Salted egg yolk: what started as a gravy for a common Singaporean crab dish caught on like fire to become a nation-wide craze in the form of, well, everything edible! Salted egg yolk fish and chips, salted egg yolk burgers, salted egg yolk prata, salted egg yolk chicken wings, salted egg yolk udon and the list goes on and on and on. No eatery in Singapore could stand idle and even Mcdonalds joined the trend, launching a fried chicken burger with salted egg yolk gravy in June to ridiculously long queues of eager customers. Shortly after, many restaurants in Singapore made sure to include at least one salted egg yolk item in their menu.
The consistency of the salted egg yolk sauce is thick and runny and the taste is a blend of salty and sweet. It introduces a flavor combination that goes well with different dishes. In addition, there’s another important aspect to the sauce – it looks so damn good on camera. Instagram is choke full of videos featuring knives cutting into salted egg croissants as the creamy yellow sauce slowly oozes out… Food porn at its best. While some believe this trend is here to stay, other thinks it’s just a matter of time before a new craze will sweep everybody, leaving salted egg yolk as nothing but a vague memory.
The first place to introduce salted egg yolk croissant was Urban Bakery but now almost every bakery in town has its own version of the salted egg yolk croissant. We tasted both Urban Bakery’s croissant as well as Antoinette’s and I must admit Antoinette’s were far better.
Antoinette is a Parisian pâtisserie and salon de thé (tea house), a brainchild of Chef Pang Kok Keong, and is considered one of the most well-regarded patisseries in Singapore. They offer an all-day dining experience with extensive menu that encompasses classic regional French savory specialties
as well as luxurious pastries and confectionery. Their menu is not only gigantic in selection but also in dimensions. Just look at the size of that thing:
They have 2 branches, one on Penhas road and one inside Mandarin Gallery. We visited the one inside the Mandarin Gallery since it was on our way but I think the branch on Penhas is nicer based on pictures I saw. Stepping inside was like existing a time machine: Heavy carpets muffling your steps as you descend into massive cushions adorning old Rococo-style furniture while soft French music is playing in the background. The lavish decor and styling will not feel out of place even on a timey movie set.
Instead of choosing from the menu, we headed to feast our eyes on the display. The selection is hard since all cakes and pastries look magnificent.
Summer Petit (10SGD / $7 / 28₪) – raspberry mousse, forest berries jelly and pistachio cream, sponge and glaze. This cake was a tad too sweet for us. The berries’ flavor overpowered all other flavors, so the delicate pistachio was lost.
Both croissants were fabulous. They had a thin buttery and flaky exterior while their insides were generously filled. What can I say, their flavor is definitely worth the hype.
Salted Egg Yolk Croissant (6.5SGD / $87 / 334₪)
Charcoal Kaya Croissant (6SGD / $87 / 334₪)
Together with tax and service (which was great, by the way. That is, the service, not the tax.) it added up to 26.45SGD / $19 / 73.5₪. As long as the salted egg-yolk craze continues, you owe it to yourself to try it at least once. That way in the future you can look back at the experience; whether it’s longingly or judgingly – that’s up to you.
Antoinette Online:
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