to try a little bit of everything.

Lo Bo Ping aka Sweetheart Cake ($1.30)

Yip's doesn't just offer only savoury pastries by the way.
They have a wide variety of pastries to satisfy anyone who has a sweet-tooth.

One good example is the Lo Bo Ping which I have only read about or seen other people eating because I had never come across a Halal version until we visited Yip's!! Now I've finally got my chance to try this HK-style pastry!

It is basically a pastry-cake with winter melon and sesame seed filling.

The filling is not overly sweet and very subtle. In fact, I thought it tasted more like pumpkin seed than sesame seed with the winter melon. The pastry was light and flaky and literally crumbled as I brought it to my mouth.
I'm not sure why they call it 'Sweetheart Cake' though... Anyone have any stories to share?? :)

Orange and Cranberry Muffin ($1.20)

Looking for some Western flavours instead?
Yip's actually has cookies, tartlets, eclairs, brownies and even muffins for you!

We could not resist trying the Orange and Cranberry Muffin. Too tempting!
The orange flavour (and aroma) was very prominent with every bite of the muffin and you'll get some cranberries every few bites. The muffin itself was moist and soft!

Definitely recommend to try this one!!

Adam's Verdict:
Chilli Ikan Bilis Puff 4/5 -- Tom Yam Puff 3/5 -- Lo Bo Ping 3.5/5
Orange and Cranberry Muffin 4.5/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Chilli Ikan Bilis Puff 4/5 -- Tom Yam Puff 3/5 -- Lo Bo Ping 2.5/5
Orange and Cranberry Muffin 3.5/5

Yip's by Andik Nurdiany has been featured in the media so many times I'm not sure how we managed to miss out on this gem tucked away in a little corner.

And even though we had received this tip so long ago, it took us quite awhile to finally visit because we east-dwellers seldom traveled to the area. But with regular check-ups at the nearby Thomson Medical Centre coming up for us, we're definitely dropping by again soon!

I can even tell you what's on my radar...
Their famous Chicken Curry Puff, Barbeque Chicken Puff, Creamy Mushroom Puff and Portugese Egg Tarts!

Yip's by Andik Nurdiany

10 Sinaran Drive
Novena Square 2 #B117-119

Tel: 6440 7887 / 8233 0073
www.yips.sg

Operating Hours:
7.00am til 9.00pm (Mondays to Saturdays)
8.00am til 9.00pm (Sundays and Public Holidays)

Mayson's Bakery - Egg Tarts

So if remember awhile back my darling wife and I visited Jurong Point because I had to go for a reservist thing in the area. I posted earlier about having dinner. Well, this is what we had for dessert.

I'll be honest right off the bat and say I've never actually ever been a big fan of egg tarts. I mean, I love eggs and I love custard. And I'll eat the egg tarts but I wouldn't necessarily run out just to buy a few y'know what I mean?

And another thing is the so-called difference between 'Egg Tarts' and 'Portugese Egg Tarts'. Aren't they the same thing???

Well the main difference that I can tell is that the 'Portugese' version has a nice brûlée on top. This literally means that the custard is scorched or 'burnt' to give it a nice caramel layer for the sweet touch. I also found out that Egg Tarts apparently come from Macau/Hong Kong and are even considered as Dim Sum.

Well, go figure.
I'm just here to tell you if the ones I bought tasted good

 Portuguese Egg Tart ($1.30)

The only reason I happened to chance upon this joint was because I had to go back to camp for some reservist nonsense and that's all the way in the west. My darling wife came to fetch me and after some dinner, we decided to grab some egg tarts.

Mayson's Bakery offers quite a wide variety of baked good but we were just interested in the egg tarts this time and they also had quite a few varieties of that.

The egg tart itself was actually quite reasonable sized. Just about an average palm-size.
Nice brûlée action going on there and the custard below was creamy and tasty. The one problem I did have though was the pastry. I found it to be a little of on the dry and tough side. I expected it to be a little bit more flaky than what I got.

Chocolate Egg Tart / Durian Egg Tart / Blueberry Egg Tart

($1.60 each)

We also tried 3 of their flavoured egg tarts.
I have to say the best was the Chocolate only because, well, it was chocolate.
I thought I'd enjoy the Blueberry one the most because I love blueberry jam (especially on my pancakes) but the sweetness of the jam doesn't really go well with the egg custard in my opinion.

The absolute worst was the Durian. Because - it's durian kaya and NOT durian. Total fail.
My darling wife didn't even want to try the thing!

They also actually offer a Cheese Egg Tart which happened to be sold out.
A sign that it rocks maybe?

Adam's Verdict:

Portuguese Egg Tart 2.5/5 -- Chocolate Egg Tart 3/5 -- Durian Egg Tart 0.5/5 --

Blueberry Egg Tart 2/5

Maryah's Verdict:

Portuguese Egg Tart 3/5 -- Chocolate Egg Tart 3.5/5 --Blueberry Egg Tart 4/5

Well this experience definitely has not changed my opinion of egg tarts at all.
If you happen to be in the west side for whatever reason, maybe go check it out. And if you're buying me some please don't buy the Durian one.

