Ex-Bakery Brera Head Pastry Chef Opens New Cafe With ‘Bubur Cha Cha’ Croissant

Jeanette Aw’s bakery Once Upon A Time has a new Jalan Besar neighbour: upcoming artisanal bakery and cafe La Levain, which is opening on Dec 11. The 28-seat space is owned by pastry chef Wythe Ng, 33, who last worked at the acclaimed Bakery Brera as its head chef where he helped create its bestselling items like Basque burnt cheesecake and taro mochi croissant before setting up La Levain.

He’s a “viennoiserie specialist”

Prior to his new biz, chef Wythe had co-founded Keong Saik Bakery with his friend Tan Yuzhong before leaving in 2019. He had also worked at Japanese bakery chain Boulangerie Asanoya and Baker & Cook. Despite his young age, the millennial – whose family runs a Chinese-style bakery in Malaysia – has 18 years of experience as a “viennoiserie specialist” (the French term viennoiserie refers to the sweet, bread-like bakes like croissant and pain au chocolat that are made with yeast-leavened dough and are a cross between pastries and bread).

The menu

Which explains why the viennoiserie selection here is massive. There are some 28 types on the menu, like the cafe’s signature Brown Sugar Kouign Amann ($4.50) sprinkled with Himalayan sea salt, Croissants (from $3.50), Cruffins (from $4.60) to sweet and savoury Danishes (from $4) and Baked Sandwiches (from $5.50) with house-made bread. There are also buns and scones, as well as house-made bread like the La Levain Signature Sourdough (from $8.50 for 400g). For brunch (from 8.30am to 2pm), there are heartier bites like Roasted Eggplant Tartine ($15).

Signatures Box, $38 

If you can’t decide what to buy, chef Wythe has two fuss-free sets. The Signatures Box ($38 for eight items) comes with a Bo Bo Cha Cha Croissant, Pain Au Chocolat, Kouign Amann, Banana Danish, Mushroom Onion with Gruyere Cheese Danish, Four Cheeses and Ham Croissant, Pistachio Salted Caramel Cruffin and a English Cranberry & Raisin Scone.

Classics Box, $32.80

Meanwhile the Classics Box ($32.80 for six items) has a French Butter Croissant, Pain Au Chocolat, Brown Sugar Kouign Amann with Himalayan Sea Salt, Hojicha Mochi Croissant, Speculoos Cruffin and Burnt Cheese Croissant.

Get the sweet items here

Also worth the calories: the buttery Pain Au Chocolat ($4.50), Banana Danish ($4) and sea salt-flecked Brown Sugar Kouign Amann ($4.80). The new-fangled cruffins are decent, though they remind us a little of Bakery Brera’s; there’s a Ferrero Rocher flavour here too.

Pistachio Salted Caramel Cruffin

We prefer the sweet treats here to the savoury ones, which are munchable enough but not as memorable as the dessert pastries.

Christmas specials

For Christmas, La Levain is offering a house-made Panettone ($48) and Stollen ($28).

Address and opening hours

Address: 23 Hamilton Road, S209193

Opening hours: Open Tue-Sun, 8.30am-6.30pm

www.lalevain.com

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  What to order

  Perhaps unsurprisingly for a Bakery Brera alum, the croissants here are fab. They are twice-baked, a process that jazzes up plain croissants by stuffing ’em with fillings and baking them again.
  

  We particularly enjoy the cute, local-inspired Bo Bo Cha Cha flavour (pictured, $6.50 each a la carte), a crispy, airy number loaded with mashed sweet potatoes, yam and a wedge of chewy coconut mochi. There’s also a Burnt Cheese Croissant ($7) with molten cheese.