SWEET REVIVAL

Old-school bakery Chin Mee Chin shuttered in 2018 when the original owner retired, only for it to be resurrected under lifestyle brand Ebb & Flow Group in July this year. Now helmed by executive chef Maxine Ngooi, who is also behind the popular pastry shop Tigerlily Patisserie, the iconic coffee shop is back at its original location in Katong. While co-owner Ngooi has preserved most of the traditional recipes loved by many—white bread, kaya toast and luncheon meat buns, to name a few—she has tapped into her French culinary background to introduce contemporary favourites that appeal to the younger generation. A highlight is the coffee gula melaka chiffon cake, which brings together two Singaporean staples: kopi and chiffon cake. “Coffee gula melaka is a uniquely Singaporean drink that is very popular these days, while chiffon cake has always been well-loved by Singaporeans,” explains Ngooi, who has tweaked the classic chiffon cake recipe by replacing sugar with gula melaka and infusing it with an original brewed roasted Nanyang coffee. The result? A delicious moist and spongy chiffon cake elevated with a molassy sweetness from the gula melaka with some hints of bitterness from the kopi.