Mayson's Bakery

Jurong Point Shopping Centre
63 Jurong West Central 3 #01-66/75

www.mayson.com.sg

Operating Hours
06.00am – 10.30pm (Mon-Sat)
07.00am – 11.00pm (Sun)

Geylang Serai Bazaar Ramadhan - Churro Brothers

So we love Churros.
And I've had Churros before. But it was always at some bistro or Tapas joint or rather.
I had never come across Halal Churros in Singapore. Until yesterday.


So what is a Churro anyways?
Well it's actually a Spanish pastry. If you ask me, I'd call it a variation on a doughnut or a pretzel but believe it or not it's actually more of a Choux pastry (for all you bakers out there) than a doughnut or pretzel.
Well whatever you want to call it - Churros are delicious!
And the popular way to eat them is with some hot chocolate or chocolate sauce.

So Ziela tells me in the office about this stall at the Geylang Bazaar which sells Halal Churros.
And I say "No way!" because like I said - I had never come across Halal Churros in Singapore.
So you can imagine my excitement if I actually bother to go check this out the very next day.

Sure or not???

So anyways this is what they offer.

They've got 3 types of Churros - Cinnamon Sugar, Chocolate-filled and Caramel-filled.
They also have 3 types of dips - Milky Chocolate, Candy Caramel and Grandma's Apple Pie.

You can buy 4 Cinnamon Sugar or 3 Chocolate/Caramel-filled for $2 or
you can buy a Buddy combo of 6 Cinnamon Sugar, 2 Chocolate-filled and 2 Caramel-filled PLUS one of each of the dips for $5. (No prizes for guessing which one I bought)
Individual dips will cost you 50 cents a pop.

Chocolate / Caramel

Churros

Let me start by saying that the Churros are actually very good and have a nice bite to them.
I know you're saying "But Churros are normally long what" well these have been cut into bit-sized pieces for us because I'm sure you don't want to walk around Geylang Bazaar with a super-long Churros sticking out of your mouth or pocket.

And at the rate these buggers were selling, I'm guessing you're probably going to almost always get a fresh batch because people are snapping them up as soon as they come out of the fryer. Even I was lucky enough to get a fresh batch in my bag. They make and pack all their stuff on site so you're know you're getting a fresh good Churro.

I even went a little further and kept them for awhile to see if the pastry hardened (like most unfortunately do).
After an hour - still had a good bite.
I even kept some for sahur the next morning - and they still were not hard!
But of course, like most things, best to eat em while they're hot and fresh.

Candy Caramel / Milky Chocolate / Grandma's Apple Pie

So how did the dips and fillings measure up?
I have to say that my favourite was the Candy Caramel. We all know I'm a sucker for sugar.

I'm guessing a fan favourite will probably be the Milky Chocolate but take note, just like the name literally says, this is a milk chocolate sauce as my darling wife pointed out. Some of you darker chocolate fans might be whining but it's still not too bad a sauce and goes well with the Churros.

Cinnamon Sugar Churro with Milky Chocolate Dip

The one I couldn't quite get used to was the Grandma's Apple Sauce.
It tasted a lot like McDonalds' Apple Pie but it was kinda watery and there was something about it I could not quite put my finger on.

Or maybe I just wanted more of the Candy Caramel.

Cinnamon Sugar Churro

The Cinnamon Sugar Churro is actually excellent enough on its own.
But I'm gonna bet my last Candy Caramel dip that you're probably gonna be dipping it into some sauce.

The Churro Brothers

So apparently those two are the Churro Brothers aptly named Bro #1 and Bro #2.
(I am not aware of the existence of any other Churro Brother at the time of release at this blog post.)

And I'm thinking this idea probably came about like this.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking Bro #1?"

"I think I am Bro #2!"

"IT'S CHURROS TIME!!!"

Okay so maybe not EXACTLY like that lah but you get the idea.

 Adam's Verdict:
Churros 4/5

Maryah's Verdict:

Churros 3/5


Oh. And like I said. They're really popular. Remember that sign at the start about queuing?
Well if you do go down during peak period at the Bazaar, you're gonna have to deal with this.

But like they said - it's worth the wait.

I must applaud these 2 Churro Brothers. They've taken a great idea and a good product and brought it to the masses at a location where it's relatively accessible to pretty much everyone. And they're really friendly too!

I'm sure what their plans are after the bazaar is over but I reckon I might check their Facebook page to find their location when I have a hankering for some Churros.

Churro Brothers

Geylang Serai Bazaar Ramadhan
Just outside the entrance of Darul Arqam Muslim Converts Association

www.facebook.com/ChurroBrothers

Operating Hours: 5.00pm til they sell out of Churros
Bro #1 tells me they normally sell out around 10pm