OVEN FRESH
POLLEN BAKED GOODS DELIVERS WHOLESOME GOODNESS
As I stood in front of the entrance of Pollen Baked Goods, with its bright blue door and glowing yellow logo, I could only imagine what pastries were in store for an afternoon of snacking.
From the folks behind the Mediterranean-inspired Seven Spoons, the bakery specialises in every kind of pastry you can imagine, which meant that I had a huge sweet tooth craving to fill and I was spoilt for choice.
I entered the small pastry shop and was introduced to a dark and dimly lit room, with shelves full of sweet goodies. Similar to a bakery in Europe, the bake shop, while narrow and small, emits a homely vibe where customers can quickly enter and pick up what they want. I dived into their freshly baked goods, trying several that were available on the shelves.
First, I had two of their doughnuts (B2535), one peach glazed topped with almond nuts and dry apricots, and the other a strawberry-flavoured doughnut covered in rainbow sprinkles with an actual strawberry in the centre. Both doughnuts are recipes from owner Joke Congee’s mother-in-law and were soft and not as thick as I was expecting. While the peach-glazed doughnut was rich in its coating, the strawberry cream was surprisingly viscous and enjoyable, especially when one gets to the centre where the fruit lies — a sweet, sweet finish.
I also had three pieces of madeleines (B25 per piece), each made with cardamom, decorated differently — one plain, one partially lathered with chocolate sauce and topped with almonds, and one semi-covered i n white chocolate topped with pistachio. While one is not particularly filling, three pieces of the spongy, shell-shaped pastry blend well with the thicker layer of chocolate and chewy nuts, providing an assortment of flavours all at once.
The homemade Canadian-style cinnamon bun (B55) was puffy and fluffy in its mouth-watering presentation and could easily be mistaken as a bun from the American baked goods chain Cinnabon. If you’re a fan of cinnamon buns and rolls, who could say no to that? Showered in caramel syrup with raisins on the side and almonds on top, I am of the firm belief that this is how a cinnamon bun should be made.
Their neatly-designed open face cakes (B50), a doughnut-sized chocolate delight with cream cheese smothered on top, had a fruity combination of a blueberry, raspberry and two slices of strawberry thrown in for good measure. Chocolate and fruit always seem to go well together, so I savoured each bite. The lemony mini cake (B65) is styled like a sarnie. Layered in buns, filled with cream cheese and slices of kiwis, I was pleasantly surprised it wasn’t too sweet.
Pollen Baked Goods has a special menu which constantly changes. Their Classic lemon tart with honeycomb (B160) gave me half of a tart topped with three mini eclairs with the other half consisting of whipped cream and honeycomb. Take a bite out of the extra creamy texture and then dip it in the cream and honeycomb to give it that sticky and crunchy edge.
The drinks menu, which cheekily states that “We do not have just an oven”, has a standard selection of coffee on offer. To even out the sweet taste of the cakes, I went for an iced latte (B60), which helped wash down all the sugar. If you’re looking for something sweeter, then try their refreshing, cold lemonade (B50), freshly squeezed and perfect for a hot summer’s day.
If you’re looking to treat yourself, head there at 4pm for a “buy 1 get 1 free” promotion. With cheap prices for such well-baked pastries and a variety of choices that are constantly rotating, what more incentive does one need?
The space, while minuscule, could have fared better if it were big enough to accommodate more people (it seats eight to 10 inside, with one table outside). Whatever the case, affordable, homemade desserts should win over any fan of baked goods.